If You Want to be Happy for the Rest of Your Life

Perilous times have come.  Dig in deep, for a great shaking has begun.  Hebrews 12:25-29:

25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

29 For our God is a consuming fire.

Dig in deep.  If we ever ran the race, it is time to run it now. 

Do you know the words “born again” that Jesus spoke to Nicodemus in John 3 are in the dictionary?  The Oxford Dictionary defines “born again:” converted (esp. to fundamentalist Christianity).  Have you been converted?  Are you and your house prepared for God’s great shaking?  Have you been born a second time—this time of the Spirit of God?  Have all your sins and shame been washed away?  If today were the last day of your life, are you certain that you would enter into eternal life in Christ?  If you’ve answered no to any of the questions just posed, they can all be converted with just one yes.  Click onto “Further With Jesus” for childlike instructions and immediate entry into the Kingdom of God. NOW FOR TODAY’S SUBJECT.

GOD SAID, Hebrews 10:24-25:

24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

GOD SAID, Psalm 104:34:

My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.

GOD SAID, Psalm 105:1-2:

1 O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.

2 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.

GOD SAID, John 10:10:

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

MAN SAID: Christianity is a trivial pursuit sought out by the poor and uneducated.  It is the religion of losers. 

Now THE RECORD: Welcome to GodSaidManSaid feature 756 that will once again confirm the pure and beautiful inerrancy of God’s Holy Word.  All of these features are archived here in text and streaming audio for the building-up of the faith and as bait for the fishers of men. 

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Thank you for coming.  May God’s face shine upon you and yours with Light and Truth. 

They always end up here.  Wrangle with the obvious as they will, they always end up here at the unbreakable, unshakeable, Word of God. 

All of God’s commandments and instructions—every insight, every historic account, every miraculous encounter—every single one, are true and righteous altogether.  If you are a frequent visitor to GodSaidManSaid, you are familiar with the principle that every one of God’s commandments has inherent within them a blessing or a curse. 

Because they are inerrant truth, obeying them yields the blessing of doing the right thing.  Because they are inerrant truth, disobeying them yields the curse of doing the wrong thing.  This GodSaidManSaid feature will make this principle abundantly clear. 

The Word of God creates a spiritual structure that houses and nourishes the souls of the redeemed; central to that structure is the house of God.  In a church where God’s Word is high and lifted up, you’ll find the preaching of the Cross and what the Cross of Christ makes possible:

• The forgiveness of sin;
• The healing of the soul;
• The healing of the body;
• The blessed hope of eternal life in Christ;
• A structure where one is educated and blessed, and one where an individual can bless the body of Christ;
• And so much more. 

This holy structure built upon the Cross is filled with the ministries of reconciliation, of teaching, and of Holy Ghost music—a place of marvelous meditation and the prayer of effectual faith.  It is a place where the awe of God is demonstrated weekly and where the mind is continually renewed.  God’s house is a place of eternal purpose where the family of God congregates.  If that’s all true, then science should be able to validate—and it certainly does.  Before today’s latest discoveries are noted, foundational information from GodSaidManSaid features follow:

• From GodSaidManSaid, “The Amazing Power of Going to Church:”

When man’s science digs deep, when man’s science peers into the visible and invisible, when his research is published, God’s children of faith are already there with their banners unfurled. 

The following sentences are from the November 26, 2008, article, “Religion May Help Extend Your Life,” published by HealthDay: 

The study participants came from the large Women’s Health initiative observational study, and included nearly 95,000 women from all over the United States.  The women were all between 50 and 79 years old at the start of the study. 

When the researchers adjusted the data to account for the physical health, age, ethnicity, income, education, social support, important life events, and life satisfaction, they found that weekly religious service attendance was responsible for a 20% reduction in the risk of death. 

Dr. Harold G. Koenig, founder and co-director of the Center for Spirituality, Theology, and Health at Duke University Medical Center, called the new research “a very well-done study that provides good, well-controlled evidence that religious attendance is related to lower mortality.” 

Concerning prayer, Dr. Dale Matthews of Georgetown University, author of The Faith Factor, reports that 75% of all research on studies of spirituality has confirmed health benefits.  He said, “If prayer were available in pill form, no pharmacy could stock enough of it.”  [End of quote]

Many marvelous things happen in a church where the Word of God is honored.  In the house of God, a believer is instructed in righteousness and is ministered to in a myriad of ways.  It is a place of community and powerful support.  God’s house is the ultimate place for answers, vision, and encouragement.  When Jesus Christ resurrected from Abraham’s Bosom, He gave gifts unto men for the perfecting of the saints.  The gifts He gave are gifts of ministry: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (Ephesians 4:8-12).  The primary setting for these ministry gifts to operate is in the formal church setting.  The benefits of congregating in God’s house are more than I could number. 

