Proverbs 17:22 says, “A merry heart does good like a medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.” A merry heart, a heart that is filled with gladness and joy is like taking medicine and it heals the physical body, but an afflicted or wounded spirit causes the physical body to dry up, to wither away or to decay from the inside out.
As we study the Word of God, we see how the spirit, soul and body are intertwined. When the spirit (the eternal being) and soul (the mind and the emotions) are distraught the physical body suffers. Jesus Christ tells us in John 16:33, “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.”
He tells us that in this world we will face difficult times. We will all experience pressure, anguish, persecution and times of trouble. These difficult times are not designed by God, but are brought upon us by our enemy, Satan. As it says in John 10:10, “The thief comes to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” Our enemy, Satan, is constantly looking for a way to steal, to kill and to destroy us. And these times of tribulation can cause great stress on the physical body and can make us sick.
But despite all of life’s tribulation, we can find rest in His presence, and with these words of comfort: “But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” He is saying to us to take courage because He conquered, and won the victory for us at Calvary. In John 10:10, He says, “I came that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
We can live abundant lives, lives of victory even in the midst of trials, by choosing joy. In Nehemiah 8:10 it says that the joy of the Lord is our strength. This joy is our defense against the attacks of the enemy. And every time we choose joy, we are choosing to take a supernatural medicine that heals the physical body. So create a merry heart, choose joy over sorrow, fill your heart with gladness, allow no room for depression, live life and laugh! {eoa}
Becky Dvorak is a prophetic healing evangelist and the Destiny Image author of DARE to Believe and Greater Than Magic. Visit her at authorbeckydvorak.com.
Janet Perez Eckles 
Shawn Akers 
Abby Trivett 
