To Your Health
All I have to say here may be a bad thing, you know. Like an old story that speaks of the two men up in heaven, I guess it depends on your point of view. One man said, “This is just so beautiful, isn’t it? It is even more beautiful here than I could have ever expected.” The second man nodded in agreement and then added, “It sure is beautiful. There is only one thing that makes me angry.” His friend, astonished, looked at him and said, “Angry? How could you be angry?” The first man said, “Well, if it hadn't been for all that bran my wife made me eat I could have been here ten years ago!” Kidding aside, let’s take a look at health and what it means.
What do you consider valuable? Your car, maybe your house, or the church you attend? What about ‘your’ body? “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV)
God paid a great price for us, the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are not our own. That thing you’re living in is not yours! May I ask, what would you think if your pastor dumped his garbage all over the church? Would you want to go there? The biggest thing, and sometimes the only thing, you’ll hear about that needs prayer, is sickness. Why are so many of us sick? Could it be we are dumping ‘garbage’ on the Holy Spirit’s temple floor? Most likely, the answer to that is yes. God made us; hence He knows what is good for us to eat.
Our Father in Heaven does answer prayer for those who are sick, but, my friends, He’d rather we’d honor Him with the good care of the Holy Spirit’s temple by our eating right and getting good exercise with martial arts, weight training, aerobics, or other activities. The sin of eating the wrong foods is not something new, though; in fact, eating wrongly is the first sin man ever committed. Adam and Eve didn’t kill anyone or try to steal from one another; they ate what God told them not to, which disappointed God greatly.
Much like the serpent tempted Eve, we are tempted by marketing. Advertisers try to tell us that if we drink this blue, glowing, super duper energy-packed sports drink we will be able to jump really high and run forever. One commercial I saw even had people sweating this blue stuff. I guess they know you become what you eat. And no, that’s not super sweat, but rather unhealthy as a result of turning from God’s plan.
So isn’t what we normally eat good? After all, it even has added nutrition. Well, no. Enriched foods are foods that have been so destroyed by processing that those who made them needed to add a few nutrients in order for there to be any nutrition at all. Also, since all the nutrition has been removed, there is no taste left, so they add a lot of salt. Salt destroys potassium (needed for bones) when we get too much of it. There is already plenty of salt in God’s food, while one can of soup has far more than we need in a day.
What is one of the worst things we eat? No, it’s not wedding cake, but rather sugar. So maybe yeah, wedding cake! (Just kidding, my love!) Sugar does not have the nutrition required for its digestion and so must rob our bones and muscles of vitamins and minerals in order to be consumed, which can lead to diabetes and so many other health problems that we will need prayer for. When we get hungry, we need to eat what God has prescribed as foods. When we desire to eat when we are not hungry, or when we have already eaten, we usually choose a dessert. Gluttony (appetite) is an ugliness of our lustful mind that will always hurt the temple. Proverbs 25:16 & 27 show that while it is not good to eat much of God’s natural sugars, it is ok to have some. Honey, along with different tree and fruit syrups, are wonderful sweeteners to use instead of the substitute white sugars, not to mention they are sweeter.
Saturated fat is the worst fat you can eat; however, most other fats are really good for you, such as omega 3 oils found in fish and nuts, along with mono and polyunsaturated fats. Extra virgin olive oil, which is to say the very first press of oil from the olive, is the absolute best oil for cooking. In fact, it actually helps lower bad cholesterol. Just be sure to keep the olive oil (mentioned many times in the Word of God) in a dark bottle and use it within a year’s time.
Dieting is a foolish man-made doctrine. It is not Biblical. Eat what God has shown to be good, and exercise. This is all that needs to be done. Eat many fruits, vegetables, and grains, a little fatless meat, and no processed sugars. The original diet was all plant life. No fat, blood, white sugar, salt, and artificial additives. God’s original design was for us to be vegetarians! (Though we are not required to be.) No vegetable contains cholesterol, and juicing these and fruit makes delicious drinks.
