3rd John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospers.
The current methods of dealing with diseases must be researched and addressed by all who desire to prosper and be in good health. Treating symptoms, instead of ratting out the root cause, makes persons reach for quick fixes that are sold over the counter, or recommended by pharmacists or by physicians as the case may be.
If the tables were turned, and we were to approach the issues from the perspective of root cause, then great suffering, unnecessary expenditure and death would be averted to a very great extent. But since we’ve become the now generation, where any and everything from food, to medicine is delivered by a click, hardly anyone wants to take the time to see what is the root causes of most of our afflictions.
There are habits and lifestyle changes to be made, if we would enjoy great health and longevity, and the complete surrender to Jesus Christ in everything we do will also go a long way in fending off a plethora of sicknesses, if we are disposed to believe in Him.
As was stated before, miracles from God for healing are usually to be the last resort when human effort has done all its best along God-ordained means and methods. God much prefers not to work a miracle if it can be avoided by us doing that which we know to be right and sensible.
But if after doing all we can, we still fall short of accomplishing such healing, God can take up the slack according to His good will. It is not an absolute guarantee in every situation, but the human agent can confidently trust God, knowing that their best was done to cooperate with Him in the particular matter.
God has indeed given us gold in the health message but it contains information and statements that are in some instances, at odds with the mainstream of current modes of thought and action. But it will be discovered that the information given to us was not multiple choice, but rather instructions that would enable us to live way above par.
For starters, we must be reconciled to the fact that most diseases are preventable and avoidable when the right course of action is pursued diligently. The common cold and flu, many cancers, and tumors of all sorts can be avoided if the information given to us were to be appropriated and practiced.
Disease in most cases, is the result of a violation of either physical or spiritual law. Whether it’s done in ignorance or deliberately against what we know to be right, diseases of many sorts can be traced right back to what we did or didn’t do. There are known exceptions, as the Bible teaches, but for the most part it’s a matter of sowing and reaping at play.
The habit of pill-popping drugs is also to be avoided wherever possible for it will be much better to have nature do her work using God-ordained means and methods.
It is true, that in certain instances, recovery would take longer than the over- the counter quick fix, but here is the patience of the saints, meaning that we would derive much greater benefit in the long term, if we were to stay the course with God’s ways and means, wherever possible. Let’s read:
[Ministry Of Healing pp 126] It is true that they (Drugs) sometimes afford present relief, and the patient appears to recover as the result of their use. But in most cases the drug only changes the form and location of the disease. Often the effect of the poison seems to be overcome for a time, but the results remain in the system and work great harm at some later period.
Many of the popular nostrums called patent medicines, and even some of the drugs dispensed by physicians, act a part in laying the foundation of the liquor habit, the opium habit, the morphine habit….
What is a patent medicine, and what is a nostrum?
“Let physicians teach the people that restorative power is not in drugs, but in nature. Disease is an effort of nature to free the system from conditions that result from a violation of the laws of health. In the case of sickness, the cause should be ascertained. Unhealthful conditions should be changed, wrong habits corrected. Then nature is to be assisted in her effort to expel impurities and to re-establish right conditions in the system.”
Covid is not the last pandemic, and it would be wise to couple together with scientific efforts, courses of action that would mitigate disease at the front end, rather than after the fact, as is too often the case. In other words, the hospital serves a good purpose but it would be better not to have to visit, wherever it can be avoided.
Thus, the following is a short list of what we can and should do to build robust immune systems that will enable us to stave off the many diseases that would be coming upon the world. The list would be given in order of priority, so that we can build from the ground up, a sure foundation that would stand the test of plague, pandemic, and pestilence alike.
[1] Having Christ at the center of our lives.
The first and most important factor in building a robust immune system is to accept Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives. This singular action will do far, more, good than all the salad and exercise one may indulge in. The reason for this is that faith can take up the slack in certain situations where diets and foods may fail.