Hundreds of studies have been, and are presently being, conducted to ascertain whether there is any connection between religious faith and health.  Some of the latest results are shocking to the unbelieving world.  In 1999, the results of a study conducted by the University of Texas were published.  Twenty-two thousand people were followed over a nine-year period.  Those who attended church or synagogue more than once a week lived an average of eight years longer than those who didn’t.  Let me say it another way: Those who attended church more than once a week lived 2,920 days, or 11% longer than those who didn’t. 

A Yale study reported that churchgoers were less likely to become physically disabled.  In a syndicated article released by Knight Ridder Newspapers, it was recorded:

Several studies concluded that people who attended religious services regularly are hospitalized less often and have stronger immune systems than people who rarely or never attend. 

Again, the Knight Ridder article cites a 1996 poll of family doctors and found that 99% believed spiritual practices and prayer can be helpful in medical treatment.  [End of quotes]

The headline from the January 9, 2014, MailOnline reads: “Religious people take fewer sick days and are less anxious because spirituality ‘offers a buffer against the strains of modern life.’”  The sub-head reads:

• People who are religious are less likely to be stressed at work
• They are also less likely to be depressed or exhausted
• They are more likely to feel that their life has meaning

The research comes just after it was revealed that people who have a spiritual side have a “thicker” section of brain tissue than those who do not. 

The research, from Columbia University, also suggested that this thickening of the brain’s cortex could help to stave off depression.  The study authors believe this could suggest being religious changes the structure of the brain in a way which reduces depression risk.  [End of quotes]

• From GodSaidManSaid, “Meditation, Prayer, Church, and Words Make Big News, Again!:”

The headline in the February 27, 2015 issue of the publication The Week reads, “Meditation Delays Aging.”  The short article follows in its entirety:

Meditation doesn’t just improve mental and physical health in the present; it also slows the aging process, and can help meditators stay mentally sharp into old age, a new study has found.  Once people reach their mid- to late 20s, their brains begin to lose volume and weight, which can eventually result in the loss of some functional ability.  But when researchers from UCLA compared brain scans of 50 people who meditated for at least four years with scans of 50 people who didn’t, they found that those who engaged in the practice had smaller reductions in grey matter—the neuro-containing tissue responsible for processing information.  “What we expected was to see this in just a few small regions,” Dr. Florian Kuth, the study’s co-author, tells HuffingtonPost.com.  “But what we saw was almost the entire brain.  That was a big surprise.”  The findings do not prove causality—meditators may have other healthy habits that contribute to brain health—but the researchers said that meditation would appear to be a powerful tool for reducing the risks for age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease. [End of quote]

Has science proven any real, measurable benefit of prayer and of going to church?  The headline in the April 6, 2015, article published by CharismaNews.com reads, “Healing power of Prayer Undeniable, According to 1,500 Medical Studies.”  Much of the feature follows:

For the devout, there has never been any question that prayer has the power to heal. 

Now, more and more medical research from leading hospitals and universities across the U.S. has shown conclusively a belief in God really IS good for you, making you healthier and happier, and helping you live longer. 

“Studies have shown prayer can prevent people from getting sick—and when they do get sick, prayer can help them get better faster,” Duke University’s Harold G. Koenig, M.D. tells Newsmax Health. 

An exhaustive analysis of more than 1,500 reputable medical studies “indicates people who are more religious and pray more have better mental and physical health,” Dr. Koenig says. 

“And out of 125 studies that looked at the link between health and regular worship, 85 showed regular churchgoers live longer.  There’s a lot of evidence out there.” 

Dr. Koenig says a striking study published in the Southern Medical Journal demonstrated that prayer has a remarkable effect on patients with hearing and visual deficiencies.  After prayer sessions, “They showed significant improvements based on audio and visual tests,” Dr. Koenig said.

He added: “The benefits of devout religious practice, particularly involvement in a faith community and religious commitment, are that people cope better.  In general, they cope with stress better, they experience greater well-being because they have more hope, they’re more optimistic, they experience less depression, less anxiety, and they commit suicide less often.  They have stronger immune systems, lower blood pressure, and probably better cardiovascular functioning.” 

The proof of the power of prayer is overwhelming, says researcher and writer Tom Knox, a one-time atheist who became a regular worshipper after doing an in-depth study of the medical benefits of faith. 

“What I discovered astonished me,” admits Knox.  “Over the past 30 years, a growing and largely unnoticed body of scientific work shows religious belief is medically, socially, and psychologically beneficial.” 

Study after study backs up the benefits of having faith, especially in prolonging life.

