Biblical Foundations for Eating

Well, it has been quite some time since I have written to you in regards to how healthy eating will impact your life.. I have been doing some soul searching and God has been certainly graceful in showing me its now time to clean out all the junk in my heart with complete forgiveness. I am now on a journey towards healing not only physically but emotionally. I have suffered for over 3 years now with low back pain and tension in my left leg and glute for about a year, and also with IBS and Gluten sensitivity for most my life. It has been a struggle in finding the answer and as I had been searching in every corner God spoke to me and said I just want you to draw near to me. With all this searching it felt as if God closed a door to the obsessive need to be healthy but to appreciate the need to be healthy. I'm not saying I went out and ate bad but I did stop thinking about it as much, worrying about it and being a slave to it. I now feel as though God is saying to me to remember all the things I have taught you and to enjoy your foods, and to not fear what comes your way but to be in self control for what you put in your body but to not fear. He also told me to allow your walk to be abundant in healthy nourishing foods but to not push this on everyone else. If their hearts desire to want to live a healthy life they will see from your life that it is something they want to learn and ask more of from you. This is where my blog comes in. As I have poured out all the amazing information that I have learned it has helped me to share it with you by free will as you choose to learn and grow in your quest to become healthy people.

With all of that said I was reminded about a wonderful book that is written by Jordin Rubin called "The Makers Diet" and his wonderful site called Garden of Life. As he points directly to the bible for instructions on how God calls us to eat has been helpful in discerning what God wants me to eat and what the world wants me to eat. As their are so many new age diets, holistic health approaches and eastern based religions that point to a lifestyle that can become occultic rather than biblical in our ways of eating and finding healing. As I will point out briefly for you based of Jordins book regarding how we are called to eat allow this to resinate in your hearts that this not only benefits you if you believe in God or not. This will greatly impact your health, well being, and life-style. It will protect you from countless diseases and sickness. We are living in a world that is becoming more and more diseased because of our careless efforts to make a meal. As we are called to bless our bodies with whole foods we need to know that we are to treat our bodies as temples and to respect its creator.


The bible points to several chapters to teach you specifically what we are called to eat and how to treat our bodies in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14.

Deuteronomy 14:2
"for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession."

Exodus 15:26
If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD.. I will put none of these diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. I am the LORD who heals you.

Key lessons from The Makers Diet and Biblical Principles:
1. We are to not eat any foods that are unclean. Animals without cloven hooves and chew the cud are (pigs, horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, bears, horses, squirrels, rodents, and camels). Sea Creatures without fins or scales(crabs, lobsters, shrimp, abalone, clams, catfish, sharks, dolphins (the mammal), whales, sturgeon, and a host of others)

This can also refer to today's Processed foods that are not from Gods creation. Such as Sugar, Flours, Meats with Antibiotics, Hormones, artificial coloring and flavoring, pasteurized, artificially sweetened, hydrogenized, homoginized, modified and much much more.

You can refer to more unclean foods here for a brake down of the foods we are not to eat as it touches the verses in the bible.

2. We are to consume whole foods, which in all reality is foods that are not processed and are in original form such as Vegetables, Fruits, Nuts, Herbs, Food Based supplementation of Vitamins, Minerals, and Oils.

3. We can also find hygiene principals that bring medicine to our bodies. Which keeps us free from disease and germs which will free us from any infliction of Disease or Sickness. By proper cleaning of the hands, body, purifying clothing, proper surgical treatments and the disposal of human waste.
-This also plays into the God Breathed word as he fills you up with his word our body will receive healing to all parts of our flesh. This means staying in the word, obeying the word, and confessing all our sins so that we can be made new and be cleansed of all impurities.

4. We are to stay healthy by exercising regularly(Not obsessively) and body therapies such as deep breathing, hydrotherapy(the use of water therapy) for soothings pains and treating diseases.

