Healing from the Inside Out

"If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God." Hebrews 10:26-27

I’ve had an open wound right between my eyes for the last 11 months. Seriously. I have tried so many things to heal it, but nothing has worked. Accutane, steroid injections, antibiotics, biopsies, and every kind of ointment available on the market with no luck. And this isn’t the first time it’s happened to me. I’ve been getting these awful boil-type sores on my face for at least three decades. They start off as a little bump, but soon turn into a festering wound that hangs out for months. It’s so frustrating when the cause is unknown and a cure is nowhere to be found.

The funny thing is, somewhere in the back of my mind was the vague notion that the problem might be diet-related. I recently decided to try an elimination diet (Whole 30) to see if anything would change. The first thing on my list to go was dairy, which I was reluctant to give up because I love Greek yogurt. I mean I LOVE it. There have been days when all I’ve eaten was yogurt – up to six servings of it daily! But I was so over my skin condition I was finally willing to make the sacrifice.

And guess what? My skin started healing within days. The open sore on my forehead began to close and is now practically invisible except for a little scar, which I’m hopeful will fade in time. The one that was just beginning to form on my chin disappeared without any lasting damage. It is almost unbelievable how quickly my body reacted to the change in diet. It is such a relief to know what the problem was and how I can avoid it from now on. I don’t think I’ll ever purposely eat dairy foods again.

Isn’t it the same with the sin in our lives? When we first become aware of something we are doing that is spiritually unhealthy or goes against God’s Word, the little voice in our head – the Holy Spirit – draws our attention to it and cautions us against repeating the harmful action. If we choose to silence the Spirit and ignore his guidance, we are headed for trouble and will suffer the consequences of disobedience. Hebrews 10:26-27 gives us fair warning: “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.”

That’s a terrifying thought! On the other hand, when we obey the Spirit’s instruction, healing occurs on so many levels and our conscious is clearer than my dairy-free complexion.

So with all this in mind, I choose to refrain from anything that causes me harm – whether it’s physical or spiritual. I gladly say goodbye and good riddance to those things that have made my life so miserable for so long. With God’s help, I can resist the temptation to return to old ways that have not served me well in the past, and I can gratefully say, “Thank you, God, for the many ways you continue to heal me from the inside out!”