We are committing suicide by eating junk food. Sure, it’s a little slower and more painful than a gun to the head, but the end result is the same. You die because you did not value yourself as God does!
Of the 22 amino acids, nine that we need are not produced by us. We need them and they are found only in the foods God gave the Israelites in the beginning. Exodus 16:13 & 31 tell us that God gave grain and quail to the Israelites to eat, not greasy hamburgers, or a chocolate cake. “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see." So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.” (Daniel 1:12-16 NIV) Eat your vegetables! (Mom was right.) In Genesis 25:34 Esau gave up his birthright in exchange for a meal. I’ve heard many people say how foolish he was in doing so, even though we are selling the temple of the Holy Spirit to death for a bowl of sweets and fats.
The dietary laws were given specifically to the Israelites, and though they should be showing God’s way to the rest of the world, we have forgotten what is clean. Cattle, deer, goat, sheep, and any other animals with divided hooves and which chew the cud, as well as chicken, duck, turkey, and any other non-flesh eating birds are considered clean. In Leviticus 11:10-12 God states that unclean fish are an abomination, four times. He must have thought we were deaf. We are. Swordfish, shark, catfish, shrimp, clams, and other such creature of the sea have extremely high cholesterol, toxins, and various parasites in their flesh because they are scavengers or bottom feeders. It is as unhealthy to eat these animals as it is to eat sewer rats or cockroaches. Clean fish include halibut, cod, bass, salmon, trout, and many other fin and scale fish. God said in Leviticus 11:22 that it is ok to eat grasshoppers and locusts, and even though we turn our noses up at these insects, we eat crab legs and bacon. Why? Maybe it’s because we like the taste, or because we simply did not know, but it would never be to become healthier.
Pigs are known to carry up to 200 diseases and 18 different worms and parasites. A pig can have so much lead in its system that a single serving of its meat can kill a full-grown man. Even a healthy pig, though, is unhealthy to eat. Considering this, the act of eating these things is not only slow suicide, but also an act of hatred against the Holy Spirit’s temple. It is as foolish to ask God to bless a cigarette as it is to pray over a plate of pork or other unclean animal flesh. While it is ok to eat beef, some parts of foods, while they may not be mentioned in the Bible are obviously bad, yet are often still eaten, like liver. All the toxins a cow eats will be stored in its liver and the only meat that has more cholesterol in it is turkey liver. Use prayer and the Word of God so that you can live a long life full of health as God wants. How long a life? Until God, I pray not sickness, takes us home. (Psalm 90)
Even though animals like turkey, chicken, and beef are clean for us to eat, God was speaking of His creation freshly killed and drained of blood. In the time God wrote the Bible, animals that were clean were not injected with growth hormones and processed. He wanted animals to be freshly killed, the blood drained, fat removed, and for them to be well cooked. An average pack of hamburger from the store contains 20% fat and 20% blood. (Kind of reminds me of most juices, 10% juice, and 90 % …other.) Why not eat the blood? Deuteronomy 12:23-25 tells us not to; however, why? Blood contains any sickness the animal may have had as well as the fact that in blood is life, and death. Eating a rare steak is Biblically wrong, and medically dangerous. The market’s packages of drumsticks and hamburger have major amounts of contamination, fat, and blood. Usually thoroughly cooking these meats will kill the majority of the harmful bacteria. However, if at all possible, try to buy the best foods you can. It’s easy if you live in a big city where they have large health food stores or in a small town where you can buy straight from farmers.
Of course, there are other things we do to the Holy Spirit’s temple that defile it, such as smoking, using toxic chemicals, drinking alcoholic beverages, bathing in and drinking contaminated water, and the like. Do not worry about this as worrying won’t help; simply do the best you can to honor God with the Holy Spirit’s temple. After all, nothing you eat will harm your soul. I still find it wonderful that all of the nutritional commands given to the Israelites in the Bible can be backed up with scientific and nutritional studies. The Word once again proves to be true. Those who had the Word of God over 3,500 years ago knew what man has only recently discovered.
