God’s Path To A Healthy Future

[reddogs]

Here is a very interesting article on living healthy:

“....Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.” (Proverbs 3:5-8 KJV)

After many years of intense Bible study I have come to the conclusion that God cares deeply about our health and how we take care of our bodies. He created us for a divine purpose and He knows what we need to do in order to live long and healthy lives.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (Jeremiah 29:11 KJV)

There’s a reason why America leads the world in heart disease, cancer, and a litany of other debilitating diseases. It’s time that we started examining these health issues from a biblical perspective .... There are easily explainable reasons why so many health problems are on the rise, and there are easy answers to solving many of them.

According to a year 2000 World Health Organization (WHO) report, America ranks 72nd in health, yet we pay the number one price for it. Over 60% of our society is on prescription medication for a diagnosed health disorder. Obesity has become a global epidemic. In another WHO report released in 2006 they reported that over one billion people in the world are now obese. That’s 1/6th of the planet. Type II diabetes cases are exploding, especially in our youth, and there is a direct correlation between diet and Type II diabetes.

The simple truth is many of the health problems people are suffering from are a direct result of poor dietary habits. Having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the most important thing you need to have in your life. However, the word of God stresses the importance of taking care of our physical bodies as well because we are physical and spiritual beings.....If you’re overweight or afflicted with a debilitating health problem you need to be honest with yourself and acknowledge that you are more than likely in this condition because of the poor choices you have made. Take a close look at your daily dietary habits and lifestyle. What are you eating and drinking every day and how much of it are you consuming?...

In the book of Genesis it says:

“And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” (Genesis 1:29 KJV)

It doesn’t say that God gave us soda, French fries, fried foods, chips, ice cream, cakes, desserts, genetically modified foods, artificial flavors, artificial colors, artificial sweeteners, or refined, processed foods in a box, can or package that are stripped of vital nutritional elements. Our diets need to be primarily based around life giving foods that build up our health.

Health Truth #1
Start Appreciating Your Health & Taking Personal Responsibility For What You Put Into Your Body

“Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own, You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body.” (I Corinthians 6:19-20 Amplified)

We all have the ability to control what we put into our mouth. Isn’t it time we took authority over this area of our lives so we glorify the Lord and not the devil? God is not the one to blame for sickness and disease. He’s not in the business of making people sick. He’s in the business of making people well. All sickness and disease originated from the devil. Jesus said in the New Testament that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living (Matthew 22:32). The same can be said about our health. God is not the God of sickness and disease. He’s the God of health.

It’s time to start taking personal responsibility for the choices you make whether they were done in ignorance or not. The sad truth is people are neglecting their health by the millions and paying a serious price for it. I believe that many health problems could be easily avoided or reversed if consumers had deeper insights into what to put into their bodies to keep them healthy, fit, and energized.

We live in a fast paced society where we want everything now. Fast food restaurants constitute a large part of people’s daily dietary routine because it’s convenient; not healthy. Grocery stores have an endless choice of junk food that only leads to confusion unless you know what to look for. The two most popular aisles are the beverage and snack aisles. Virtually every product you can find in them contains unhealthy, toxic ingredients that over time can cause serious health problems, and even kill you. It’s interesting that the Bible says God’s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). Start making it a point to gain knowledge in the area of health so you can live out all of the days the Lord has intended for you.

According to the word of God Christians are held to a higher standard than other people. We are more accountable about what we allow into our body and how we take care of it. We are ambassadors of God’s Kingdom. The world needs to see us in a different light. God’s word says:

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” (III John 2 KJV)

When we are blessed and prosper in our health, our finances, and our spiritual life; we are a positive testimony to believers and unbelievers alike. We are God’s workmanship. Having a bunch of sick, broke, negative, and spiritually weak Christians does not help expand the kingdom of God. It is not the Father’s will for us to be riddled with health problems and chemically dependent on pharmaceutical drugs to treat the problems that could be corrected in many cases by diet, exercise, and prayer.

Just because you love the Lord and have faith doesn’t mean you won’t have a heart attack or come down with cancer if you never take proper care of your body. There is no price that can be put on good health. Every day that you wake up with excellent health and mobility is a blessed day to be thankful for.

