A medical practice of 36 years will give you all kinds of information on health and healing. There is much in the “traditional” realm that is good and has withstood the test of time. There is also much that is ignored for one reason or another that is of great import to everyone’s health.

If your doctor addresses your spiritual condition, good for him/her. We have a body, which is our temporary home, we have a soul composed of our mind, will, and emotions, and we have a spirit, which is the “real us”, and lives forever in one of two places.

Our body needs attention, just as your car needs care and attention to allow you to continue using it for years and years. We just replaced my wife’s car after 17 years and 190,000 miles. It is still a great vehicle and will serve its new owner well (our oldest grandson). We know that eating a healthful diet is paramount to minimize inflammation, the chief cause of most western diseases (it’s inflammation, and not high cholesterol that you need to guard against regarding heart disease).

We know that adequate exercise accounts for about 20% of our health. We’ve said before that one needs the equivalent of about 30 minutes of aerobic exercise most days (e.g. walking). Like most things, exercise can be overdone. Marathon running is an example. At the end of a single one blood tests will indicate that you have experienced a bit of heart damage (elevated treponin levels). Folks who run at least 25 marathons in a lifetime are in no better shape than those who never exercise, and they have hearts that are enlarged and scarred (“Phidipides cardiomyopathy).

Drinking good quality water is important. Filter your water, and avoid drinking sugary beverages except occasionally. Sugar causes inflammation and makes you fat, as insulin is our fat storage hormone and is elevated when we eat sugar (or white potatoes or white rice). Never use artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, as they are addictive and make you gain weight faster than sugar does. Stevia is a great alternative.

Stress reduction is very important for good health, as stress is known to be associated with  around 80% of diseases. We’ll get to the cure for this. Along these lines, having people that you can trust in and call on is very important, as our social connections have a lot to do with good health (or bad health with some people!)

Genetics play a roll, of course, but we can’t do much about that. Be careful to marry well!

We all know that some diseases and early death are brought on by our own poor choices, which range all the way from vaping to injecting meth or heroin. We may have an injury that leads to disease, such a a fall that breaks a hip and leads to pneumonia due to inactivity.

Now we focus on the part of us that lives forever, our spirit. Each of us lives under a curse which we inherited from the first Adam, who took that forbidden fruit from Eve. He blamed her, she blamed the snake, and we have been blaming others ever since. We are so blessed to have a loving God who does not want any of us to be lost under this curse. For us to have free will, there had to be evil as well as good to chose from.

This great love sent Christ Jesus to our world, to be the answer for our problem. Don’t fall for Satan’s lie that you can be good enough to make it on your own. (A word here to you Masons – no, you cannot “make yourself fit to enter that great celestial lodge in the sky”.) And if you make the necessary decision to accept the gift of God’s righteousness in place of your sins, then you are a “citizen of Heaven” and qualify for extra help in staying healthy and living a long time. (the cross changed everything)

While we’re on the subject, don’t think that the Ten Commandments were given to us to help make us good, they can’t. Their purpose is to lead us to the end of ourselves and show us how pitiful we are and how much we need a Savior. That’s it .

How does being a Christian help keep us healthy? There are many ways. One is through stress reduction. We are told by Christ himself to “be anxious for nothing”, because He cares for you. Many Christians are still focused on their sins (yes, we still sin) and worry about losing out with God because of this. But accepting the “great exchange” at the cross wipes out all of your sins, past present and future.

A feeling condemnation is a root of many problems, including illnesses, depression, divorces, abortions, etc. But when one becomes a Christian, there is never any more condemnation! Never! According to God’s word, you actually have His righteousness through Christ Jesus. Realizing this, and believing this, and confessing it overcomes many addictions in life, whether it’s smoking, use of illicit drugs, or pornography (I read that two-thirds of the men in Baptist churches view porn on a regular basis).

Prayer and meditation are great stress reducers, and prayer for healing works. Here is a major one that we recently addressed;  you must accurately discern the Lord’s body at communion (the Lord’s Supper). What does that mean? It means that you must remember and be thankful for Jesus’ beatings and torture of His body for your healing. Not doing so is pointed out in I Corinthians chapter 11 as the reason why many Christians are sick and die early.

Note that it does not say this is the only reason for Christians to get sick or die early, but it is the reason for many to do so. I plan to always remember this at communion, and thus minimize my chances of getting sick or dying early! I do believe that many of my Christian brothers and sisters have suffered many diseases, including cancer, and have died early because they did not properly discern the Lord’s body at communion. That’s what the Bible says.

What else has God done for us? He has given us the armor of God, starting with the “helmet of salvation”. This means you must trust Jesus before you qualify for any of the special gifts to protect against illnesses. The “breastplate of righteousness” protects your heart, and the “shield of faith” helps fend off those fiery darts from Satan (he always wants to give us some malady). Wear the shoes of the gospel of peace, and wield the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The Bible says that reading its words “gives health to all of our flesh”.

Now is the day of salvation. Don’t miss out on those gifts! don’t think that you have to try to make yourself suitable for salvation – Jesus came to save the ungodly. I qualified, and so do you!

Blessings,

Dr. J