The USDA has accepted the almond as a meat alternative. In fact, the raw almond has over two times the calcium and more protein, fiber, potassium, and vitamins and minerals than whole milk! Speaking of milk, no being goes on drinking milk after it’s been weaned except for man. The hormones in cow’s milk can unbalance our hormones, causing abnormally fat thighs and buttocks. Homogenizing the milk breaks up the fat so it will all stay uniform instead of separating in the containers at the store. However, this process causes xanthine oxidase, which damages the arteries and heart. Your body’s response to this it to coat the damaged area with cholesterol and over time this, and such things as smoking, become major reasons for heart disease. This, amongst other things, like being one of the largest causes of allergies and digestive problems, makes me wonder why we believe it when the milk companies say it’s good for us. Drinking milk is not forbidden in the Word but cow’s milk is a fairly irrational thing to consume. Though it’s hard to obtain goats’ milk, it is the closest milk to that of human’s, and soymilk, I recently discovered, is surprisingly good. (Proverbs 27:27) The Bible only mentions milk a few times, usually in reference to babies; so try to cut down on it. What about calcium? Well, I’ve yet to meet a cow that thought it needed to drink milk and take supplements (vitamins) in order to get enough calcium to aid the huge frame of bones, and the teeth so it could chew its cud all its days. All the cow eats is different grasses. Do we really need supplements if we eat as God directs us to? Obviously, according to the cow, we do not. The only time we need supplements is if we favor man’s ‘enriched’ foods over God’s real deal. “…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 flesh and marrow to thy bones.” (Proverbs 3:6-8 KJ21)
Malachi 3:6 is indeed fact; the Word of God does not contradict itself anywhere from Genesis to Revelation. God does not change! However, like a movie is not the same all the way through, neither do His ways with man appear the same through all time. This does not mean God changes…man does. Considering He remains the same, in love with us, then He would still want us to eat what we know as clean. Never would God want us to defile the Holy Spirit's temple. Well, if you look at Luke 4:9-12 you’ll see Satan trying to tempt Christ. We have no idea how badly; however, at one point Satan tried a very crafty trick. He used scripture to try to trick Christ. Satan twisted scripture. Thankfully it never worked on our Awsome Messiah but you know what, it works really well on man. Always has.
The vision in Acts 10:13-15 says that all food is clean, right? Nope. It always helps to, shall I say, read ‘the rest of the story’. In Acts 10:17 we find Peter wondering what this vision meant. He knew God would not tell him to do something against His commands and harm the temple of the Holy Spirit. Well, first things first, name one vision that was literal in Scripture. There isn’t one to the best of my knowledge. They were all very symbolic. If we choose to not take Satan’s partial scriptures, then we’ll read on and find the answer to this dream in 10:28-29. This shows us that the unclean and uncommon flesh was the Gentiles. These people worshiped false gods and were the unclean common folk. (Romans 1:16) So, God wanted His message spread to everyone…not for us to live an unhealthy life.
What about 1 Timothy 4:4 where it says, “For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,”? Well, if we listen to Satan speak this, then yes, it means all meat is clean. Let me take it a step further and say if all is good then it’s ok to eat pork, spiders, and mankind like Jeffery Dammar did. Right? Wrong! Hebrews 13:8 is not false! I suggest we add the first verse and read on to verse five to get a little clearer understanding. “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.” (1 Timothy 4:1-5 NIV) I’d like to repeat that, “it is consecrated by the word of God.” So then, what is consecrated by the word of God? Just because something is ‘good’ does not make it food. A bottom feeder in the ocean helps keep the ocean clean. These creatures are good…just not to eat.
