Abiding In Physical Health - Natural and Supernatural Tools to Discover Holistic Biblical Health

Introduction

Let’s admit there is a problem.

Many years ago, I found myself looking around and I saw people (including me) who were consistently struggling with chronic sickness. Many of these were good Christian people who asked God for healing and miracles in their physical bodies. I believe God to be a healer and miracle worker (which we will explore later in this book). I have seen this in my life and in the lives of others.

However, He is also a God of wisdom and discipline. How could I ask Him to do something that I am unwilling to invest in myself? It’s like I wanted God to wave a magic wand to heal things that were direct results of my bad diet choices and lack of discipline. That was a huge “come to Jesus” illumination moment for me, and things have drastically turned around since that time in my physical journey.

Much of what I hear and saw in my own life and in others was an unwillingness to discipline the body and bring it into subjection. People unwilling to crucify the flesh with its natural passions and desires. People reluctant to honor the temple of the Holy Spirit, where God resides. These are all clear biblical prescriptions, but I had never seen it so clearly before. My experience has led me on a journey of abiding in physical health that I want to share with you. I want to invite you to abide in physical health for your own life.

I have read so many studies and quotes that all came to the same general conclusions that we are an unhealthy bunch of people in America. One review I read showed that upwards of 80% of sick Americans was a direct result of an unhealthy lifestyle and not genetic. That means only 20% are dealing with things beyond their control. For that 20%, there are still many natural things that can be done to gain physical health. However, for the 20%, I would also contend for the divine healing aspect in partnership with those natural means. I have a daughter in this category. We do everything we know to naturally and then trust God, in faith, for the miraculous and healing that her body needs. Her doctors have been blown away by how she consistently exceeds medical knowledge expectations. God is truly working in her body. The natural and the supernatural are working in tandem.

Part of my journey involved taking a more in-depth look at the divine wisdom in natural health that God has given to us, and it’s changed my life. God gave us an earthly tent to steward under His divine wisdom. I see many Christians neglect this, and I have observed two primary lines of thinking on this topic.

1. The first one says that when it’s my time, God will take me, so I will enjoy this tent as much as possible.

This line of thinking takes little or no account for their actions but rolls it all over to God and His sovereignty. This person will typically live indulging in fleshly desires because they have determined that nothing they do will affect the date they arrive at death.

2. The second one says God’s divine healing will heal me from all of my ailments (Even when a considerable percentage could be cured with natural healthy lifestyle choices).

This thinking pattern looks for new ways to tap into God’s divine healing while taking little or no action for their personal choices. I have known many in this camp over the years, including myself. This person will ignore any natural disciplines that God or medical science gives us and only want God’s supernatural hand to heal them. I have sat at the hospital bedside of many people who refused to make lifestyle changes but they would quote all the healing verses in the Bible and tell me how they have faith that God will heal them. Well, many times, He did not.

In this book, I want to explore a third thought process that can be a catalyst to long term physical health in your own life. What if we partner with the natural and the supernatural? What if this opens the door to living in the fullness of what God has for us? What if we do all that we can while at the same time trusting God to do His part? I believe this book’s principles will change your life and give you the knowledge and encouragement to abide in physical health.

A Few Statistics

Here are a few sources with some staggering statistics about the state of our health in America. The amount of preventable disease is mind-blowing.

“Over the past century, essential nutrient deficiencies have dramatically decreased. Many infectious diseases have been conquered, and most of the U.S. population can now anticipate a long and productive life. However, as contagious disease rates have dropped, the rates of non-communicable diseases—specifically, chronic diet-related diseases—have risen, due in part to changes in lifestyle behaviors. A history of poor eating and physical activity patterns have a cumulative effect and have contributed to significant nutrition - and physical activity-related health challenges that now face the U.S. population.

• About half of all American adults—117 million individuals —have one or more preventable chronic diseases, many of which are related to poor quality eating patterns and physical inactivity. These include cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and poor bone health.
• More than two-thirds of adults and nearly one-third of children and youth are overweight or obese. These high rates of overweight and obesity and chronic disease have persisted for more than two decades and come not only with increased health risks but also at a high cost.
• In 2008, the medical costs associated with obesity were estimated to be $147 billion. In 2012, the total estimated cost of diagnosed diabetes was $245 billion, including $176 billion in direct medical costs and $69 billion in decreased productivity.”(1)

“Six in ten Americans live with at least one chronic disease, like heart disease, stroke, cancer, or diabetes. These and other chronic diseases are the leading causes of death and disability in America, and they are also a leading driver of health care costs. At the CDC, our job is to make it easier for all Americans to make healthy choices to enjoy life. We know that most chronic diseases can be prevented by eating well, being physically active, avoiding tobacco and excessive drinking, and getting regular health screenings. CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) helps people and communities prevent chronic diseases and promote health and wellness.”(2)

“Chronic Diseases: What Are They? Chronic diseases are ongoing, generally incurable illnesses or conditions, such as heart disease, asthma, cancer, and diabetes. These diseases are often preventable, and frequently manageable through early detection, improved diet, exercise, and treatment therapy.

Costing lives and reducing quality of life, Chronic diseases are the leading cause of death and disability in the United States.

• One hundred thirty-three million Americans – 45% of the population – have at least one chronic disease.
• Chronic diseases are responsible for seven out of every ten deaths in the U.S., killing more than 1.7 million Americans every year.
• Chronic diseases can be disabling and reduce a person’s quality of life, especially if left undiagnosed or untreated. For example, every 30 seconds, a lower limb is amputated as a consequence of diabetes.

Many chronic diseases could be prevented, delayed, or alleviated through simple lifestyle changes. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that eliminating three risk factors – poor diet, inactivity, and smoking – would prevent:

• 80% of heart disease and stroke;
• 80% of type 2 diabetes;
• 40% of cancer.”(3)

These statistics are not hidden in some dark library. They are clearly in the open for all of us to know. The problem is many of these alarms fall on deaf ears. These statistics are astounding to me. So much of what our physical bodies endure in the form of sickness and disease is preventable. Many don’t want to hear some of these things because we simply don’t want to change. Sure, we want results, but like the American mindset, we want it our way with little cost or change. The pain of chronic sickness and disease is not enough to move us to action.

“You won’t hear these stats from western allopathic physicians. Most Americans never look anywhere else for preventative medical care.” –Niki Kihm

I heard a story years ago about a couple of men sitting on a porch with an old hound dog who was howling away. The one-man asked the other why his dog was crying in such pain. The man answered that he was laying on a nail that was causing him pain. The man replied with, why doesn’t he simply move off the nail? The man answered back and said, I guess it does not hurt enough yet for him to do anything about it.

Why This Book

As an American people, we recently hid, social distanced and self-quarantined from a virus that only affects a small percentage of our population. At the same time, we indulge in eating lifestyles that are much more prone to steal our health. These are slower killers but much more effective. Fear is the motivation of the first scenario. Why don’t we have a healthy fear of the second one? We completely change our lifestyles for the first scenario and will barely make a change for the second one.

When is enough, enough? When will we open our eyes to these truths...