Whatever a person’s situation might be, whether in sickness or in health, for better or worse, we would always be better off having Christ in our lives, since our relationship with God has ramifications in the spiritual as well as the physical realm. This sacred truth is enshrined in the Bible, so that all who read may become partakers. Let’s read:
1st John 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Especially will this be the case as we move forward into unchartered waters, where many diseases of all sorts are scheduled to inundate our world. It is true that one who deliberately refuses to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior can reap benefits of His instructions in matters of health. If an atheist were to adopt the health message, he/ she would absolutely be better off.
That’s because the laws and instructions He gives us are good to the very core, for they are based upon eternal principles, and according to the Bible, were ordained to life, and therefore, if an atheist were to make the changes embodied in our health message, he/she would benefit greatly, any which way.
But there are plagues looming on the horizon which even vegans will not be able to survive, and that is why we say that having Christ as Lord and Savior is the very first and most important factor in building a robust immune system. Let’s read:
Psalms 103:1 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
3 Who forgives all thine iniquities; who heals all thy diseases;
4 Who redeems thy life from destruction; who crowns thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
5 Who satisfies thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
Psalms 43: 5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
Eating healthy foods, getting sufficient rest and also exercising regularly will only go so far, because the various diseases that are coming upon the earth will require more than diets and foods for persons to be enabled to withstand in the evil day.
Now, it is true that good diets and foods have their rightful place in the greater scheme of things, but when crunch time comes around, diets and foods will fall flat if they’re not coupled together with a living faith in God. It is a fact that many vegans will be lost, for eating good food is not the sole way to withstand disease.
[2] Obedience to all of God’s commandments to the best of our knowledge and ability.
Here is another area of great importance, for it is a fact that there are some who may attempt to take the husk without the kernel, the loaves and the fishes, by rigorously following the laws of health, while disregarding what The Lord has commanded in other areas.
Faith, coupled with obedience constitutes the all-inclusive package, which was designed to strengthen our relationship with God. Thus, if folks were to embrace God in one area, and then exclude Him from the next, an imbalance would be created, through which disease and pandemics will poke many holes.
In other words, as Christ once said, these ought ye to have done, and not left the other undone, for faithfulness in the laws of health would not atone for Sabbath breaking, and conversely, the keeping of the Sabbath would not take up the slack where diets and foods are disregarded.
It is conscientious obedience to all that God has commanded, in every area of our lives, that will render us impregnable to the assaults of satan. This does not mean that we won’t be tempted, it means that we’ll survive the fires and floods that come our way.
In other words, every weak, or missing link in the chain of faith and obedience becomes and open door through which devils can, and would afflict us. There’s something called unnecessary temptations, meaning that we left something on the table that may have invoked temptation. Let’s read:
Exodus 15:25 And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,
26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.
[The Desire of Ages pp 324] When the soul surrenders itself to Christ, a new power takes possession of the new heart. A change is wrought which man can never accomplish for himself. It is a supernatural work, bringing a supernatural element into human nature.
The soul that is yielded to Christ becomes His own fortress, which He holds in a revolted world, and He intends that no authority shall be known in it but His own. A soul thus kept in possession by the heavenly agencies is impregnable to the assaults of Satan.
Impregnable meaning: a fortified position, unable to be captured or broken into. Unable to be defeated or destroyed; unassailable.
Synonyms include: Bulletproof, indomitable, insurmountable, invincible, invulnerable, unbeatable, unconquerable, unstoppable.
“But unless we do yield ourselves to the control of Christ, we shall be dominated by the wicked one. We must inevitably be under the control of the one or the other of the two great powers that are contending for the supremacy of the world.
It is not necessary for us deliberately to choose the service of the kingdom of darkness in order to come under its dominion. We have only to neglect to ally ourselves with the kingdom of light. If we do not co-operate with the heavenly agencies, Satan will take possession of the heart, and will make it his abiding place.”
We may leave off many bad habits, for the time we may part company with Satan; but without a vital connection with God, through surrender of ourselves to Him moment by moment, we shall be overcome.
[3] Having a clear conscience void of offense to God and man.
A seared conscience does much more harm to our immune system than many realize. This is not usually taken into consideration by some in the medical field, but the Bible teaches us that guilt can weaken our ability to stave off disease that would otherwise not have affected us so adversely.
