How God Healed Me From Acid Reflux and Stomach Pain
MARK DEJESUS CHARISMA MAGAZINE
For years I had to take the purple pill to alleviate the pain I experienced while eating the foods I enjoyed. The spicier, the better.
Being half-Hispanic, I loved foods with rich spices, but I also had a terrible time afterwards, often experiencing incredible abdominal pain.
In addition, I inherited what I often call a "Puerto Rican stomach" that includes nausea first thing in the morning. Many people try to cure this with a cup of coffee and small breakfast because the appetite is often weak first thing in the morning. In addition, a nervous stomach also seemed to follow me around, meaning my appetite would go up and down depending on what was happening in my life.
I found out I had acid reflux, where stomach contents leak back into the esophagus, creating a great deal of pain. After a while, the purple pill was not helping, so I ended up going to a stronger medication to help with my recurring stomach pain. My stomach trouble even landed me in the hospital twice with such incredible abdominal pain I could not even stand up straight. I was further diagnosed with a hiatal hernia, a condition where part of the stomach sticks upward into the chest.
After an investigative procedure, I was told to simply lose weight and stop eating all of the foods I enjoyed. At the same time, God was doing a deep renovation in my life, healing my heart and delivering me from ways of thinking that were working against my growth in Him. Becoming free from various works of fear in my life was a key part of this transformation. As God was healing my heart and delivering me from oppressive thinking, I became aware that the stinking thinking I had allowed to infiltrate my life was also affecting my gastrointestinal tract.
Fear's Work Against the Stomach
I went before God about the fear issues of my life and began to see how fear compromises the health of our digestive system, robbing us of enjoying foods and of the ability to process the nutrition they offer. If the nervous system senses any lack of peace within us, over time, the stomach and intestines can begin to lose the productive jobs they were designed to do. In fact, there is a separate nervous system that surrounds the stomach called the enteric nervous system. Your body is keenly aware of unresolved fear issues.
The Fear Issues I Addressed
Here are the fear issues relating to my stomach issues. I addressed them with authority and began to take my peace over them.
Insecurity
I began to come before God and repent for serving insecurity. I was living in constant performance and perfectionism pressure, but had never realized how much it affected my life. My identity was wrapped around what I did and how well I did it. I listened to the thoughts of rejection telling me that the pressure was on when it came to ministry, singing, speaking or putting an event together. Once and for all, I received the love Father God had for me and began to take my peace over my identity. I renounced living for approval and instead began to live from the approval Father God had already given me.
Fear of Failure
This is a big one if you want to overcome gastrointestinal issues of any kind. I recognized a fear of failure was robbing me behind the scenes. I would live each day focusing on what dreading events or scenarios were coming my way. I took pride in being able to calculate everything that could go wrong. This was working against me, because I had lost my peace regarding the future and could not enjoy the present.
Worry
Even though Jesus commanded us not to worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6-7) I had a hard time walking in that. I had to receive a revelation of the Father's love for me, knowing He would take care of me and provide for my every need. I had to renounce the fear of failure that drove me to strive and put so much energy into avoiding things going wrong. Instead of simply doing my best and taking my peace, I was tormented with the pressures I had allowed the enemy to put on my heart. The worrywart had to be put away.
Shifting a Generational Pattern
On top of that, I had to practice taking my peace daily with God and the situations I found myself in. My family line is riddled with worrywarts and restless minds, so I knew I was confronting a generational way of thinking. In overcoming this trait, I was not only letting God change my mind, but I was giving Him room to even rewire my personality into one that was not afraid to fail and would refuse to be tormented by tomorrow. I was free to enjoy the day in front of me. This wasn't just about my stomach being healed. This was about a new way of seeing life.
Jesus taught that we have enough trouble to focus on today. We don't need to project what could go wrong onto tomorrow. Listening to fear of the future and dread does nothing to help us. Too many live in a private shame of all our worries and fear, thinking, "Well, this is just the way I am." We lose any sight of a better future with health and wholeness.
Healing Manifestation
As I began to walk this process out of turning from fear, anxiousness and worry, my stomach was healed. No more acid reflux. No more purple pills (or any pills) for my abdominal pain. No hiatal hernia. And no one even laid hands on me for healing. I was able to eat what I wanted and take my peace again.
My body came into health as I aligned myself with heaven's way of thinking. There is no worry in heaven, so walking in that kind of peace gives us the health that God designed us to possess.
Am I perfect in this walk-out? No way! I still have a dump truck of thoughts God is working out in my life. But I am excited about it, because He is faithful to patiently love us through each stage so we become more like His Son, Jesus Christ. I am enjoying learning to be an overcomer, and my body thanks me for it.
He is faithful to love the fear out of us and deliver us from all our fears. 
Mark DeJesus has been equipping people in a full-time capacity since 1995, serving in various roles, including teaching people of all ages, communicating through music, authoring books, leading and mentoring. Mark's deepest love is his family: his wife, Melissa, son Maximus and daughter Abigail. Mark is a teacher, author and mentor who uses many forms of media, including the written word, a weekly radio podcast show and videos. His deepest call involves equipping people to live as overcomers. Through understanding inside-out transformation, Mark's message involves getting to the root of issues that contribute to the breakdown of our relationships, our health and our day-to-day peace. He is passionately reaching his world with a transforming message of love, healing and freedom. Out of their own personal renewal, Mark and Melissa founded Turning Hearts Ministries, a ministry dedicated to inside-out transformation. Mark also founded Transformed You, a communication platform for his teachings, writing and broadcasts designed to encourage people in their journey of transformation.
For the original article, visit markdejesus.com.
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