In 2006, population researchers at the University of Texas discovered that the more often you go to church, the longer you live. 

“Religious attendance is associated with adult mortality in a graded fashion,” says Knox.  “There is a seven-year difference in life expectancy between those who never attend church and those who attend weekly.” 

The American Journal of Public Health studied nearly 2,000 older Californians for five years and found that those who attended religious services were 36 percent less likely to die during that period than those who didn’t. 

A study of nearly 4,000 older adults by the U.S. Journal of Gerontology revealed that atheists had a significantly increased chance of dying over a six-year period than the faithful. 

Crucially, religious people lived longer than atheists even if they didn’t go regularly to a place of worship.  [End of quotes]

• From GodSaidManSaid, “True Soul Music:”

Music is now known to improve immune response.  A subject on this website titled “A Merry Heart or a Broken Spirit” declares that when one is in a joyful, positive spirit—something that music can help induce—his bone marrow pumps out red and white blood cells profusely.  Red blood cells carry food and oxygen to the body and white blood cells destroy disease.  A joyful, positive spirit that music can surely help to promote enhances a strong immune system.

Mood is a reflection of the spirit dwelling in your earthen vessel (your body).  The Bible teaches that music is a spiritual medium having the ability to change mood.  Spirits are affected by music, whether it is the spirit of man, of angels, or of devils.  Songs of praise to God have the power of mood-changing life in them, because God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3), and where the Spirit of God and His Light dwell, the spirit of darkness and its dark moods must flee.  Note I Samuel 16:23:

And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him. 

The music of the LORD has the power to alter spiritual composition.  Also note that evil music has the opposite effect.  For example, carnal musical concerts, especially those directed toward the 15-30-year-old age group, have major security concerns.  Police are brought in to attempt to control the violence, alcohol, and illicit drugs.  At a gospel concert, you’ll typically only need police to help direct traffic.  Two different kinds of music, two different spirits, two different moods, two different gods: One big G-o-d, and one little g-o-d. So music directly affects moods and science now confirms it. 

Music is a gift from God to bless the souls of men.  When one’s choice of music is the music that glorifies God, that person has the added benefit of the Almighty God who inhabits the praises of His people.  Listen with your heart and sing with your might.  Start your day God’s way.  

August 14, 2015, the WashingtonPost.com headline reads, “Want ‘sustained happiness’? Get religion, study suggests.”   The feature follows:

A new study suggests that joining a religious group could do more for someone’s “sustained happiness” than other forms of social participation, such as volunteering, playing sports, or taking a class. 

A study in the American Journal of Epidemiology by researchers at the London School of Economics and Erasmus University Medical Center in the Netherlands found that the secret to sustained happiness lies in participation in religion. 

“The church appears to play a very important social role in keeping depression at bay and also as a coping mechanism during periods of illness in later life,” Mauricio Avendano, an epidemiologist at LSE and author of the study, said in a statement.  “It is not clear to us how much this is about religion, per se, or whether it may be about the sense of belonging and not being socially isolated.” 

Researchers looked at four areas: 1) volunteering or working with a charity; 2) taking educational courses; 3) participating in religious organizations; 4) participating in a political or community organization.  Of the four, participating in a religious organization was the only social activity associated with sustained happiness, researchers found. 

The study analyzed 9,000 Europeans who were older than 50.  The report that studied older Europeans also found that joining political or community organizations lost their benefits over time.  In fact, the short-term benefits from those social connections often lead to depressive symptoms later on, researchers say.

Although healthier people are more likely to volunteer, the researchers found no evidence that volunteering actually leads to a better mental health.  Benefits could be outweighed by other negative impacts of volunteering, such as stress, Avendano said. 

The researchers noted that it is unclear whether the benefits of participating in a religious organization are connected to being in the religious community, or to the faith itself.  [End of quote]

God’s house is a house of life and life more abundantly.  God’s house is a perfect place to build a life that will last forever. 

GOD SAID, Hebrews 10:24-25:

24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

GOD SAID, Psalm 104:34:

My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.

GOD SAID, Psalm 105:1-2:

1 O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.

2 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.

GOD SAID, John 10:10:

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

MAN SAID: Christianity is a trivial pursuit sought out by the poor and uneducated.  It is the religion of losers. 

Now you have THE RECORD.

 

References:

Authorized King James Version

Bailey, S.P., “Want ‘Sustained Happiness?’ Get Religion, Study Suggests,” WashingtonPost.com, Aug. 14, 2015

GodSaidManSaid, “Meditation, Prayer, Church, and Words Make Big News, Again!”

GodSaidManSaid, “The Amazing Power of Going to Church”

GodSaidManSaid, “True Soul Music”

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