Health Truth #2
Exercise!
It’s One Of God’s Blessings To Help You Live With Abundant Health

One of the most important things you can do to better your health or maintain excellent health is to exercise. Exercise can make a dramatic difference in your overall health and physical appearance, and I believe it will also help you have a closer and more fulfilled relationship with the Lord, because it will help you feel great and full of energy.

Science has proven that exercise can help with numerous things such as: controlling and maintaining normal body weight, reducing stress and the risk of heart attack, reducing cancer and stroke, increasing energy and stamina, boosting the immune system, decreasing triglycerides, improving digestion, lowering blood sugar and blood pressure, releasing beneficial hormones, relieving depression, improving mood and sense of well-being, improving quality of sleep.

When you hear the word exercise it probably has many different meanings to our readers. For some, they think you need to hammer the gym 7 days a week for a long period of time each day in order to stay fit and healthy. Others think you need to push your body to the extreme and lift super heavy weights with every rep and every set. Some runners think they need to run a marathon several times a week or they’ll get out of shape.... The truth is the human body is not meant to be beat on and pushed to the max all the time like so many people do when it comes to exercise. If you don’t want serious life-long injuries that stifle your mobility and in some people eventually require joint replacements, then you need to avoid falling into the trap of doing some of the exercising I just described....

I used to be a competitive power lifter for many years when I was younger and then switched over to body building with extremely heavy weights. When I was in my early twenties I could get away with it. Now, at 37, it has caught up with me. I have weaknesses in both of my shoulders from repeated work out injuries that I trained through. I have some weaknesses in my spine from years of heavy squats and dead lifting. I have weaknesses in my knees from doing heavy squats and leg presses going real deep. Every single person that I ever trained with or knew from the gym that trained like this has dealt with similar issues.

If you’ve ever looked through the bodybuilding magazines that are sold on the market (which I absolutely don’t recommend), most of the bodybuilders in there are unhealthy. They may have chiseled physiques with huge muscles, but they probably got that way from using steroids. If you spoke with any professional bodybuilder they will give you a laundry list of injuries they have. By the time most of them are 40, if they make it that far without dropping dead from the steroids, they are crippled with injuries.

The advice I like to give when it comes to exercising is very balanced. Your body only needs 3-4 days a week of exercise and 30-45 minutes a time is adequate if you know what you’re doing..... If you’re a runner, you need to warm up and stretch. You need to rest the body every few days and not run too far. Anything over 3-5 miles at a time more than a few times a week is too much stress on your knees, hips, and ankles. Don’t train through injuries; it’s a recipe for disaster. You can push your body periodically when everything feels good, but don’t overdue it. If you’re older and you haven’t done much exercise in your life, just walking 3 or 4 days a week for 30 minutes at a time will help you out tremendously....
Did you know that the lymphatic system of your body does not work on its own? It needs to be stimulated through exercise or sweating. It’s also extremely important to increase your respiration through exercise so you bring more oxygen into your body. The circulatory benefits of exercise are amazing when it’s done right.

What I embrace is a way of living that keeps the body in balance. I believe in proper eating, proper water & salt intake, moderate exercise, getting fresh air, getting sunshine in non-peak hours without sun block, getting adequate rest, and eliminating worry and stress from your life. All of this promotes health and longevity. This style of living will help you have a closer relationship with the Lord because you appreciate your body and you are trying to live in a state of health where your body will remain mobile, fit, healthy, and able to function all the days of your life....

Some people can take exercise and health to the extreme and neglect their spiritual life or even their family life. If you’re in the gym for 2 hours a day almost every day and you spend little to no time in prayer or study time with the Lord, all you’re doing is gratifying the flesh and it will not profit you in the end....Make sure your priorities are in the right order and that you live life in balance.

Health Truth #3
Eliminate Pork and Shellfish From Your Diet

This topic is a sensitive one that many Christians may not agree with, don’t want to hear, or in some cases, take offense with. I’m not trying to be legalistic when it comes to avoiding pork and shellfish. I’m trying to be realistic and share some deeper insights into why these foods can harm your health. The fact is if you want to live disease free while you’re occupying your body, then this issue is one you need to pay close attention to.