5. To reduce toxins in our bodies by the foods we eats, the water we drink, the skin care products, cosmetics, shampoos, toothpaste and any other daily products. You can significantly reduce infections, allergy attacks, and other negative health conditions by cleansing your body of toxins, pollutants, allergens, and disease-causing germs.

6. To find value and purpose in life through the will of the LORD as he guides us through life with his endless love and care for our lives and the plans he has for us.



This will impact your life in ways emotionally, physically, and spiritually. God blessed us with an abundant earth filled with many wonderful foods. Living the easy life most always has its draw backs and you will not live life to the fullest as we are called to do.

As we may inflict disease, sickness or pain we are to confess to God our sins and Jesus will cleanse us with his blood. Psalm 103:3 "who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases". As we are obedient and turn from our old ways we will live abundantly emotionally, physically and spiritually and have confessed that our ways of eating were certainly not favorable to God he will bless you with healing. If you face life with many issues such as sickness, pain or disease it may be time to go to the LORD and allow him to search your heart for the things that may be hindering you from healing. He does not want us to live life with Prescription drugs to get us through our days, or TV dinners, fast food, processed meals, snacks, sodas, alcohol, candy, pastrys, pizza, fried meats and foods, and much more. Eating unhealthy contributes to this disease process and thereby the reason for all the chronic diseases manifesting themselves in America are seen today. As you draw near to him he will teach you and fill you with knowledge and be free from the ways of the world.

Now you may say didnt Jesus abolish old testiment laws which included the ways we are to eat? The food laws are natural laws relating to maintaining good health. They are not spiritual in substance and may not even exclude one from obtaining salvation, but disregard for them will certainly result in degraded health. How do you do away with a natural health law? Why would you even want to? No natural law has ever been done away including the food laws. The food laws were given for our physical well being and our health, they are for us but not for our salvation.


We can also find that most sickness and diseases have a spiritual root and can be addressed as we confess them to the LORD. When we are under continual stress due to ours sins like fear, anger, anxiety, and worry our bodies produce a chemical called cortisol a vital hormone that is often referred to as the "stress hormone" as it is involved in the response to stress. It increases blood pressure, blood sugar levels and has an immunosuppressive action that ultimately damage our tissues, organs, cells etc and eventually manifest in the diseases we see now days. If you are like me and want to find peace in knowing you can be healed you can find many tools online and in the books stores to reveal the areas that may be your road block. I have found many answers through a wonderful ministry called Life Application Ministries where they teach you ways to receive the cleansing of our sins and to begin to live in peace, patience, love, kindness, gentleness, compassion, and joy which then brings healing to our bodies. As we obey the word our bodies will begin to manifest healing. You can also find many books regarding your mind body connection at the Be In Health website.

Jeremiah 33:6 - Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.

Jeremiah 33:8
I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me.

This is something that takes time and as we begin to allow the word of theLORD to resignate in our hearts will bring health and healing to every part of our body.

I am sure you can relate when we are on vacation and we begin to relax our bodies begin to feel at peace. If you are like me and when under stress you feel it in your muscles or stomach. But when you find complete peace your body will actually let go of all the tension being stored up. This is just what God does as well when we rest in his perfect peace. God just wants us to draw near to him and he will teach us the wonders of his love, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, compassion and joy. These would definately being the cure to all diseases. They say that laughter brings healing to the body.

I hope that this can bring some insight to your life as you begin to challenge your old ways. We are most strong when we are weak and submit to our LORD because then we are not stuck in our ways with stubborn beliefs.

Thank you for allowing me to share with you all the wonderful ways to live life abundantly. Please share with me your stories and if I can guide you in any way please comment me.

Thank you

Erinn

References:
Our Daily Bread- By Jean Lisenby
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/144/story_14464_1.html
Eating from the Bible- By Jordin Rubin
http://ourfathersword.org/odbfoods.htm
Life Application Ministries- By Linda Lange
A Matter of the Mind-spiral bound
www.lifeapplicationministries.org