Spiritual Health Check-Up: Starting the New Year Strong

On By Philip WijayaIn Insight, Perspective, Story

I am grateful for the God-given opportunity to have a family vacation over the new year. Following an eventful 2025, which culminated in a hectic December, we flew to Indonesia for the first time in over three years. It was our first flight of the year, so we couldn’t be more excited.

It was overall a good time away as we met with family members and friends where Shalom was finally able to see her cousin, Kanael, and her playdate friends, Autumn and Winter. I am also personally thankful our family had the opportunity to celebrate my dad’s 75th birthday, just a couple of days after my own and my sister’s birthday (yes, I have a twin sister!) 😊

Well, I’m not writing this to recount my vacation adventures, but I would briefly share a reflection from my recent time away as we are still early in 2026. In the midst of our busy and noisy world, it is important to find a time to pause and reflect, giving thanks to God as we cherish all the good memories and celebrate His goodness and faithfulness.

My reflection is about the importance of a spiritual health check-up in the life of every person of faith. I believe it is good and helpful that we examine ourselves with a fundamental question, such as “How is my relationship with God today?” As we walk this journey in the new year, we need to keep this in mind, because nothing is more precious than our personal relationship with the One who created us and gives us life.

Drawing a comparison to a physical health check-up, I was reminded there are at least five indicators that could describe our spiritual health conditions:

TEMPERATURE: Are you hot or cold for the Lord?

A normal human body temperature is 37 oC—physically, it’s considered neither hot nor cold. In a spiritual realm, however, we are commanded to stay “on fire” for the Lord (Romans 12:11, 2 Timothy 1:6, Leviticus 6:13) and warned against being “lukewarm” (Revelation 3:15-16) or “cold” (Matthew 24:12). It is the Holy Spirit’s work and Jesus Christ’s words that can keep us strong and passionate for God. To keep the fire burning, we need to go back to the basics: prayer, devotion, worship, and service.

APPETITE: Do you still hunger for God?

With so many “attractive” menu options offered to us every day (e.g., through social media and news), do we still choose to faithfully seek God’s truth and presence? Do we allow our hearts and minds to be filled with the worries of this world or with the wisdom of God? A spiritually healthy person desires the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:10-11, Colossians 3:2, 1 John 2:16-17)—divine treasures that truly satisfy their longing heart. If our spiritual appetite is weak, we need to be careful with our health, lest we become sick and die prematurely. We must guard our heart (Proverbs 4:23), both physically and spiritually.

WEIGHT: Are you spiritually lean or fat?

Body Mass Index (BMI) is an indicator of our physical condition—whether we are underweight or overweight. (I wish there were a spiritual equivalent to BMI.) It is noteworthy that BMI changes with height and age (maturity). A person with “good” or healthy BMI has a lower risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. We might be spiritually underweight, when we only like to eat simple foods meant for babies (1 Corinthians 3:2-3, Hebrews 5:12-13), slowing down our growth. In contrast, we might be spiritually overweight, when we eat enough solid foods meant for adults but never exercise our faith (James 1:22, James 2:26, James 4:17, Philippians 2:12). We will be spiritually healthy when we exercise and “convert” our faith into good works, which are pleasing to God (Hebrews 13:16).

ENERGY: Do you have stamina to carry on?

Physics shows that mass and energy are interconnected. The energy we receive from God through His Word, His Spirit, and His people adds to our spiritual strength. To carry on the work of the Lord, we need to get nourishment from His Word (Matthew 4:4) and develop endurance through the power of His Spirit (Ephesians 3:14-16). Interestingly, Scripture reveals that another important “exercise” to develop our spiritual strength and endurance is waiting on the Lord (Isaiah 40:31). This means that our real spiritual energy comes from God as we trust in Him—His plan, promise, presence, power, and provision. When we try to rely on our strength and do things our own way, we will lose the energy and risk falling into sickness or even death. Resting in Jesus is essential for our spiritual vitality (Matthew 11:28).

FOCUS: What is your priority in life?

A spiritually healthy person is marked by focus, sharpness, and discipline. These three aspects are interconnected—when we discipline our minds to focus on things that matter most, we will be sharp [strong and effective] in achieving the goals God has given us. Jesus teaches that our priority in life must be to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33), manifesting in our love for God and our fellow human being, who are created in the image of God (Matthew 22:37-39). If we ever feel drained or exhausted, it is likely because we were not focused in fulfilling the purposes God has given us. If we know for sure that our work is meaningful to God’s kingdom and making impact in other people’s lives, we will find delight in it and, more importantly, in the One who gives us the work to do and the abilities to do that work. When God is first and foremost in our life, everything else falls into place. A spiritually healthy person focuses his life to please and honor God above all else by fixing his eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Well, I am glad that you are still with me. Thank you for reading up to this point. I hope this post inspires you to start the new year strong. Let us examine ourselves—do not judge others—to see whether we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5) because without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Love and blessings in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

This article was conceptualized in January 2026 and written on February 25, 2026 in Port Coquitlam, BC, Canada. The featured image was generated with AI.

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