Pork products and shellfish can be extremely detrimental to your health and will almost guarantee you an early trip to the grave if you eat them all the time. They rank near the top of the list as some of the unhealthiest foods you can put into your body right along with trans fats, refined sugar, and artificial sweeteners. Consumption of all pork and shellfish was forbidden in the Old Testament because they were considered unclean. There’s a very simple reason why God wanted the Israelites to avoid these foods and it wasn’t because He wanted to make arbitrary rules.

From pigs we get pork, pork chops, ribs, ham, bacon, pepperoni, sausage, Chitterlings (chitlins), and other by-products. Let’s examine a few of the reasons why God considered a pig an unclean animal and why He said they shouldn’t be eaten.

Pigs are scavengers. They are notorious for eating anything, including their own waste and garbage. A pig will eat sick and infected animals, including its own piglets that die from disease. Pigs also have one the quickest, yet poorest digestive systems of any animal. On average a pig can completely digest its food in four hours. Since it processes everything so fast, many times the toxins aren’t removed and they are stored in the pig’s fat. Many pigs are traumatized physically before being slaughtered. Under these conditions, which are generally the case in large factory operations, pigs will release toxins and hormones into their muscles that affect the quality of their meat....."

 

[reddogs]

"...Pigs are also notorious for being infected with parasites and tapeworms. Anyone that knows anything about cooking pork knows that it is important to cook it long enough to make sure all the parasites and tapeworms have been killed off. If not, you could become infected. Somehow eating pork containing dead parasites doesn’t sound much better either. All parasites lay eggs to create more parasites. Just because a parasite dies during cooking doesn’t mean that you can’t become contaminated by the eggs. Some health experts believe that over 90 percent of our population today has parasites in their body. Certainly our society’s desire for pork products has had to play a part in this. People that eat a lot of pork products tend to be overweight and unhealthy. Body odor can be a problem too.

One doctor I know personally says that pig fat is the best medium there is for cancer growth. He runs a laboratory where all sorts of microbiological research and tests are conducted. They focus heavily on diagnosing and treating cancer naturally. In their lab they can isolate cancer viruses from a patient’s blood and view them under a microscope to determine the strain and then develop herbs to help rid the body of that specific virus. They also have the ability to replicate the cancer virus in a Petri dish. What he told me is that the best medium he works with for growing cancer viruses is pig fat. If they can do that in a lab, what’s all the pig fat doing to your body internally if you’re eating high amounts of pork products? It would be interesting to see a study where that question was asked of cancer patients. My guess is we would find that many cancer patients are pork eaters.

Did you know that all of the clean animals God said we could eat live only on vegetation? They also digest their food much slower and more effectively so they aren’t storing all these toxins and wastes in their body. Would you rather eat an animal that eats filth and waste and is potentially contaminated with parasites or would you rather eat an animal that processes its food properly and eliminates the toxins from its body?

Now let’s examine why you should avoid shellfish. Shellfish consists of lobster, shrimp, oysters, clams, crabs, scallops, and mussels. All shellfish can be a serious health risk. Like pigs, they are scavengers that live at the bottom of the ocean and eat the waste of other animals and the pollutants that man dumps into the ocean. Although only 0.1 % of all shellfish consumed is eaten raw, that tiny percentage is responsible for a large proportion of reported food-caused illnesses. Poisoning from shellfish can come from bacterial or viral contamination. Generally adequate cooking eliminates this danger, but is it worth the risks in the long run. Poisoning can also arise from heat-stable toxins derived from the food that the shellfish have been eating. Shellfish also are notorious for being high in mercury, heavy metals, and industrial contaminants in the environment. I’m sure I don’t have to explain in detail how damaging these toxins can be to your health

God didn’t give the Israelites dietary laws because he’s a mean, restrictive God that didn’t want them to enjoy their food. He gave them these laws because He knows best how the body functions and that by following His dietary laws they would live their best without succumbing to disease and pre-mature death so they can serve Him. God knows far more than we can understand or comprehend. While things definitely changed after Jesus came to the earth, we should examine the Old Testament further to see why God may have wanted things done a certain way.

