Love Is the SolutionSample
What happens if we obey God’s commandments?
Previously we looked at the negative effects that come from disobeying the “greatest” commandment and some of the consequences. Now will explore the positive side of this. If we decide to obey God and love Him, one another, and ourselves, we open ourselves up to physical and mental health blessings.
Regardless of how your life has been up to now, you can decide how to respond. Through trauma, disappointments, and pain, the devil attempts to distance you from the love of God. Life can be very hard and unfair at times. After all, we live in a fallen world and can experience much negativity and a lack of love. If we soften our hearts and receive God’s love, we should forgive any wrongs we have suffered from others. This could mean forgiving your parents, brother or sister, enemies, and even yourself.
By actively focusing on and practicing the mind states of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, you will experience more hope, gratitude, empathy, compassion, trust, belief, contentment, and self-worth. These feelings will exert a powerful positive effect on the brain and body. This will initiate the release of hormones and neurotransmitters, leading to mental and physical health, wellness, and longevity.
Love comes from trusting God and His Word.
The importance of love on a biological level.
By receiving or for-giving love, we naturally experience more empathy, trust, and belief in our lives. These mind states increase the amount of oxytocin that is released in our endocrine system. Oxytocin is known as the love hormone because it is elevated when we engage in altruistic activities, compassion, intimacy, and comfort.
If we are in this state, the brain further releases hormones and neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.
This has a positive effect on our neurochemistry. Suppose we regularly experience these positive feelings and mental states. In that case, it will cause good chemistry in our body and brain, increasing neuroplasticity (the ability to change, transform, renew, and rewire your brain/mind). The optimum ratio of dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and adrenalin, in the brain and body brings about these actions. This combination stimulates the nucleus accumbens. This part of the brain is responsible for motivation, memory, learning, attention, calmness, clarity, and reason. The nucleus accumbens also happens to be the seat of dopamine production that suppresses fear and anxiety supported by the amygdala.
All of these factors collectively produce more purposeful and optimistic mind-states, feelings of hope, and more hormones and neurotransmitters responsible for making you feel good. So there is a positive feedback loop in place that brings about physical wellness and the lack of disease and makes us more passionate, enthusiastic, motivated, content, receptive, interested, and engaged ultimately enhancing overall wellness, performance, and leadership.
Again, this is a deep dive into the science of love, but it should give you an increased understanding and incentive to obey God.
God instructed us to love Him, others, and ourselves, not only for the greater good but also for our own good. Forgiving and receiving selfless agape love makes us physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthier.
You can change the trajectory of your life and those around you through the act of love which empowers you to bring light where there is darkness and demonstrate the Kingdom of God to a fallen world.
Be the light.
Learn More about Reinhard Korb @ https://keepthriving.co.za
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About this Plan
Why did God command us to love Him, one another, and ourselves? Why is love so important? What are the different types of love? What will the impact be if we obey this important commandment? What does science say about the impact of emotions on our health? In the Bible, we know God as the God of love. In love, God created the world and sacrificed His only son. Join me for a 5-day journey as we explore these questions.
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