What about Romans 14:14? Well, while I cannot prove this except with commonsense, I believe…Paul never said it was ok to eat pork because it is not food. Unclean things are not food. Hence, when anyone in Scriptures talks about food, they are not talking about the, ‘thou shalt not eat’ things but the ‘thou shalt eat’ things. Never would you discuss food and mean wall putty. Unless you are unfortunate enough to have to eat my cooking that is. God created these different unclean animals to clean up the ocean and land. He never created them to be eaten. Just because something tastes good does not make it food. Antifreeze is extremely sweet to the taste, but this engine coolant is poisonous. That bacon may taste good, but it too, in the same manner, is not food and is indeed poisonous. Jesus never ate unclean things, why should we?
What about Deuteronomy 14:21 in regards to, ‘Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk.’ Well if we read Genesis 18:8 we see that Abraham didn’t practice, nor the Lord and angels, the separation of milk and meat in eating which has become a doctrine for many Jewish people. This is much more a sense of the heart. I am unsure I can put this on paper but...to condemn you with your son’s fault, or such, would be a likeness. Basically, have some respect, not worship, but respect for what God has given us to eat. This cannot be a literal statement anyway, as who cooks meat in milk…at least here and now. I am unsure though if it was indeed common at the time and so I leave it to you to study further if you wish.
Paul in Colossians 2:16-17 spoke to new believers who celebrated Sabbath and ate what was clean to not let man judge them. These verses simply say do not judge and do not consider judgment of man, simply consider the Lord your God.
And just because I feel like rambling here a bit, if I may, why do we pray before we eat? Where did that custom come from? I admit I always have but you know what, I have no idea why. Why ask God to bless what He has already blessed or cursed? “When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which He hath given thee.” (Deuteronomy 8:10 KJ21) Instead I think we should thank Him for provision of good clean foods that He has already blessed.
Now for the answer to what is the perfect food, free of all poisons, and absolutely the best thing for us to eat: “I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” (John 6:48-31 NIV) His blood and flesh?! “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1 NIV) Feast on His wonderful Word! “Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat something." But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." Then his disciples said to each other, "Could someone have brought Him food?" "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work. Do you not say, `Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” (John 4:31-35 NIV)
Should we not honor what God loves so much that He sent His Son for, and has made as a temple for His Holy Spirit? To take care of this temple is not to be holier than someone else, it is simply a way to show love to our Creator. God is unchanging! His love never ends! He loved us so much that He even told us exactly how to live a healthy life. Oh, may I shout it from a mountaintop, what a loving King we serve in Yahweh!
No Christian television, music, sermons, or a healthy meal alone will provide your spirit with nourishment. In fact these are nothing but shadows in comparison to what we do need! We need the Word of God and we need to share it! My friends, feast now on His Word!
“This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,” (1 John 5:3 NIV)
“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” (3 John 1:2 NIV)
“there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man.” (Mark 7:15 NASB) Pork will not defile your soul, ‘just’ the Holy Spirit’s temple. Some people believe that you can somehow damage your soul by eating wrong but this verse tells us otherwise. I feel I must stress this; it is important to love the Lord by honoring what He tells us to honor but, there is no way you can earn what is freely given. There is just no way.
“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.” (Galatians 5:18 NIV) Isn’t it wonderful? We are not under the constraints of the old law but rather free. Just know that, “Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything.” (1 Corinthians 6:12 NIV) So, the old is worth learning from and the new worth living and dying for. There are so many more Scriptures that will help you in your study of food and health. Here are a few to go through: Genesis 1:29 and 43:11, Leviticus 3:17 & 11:44, Deuteronomy 14:3-20, Proverbs 9:10-11 and 30:8, Isaiah 55:1-2 and 65:2-5, Hosea 4:6, Matthew 4:3-4, John 6:35, Romans 12:1 and 14:20-23, 2 Corinthians 6:16-17, and Galatians 5:24. I pray you will follow the Holy Spirit…and not me, on this matter!