I’m not trying to make anyone reading this story feel condemned. I’m hoping that after you hear the facts, research this further, and pray about your health that you will try and avoid these foods. I’m not saying that if you don’t eat perfectly that you won’t make it to God’s Kingdom either. We are forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed for us so we could live forever with God. Faith and belief in Jesus Christ is first and foremost the most important thing you need, but we should do better at watching what we put into our body because it will please the Lord, extend our days, and keep us healthier


It’s very sad to see so many people with health problems, especially Christians that believe it’s because God wants them sick or made them sick. The word of God doesn’t say that we are predestined for sickness, but it also doesn’t say that we can eat whatever we want and abuse our bodies and God will perform a miracle to get you well. If God were to answer many of the prayer requests to restore people’s health, many would probably be right back where they are in six months or less because they lack the knowledge about what got them sick in the first place.

Please don’t misconstrue this to think I’m saying that unless you do everything perfect God won’t perform a miracle in your life. God has grace and mercy on us. He knows your heart and there have been plenty of cases where He has healed someone even when they did things wrong. Some people may be angry at God because they are sick or they may feel singled out and they don’t understand why something happened to them instead of someone else. You need to get over the blame game, pessimism, negative thinking, and sour attitude, and start looking at this from a positive point of view.

The book of Exodus says the following:

“…If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.” (Exodus 15:26 KJV)

Certainly as far as eating is concerned, following dietary boundaries established by the Lord can make a significant impact on whether or not you live in a state of health or disease...

The Bible says that:

“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” (John 10:10 Amplified)

Jesus wants us to have life in this world, and abundant life in the world to come. He is not glorified by your sickness or health problems.... We are to be good stewards of what God has entrusted to us, including our body.

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (I Corinthians 3:16 KJV)

If our bodies are a temple then we need to start respecting them as a temple. What are you allowing into your temple that could be defiling it? It’s time to start examining what you eat, drink, think, speak, listen to, and do. All of it has a link to your overall health and well-being....

Type II diabetes is a good example of doing more to shepherd God’s flock. Researchers are alarmed at the rise in Type II diabetes, especially with young children. The bottom line is this; if you don’t get your insulin under control and back to normal you will eventually die from this “man-made” disease. Why do I say “man-made?” Because almost all cases of Type II diabetes are diet related. If you have Type II diabetes you’re consuming far too much sugar and you’re severely mineral deficient, especially in vital trace minerals like chromium that come from whole foods. Our society is literally addicted to sugar and refined, processed foods that the body can’t recognize and ends up converting to sugar. The average American consumes close to 150 pounds of sugar a year according to well known author Nancy Appleton who wrote the book “Lick The Sugar Habit.” That’s almost a ½ a pound of sugar a day that your blood has to process.

If you have been diagnosed with Type II diabetes what do you think your doctor will tell you to do? He or she will tell you that you need to take a prescription drug for the rest of your life, possibly even insulin injections, and that you can’t cure it. He or she may try and point out a few things like watching your sugar intake, but most doctors lack adequate knowledge about diet and nutrition because they are given very little training in med school in this area.

The word pastor actually means shepherd. If you are a shepherd of God’s flock you have a duty to look after your sheep. A shepherd wouldn’t allow his herd of sheep to graze a field if he knew substances were in the food that could sicken or kill his herd. He also wouldn’t feed his flock inferior foods devoid of nutrition and let them drink contaminated water. He also wouldn’t put toxic drugs into his herd to suppress their symptoms of illness while continuing to let them eat and drink the same things that got them sick to begin with. The state of that shepherd’s flock would not be good and it wouldn’t be long before all his animals died off.

Why should a pastor treat his congregation any differently? Christians have the power to change a lot of circumstances and situations in this world if they united on issues. If churches started to take a lead role in the area of health the big food corporations and drug companies would be forced to change. In the end, it all boils down to economics. If people stop buying these foods, beverages, and drugs the companies would be forced to offer better alternatives.

Conclusion

It is better to put your trust in the Lord than in man. If you are sincere in your desire to get well and start living God’s way, pray about what you’ve read here and seek direction from the Lord. He will lead you perfectly in the way that you should go. He has never let anyone down who has honestly sought Him with clean hands and a pure heart and He never will......"excerpts from God’s Path To A Healthy Future by Greg Ciola