Quick. Name the easiest way to add a year or more to your lifespan without having to make drastic changes to your diet, giving up addictions or becoming fit.

Are you ready for it?

Flossing.

According to studies done at Emory University by the Centres for Disease Control, common gum problems such as gingivitis and periodontitis lead to a 23%-46% higher rate of death.

In his book, Real Age, Dr. Michael F. Roizen writes that “flossing your teeth daily can make your arteries younger…studies show that flossing helps keep your immune system young.”

Estimates vary, but experts suggest that regular flossing can add anywhere from 1 to 6 plus years to your life!

How is this possible? Here is one explanation:

“When you floss, you help prevent your gums from becoming inflamed. That’s a good thing. What is happening when your gums are inflamed is that you have a chronic bacterial infection in your mouth. This harms your arteries through two mechanisms:
•    the bacteria find their way in to your arteries and hang out (causing plaques), and
•    your body mounts an immune response to the bacteria in your mouth, causing inflammation (which in turn can cause your arteries to narrow). This makes it hard for your heart to do its job and can lead to heart disease.”

Don’t you find it alarming that failing to floss can have such serious consequences?

What is true in the physical is even truer in the spiritual, isn’t it?

For example, when we allow ungodly thoughts to remain too long in our spirit, then they affect our heart adversely, do they not?

Take anger, for example. Anger left unattended leads to resentment. Resentment begets bitterness. Bitterness births rage. Rage could potentially lead to murder.

No wonder we are cautioned in Hebrews 12:15: “See to it that…no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”

The sooner the anger is flossed out of the system, the better.

The apostle Paul stresses the urgency with which we need to do this in Ephesians 4:26: “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry…”

Floss it out before you go to bed, just as you would floss your teeth before you hit the hay, before it leads to inflammatory behaviour.

In the very next verse, he warns us that failure to floss could end up in giving the devil a toothhold, I mean, foothold.

It gives him an access point from which he can work his destruction all the way into our heart. We keep on sinning and end up paying the wages of sin, which is death.

That is why we are told in no uncertain terms to “guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23).

Yes, this spiritual flossing will keep your heart pure, strong and healthy. For all we know, it could even add years to your life!