What do you think is the primary reason for health and longevity? It may be a surprise, but it’s not genetics, exercise, or nutrition. Instead, studies from the scientific field of psychoneuroimmunology reveal that for the average person, it’s their thought life.
Wow! No wonder the Bible has so much to say about what we think.
Proverbs 23:7 says, “So a man thinketh, so he is.”
Philippians 4:8 says, “Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely. . . think about such things.”
Romans 12:2 says, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind” and
2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “Take every thought captive.”
An article in Collective Evolution reported that the oldest documented person was a French woman named Jeanne Calment who lived 122 years and 164 days. According to French researcher Jean-Marie Robine, “She never did anything special to stay in good health.” In fact, she started smoking cigarettes when she was 21, drank port wine regularly, and ate a couple pounds of chocolate sweets a week until she was 119. She credited her longevity to laughing a lot and not getting stressed out. She said, “If you can’t do anything about it, don’t worry about it.”
Why didn’t smoking for all those years lead her to an early grave? I would say that generally speaking, it’s because thoughts are more important than lifestyle.
Let’s contrast this with someone I knew who lived a very healthy lifestyle. He ate right, exercised, and could be described as disgustingly healthy. He dropped dead of a heart attack at age 61. This didn’t surprise me because he had a Type A personality. I never once saw him laugh. He let the stress of life always weigh him down because how he thought about life.
When you apply biblical truth to your life, your thoughts will change and you will be able to accomplish more than you imagine. If you learn to take thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ, you can live with purpose in every life area because your thoughts determine your destination.
Additional Resources
You were no accident. Live your life on purpose. The Blueprint for Life curriculum contains a Bible study; an easy-to-use life planner; and ten audio messages featuring Andy Stanley, Louie Giglio, Tony Evans, John Maxwell and others. Click here to check it out!
