Health

Health

Why should I care about being healthy? It's in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NKJV.  "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
 

What is God's desire for us? It's in the Bible, 3 John 2, NIV. "I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you."

What did God promise His people long ago? It's in the Bible, Exodus 23:25, NIV. "Worship the Lord your God, and His blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you."

Who is able to heal? It's in the Bible, Psalm 103:2-3, NIV. "Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases."

To enjoy a healthy life we must balance work and rest. It's in the Bible, Exodus 20:8-10, NKJV. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates."

Does attitude affect my health? It's in the Bible, Proverbs 17:22, TLB. "A cheerful heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit makes one sick."

Stress on the outside need not mean stress on the inside. It's in the Bible, Philippians 4:6-7, TLB. "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don't forget to thank Him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus."

When God first created perfect humans, what perfect diet did He give them? Fruits, grains, nuts, and legumes. It's in the Bible, Genesis 1:29 NIV. "Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food." It was after the flood that God included meat into the diet, because the flood destroyed much of the vegetation that provided the fruits// vegetable.

Does the Bible tell us what is good for us to eat? It's in the Bible, Leviticus 11:47, NIV. "You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten." To learn more you can read God's guidelines in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14.

What are some "unclean" foods God has told us about?

• All animals that do not have a split hoof and chews the cud (Deuteronomy 14:6). Animals like camel, rabbit, or badgers would be "unclean." The Bible also says, "and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, is unclean to you." But animals like cows, lamb, goat, or deer are considered "clean" because their hooves are split and they chew the cud
• All fish and water creatures that do not have both fins and scales (Leviticus 11:10). Sea creatures like shellfish, or octopus, or catfish are unclean. Nearly all fish are clean though.
• Scavenger birds and birds of prey are not for eating (Leviticus 11:13-20). This would mean birds like vultures or hawks that eat animal carcasses.
• Creeping things (Leviticus 11:21-47). Some of the animals listed include mice, lizards, and other animals of the like.

Did God only tell Jews to not eat unclean animals? Actually, even before Abraham's time, Noah knew the difference between "unclean" animals and "clean" animals. It's in the Bible, Genesis 7:1,2, NIV. "The Lord then said to Noah, 'Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a mate and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a mate and its mate…'"

Does God still see the difference between "unclean" and "clean" foods? Yes, and even until the end of time. It's in the Bible, Isaiah 66:15,17 NIV. "See, the Lord is coming with fire, and His chariots are like a whirlwind; He will bring down His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire……Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one who is among those who eat the flesh of pigs, rats and other unclean things—they will meet their end together with the one they follow,” declares the LORD."

What example did Daniel set in the importance of proper diet? It's in the Bible, Daniel 1:8, NKJV. "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requests of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself."

What did he eat instead? It's in the Bible, Daniel 1:12, NIV. "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink."

How was Daniel's health at the end of the ten days? It''s in the Bible, Daniel 1:15, NKJV. "And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king's delicacies."

What do the Scriptures say about alcohol? It's in the Bible, Proverbs 20:1, TLB. "Wine gives false courage; hard liquor leads to brawls; what fools men are to let it master them, making them reel drunkenly down the street!"

What will alcohol do to me? It's in the Bible, Proverbs 23:29-35, TLB. "Whose heart is filled with anguish and sorrow? Who is always fighting and quarreling? Who is the man with bloodshot eyes and many wounds? It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns, trying out new mixtures. Don't let the sparkle and the smooth taste of strong wine deceive you. For in the end it bites like a poisonous serpent; it stings like an adder. You will see hallucinations and have delirium tremors, and you will say foolish, silly things that would embarrass you no end when sober. You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, clinging to a swaying mast. And afterwards you will say, 'I didn't even know it when they beat me up."

What does what I eat or drink have to do with believing in Jesus? It's in the Bible, I Corinthians 10:31, TLB. "It is because you must do everything for the glory of God, even your eating and drinking."