That’s why Jesus included the forgiveness of our sins in the health message given in Psalms 103, for God knows that the burden of sin will ultimately take a toll on one’s health, if those sins are not repented of and forgiven. Let us observe very carefully, the order in which God’s work of healing takes place, because the work delineated was not written in a vacuum, it was given by inspiration of The Most-High God. Let’s read:
Psalms 103: 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
3 Who forgives all thine iniquities; who heals all thy diseases;
4 Who redeems thy life from destruction; who crown thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
5 Who satisfies thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Psalms 32:1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputes not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
5 I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgave the iniquity of my sin.
[4] Cultivating a forgiving spirit.
Regurgitating grudges, and failing to let go of evils done to us is a recipe that often wreaks havoc on our immune systems. Some folks get sick solely from an unforgiving spirit. That old bone that was picked with this or that person, and a refusal to forgive, takes a fearful toll on one’s body, and can literally inhibit folks from fighting off some sickness or disease.
In the most literal sense, forgiving a person often does more for the one who forgives, than the one who is forgiven, as far as one’s health and well-being are concerned. The scripture describes one particular instance where one suffered a heart attack, solely because of an unforgiving spirit. Let’s read:
1st Samuel 25: 35 So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.
36 And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.
37 But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.
2nd Kings 5:20 But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the Lord lives, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him.
22 And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.
25 But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.
26 And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and olive yards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?
27 The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed forever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.
[5] Diets and foods
On the issue of diets and foods, the remnant people of God already know what to do, it is just a matter of doing it. The light that has been shed upon our pathway concerning healthful living is not merely a good suggestion, it is what God has instructed for all who will survive the terrors of the last days.
If we will receive it the plain truth of the matter is that if we are not living in harmony with the instructions given for our day, we will come up to the time of trouble in a very compromised position, that will not permit us to exist during those trying days of earth’s history.
And because of this, many will be laid to rest so as to be saved after the deluge hits. Adequate rest, pure water, plenty of sunshine, a regular exercise regimen, the use of natural remedies, fresh air, temperance, sound nutrition that is in harmony with God’s ideals, coupled together with trust in God make up the whole nine yards of what is to be accomplished in our persons.
Wherever possible, we should make concerted and well-directed efforts along those lines so as to facilitate what God seeks to accomplish in us to prepare us to stand in the time of trouble. It will call for self-denial and sacrifice, but it can absolutely be accomplished, wherever the will is surrendered to God.
This is not an Adventist thing, nor even an Ellen G. White proposal, it is what is written in the Bible, so that no one would misunderstand the plain utterances thereof. To put it plainly, meat of any kind will not be served to God’s people during the time of trouble, so says the Bible. Let’s read:
Isaiah 33: 16 He shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the “munitions of rocks”: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.
1st Kings 19:2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.
3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, (country living) and came and sat down under a juniper tree….
5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.
6 And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baked on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.
7 And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.
8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God. (“The Munition of rocks”)
[Christian Temperance pp 118>119] When God led the children of Israel out of Egypt, it was His purpose to establish them in the land of Canaan a pure, happy, healthy people. Had they been willing to deny appetite in obedience to His restrictions, feebleness and disease would have been unknown among them. Their descendants would have possessed physical and mental strength.
They would have had clear perceptions of truth and duty, keen discrimination, and sound judgment. But they were unwilling to submit to God's requirements, and they failed to reach the standard He had set for them, and to receive the blessings that might have been theirs.
It is therefore up to us to choose to make those necessary changes, and God will grant us grace and power to do so. Whenever we read the plain utterances of scripture, we should avoid trying to reason away what we have read, but should instead ask God for grace to put it into practice.
If the instructions given today are followed, let it be known that it is God alone who gave the information, and it is dispensed to all who are desirous of living in harmony with His revealed will. We will end with a passage of scripture to help us remember that all these things are written especially for us who are living in the last days of earth’s history. Let’s read:
1st Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he stands take heed lest he fall.
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
God Bless!