Methuselah, whose name means "man of the
spear" was the oldest man who lived on the face of the earth - a whopping
969 years! He was certainly a warrior of health to live that long.
It wasn't common at the early stages of
mankind to find 900+ year old sons, but as time went along, man got more
and more wicked. At one point, the LORD said:
"My Spirit shall not strive with man forever,
for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years."
(Genesis 6:3)
120 years? That's pretty old seeing
the current life expectancy rates! What, for the most part, is keeping
us from living up to our potential? Scientists even agree that man
was built to last 120 years, based on the approximate number of possible
cell divisions in the human body (see organizations such as 'Nature's Path').
The oldest man living right now is a man
in Japan at the age of 115. God has blessed him with much age...
There are natural methods in preserving
this earthly body and, most importantly, supernatural methods we can allow
God to take. First, we'll look at the natural...
THE NATURAL
Improper diet, bad exercise habits, excessive
stress and focus on negativity damage the body and harm our bodies.
First of all, we'll focus on a natural diet.
God has given us a wonderful body that
has the power to heal itself. The immune system takes care of infections,
the stomach can digest a wide variety of foods, the liver can filter out
harmful enzymes and poisons in food.
About one-third of the laws in the Old
Testament are dietary laws. Whether an animal was alright to eat
or 'clean' went down to very strict detail...
For example: Leviticus 11:4-6
"You may not, however, eat the animals
named here because they either have split hooves or chew the cud, but not
both. The camel may not be eaten, for though it chews the cud, it does
not have split hooves. The same is true of the rock badger and the
hare, so they also may never be eaten." (NLT)
Different animals may have absorbed poisonous
material (some fish) or may have lived off the blood of other animals (e.g.,
eagles and vultures). According to Jewish Law, these were improper
to eat and were made to both protect health and to keep good relationship
with God.
The common diet around the Mediterranean
Sea consists of somewhat similar foods to the Bible's Old Testament dietary
law: lots of grains and fruits and vegetables as well as some meats and
proteins. Cholesterol levels as well as sugar levels are kept in
pretty good balance if you take everything in moderation.
God created the body to take in a lot of
material and process it into energy and usually either fat or muscle (in
Texas, definitely fat!). The dietary laws in the Old Testament are
a pretty good guideline for smart eating, but today we have the methods
of cooking as well as permission from God to eat whatever we please.
In 1 Corinthians 10:25-26, it says...
"Eat whatever is sold in the meat market,
asking no questions for conscience' sake; for "the earth is the LORD's,
and all its fullness."
Even so, we should be stewards of this
body since it is the temple of the Holy Spirit for those who are in Christ
Jesus (see 1 Corinthians 3).
A balance of fat, vitamins, carbohydrates,
and proteins will keep this body running, and with exception to fasting,
we should feed this body in the right way.
If we drink nothing but soda and eat nothing
but Cheetos, our bodies will lack the essential nutrients.
For negativity, here's Philippians
4:4
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will
say, rejoice! (also see 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
For stress, take a dose of Philippians
4:6-7...
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything
by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made
known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Take care of your body in the natural and
pray that God keeps you protected in the Supernatural...
THE SUPERNATURAL
YHVH (Jehovah) Rappheka = The LORD who
Heals thee.
Let's look at one passage from Mark
chapter 5, where 2 great miracles of Jesus are recorded...and on the
same trip!
21 Now when Jesus had crossed over again
by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was
by the sea. 22 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus
by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet 23 and begged Him earnestly,
saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your
hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live."
Jairus had the right idea - go to the Healer
Himself! God is a Healing God, and His Will is for you to be healed.
Jairus had faith that Jesus would heal his daughter by just laying His
Hands on her. In addition, Jairus had an earnest heart and asked
accordingly. Let's see what happens in addition to Jairus' daughter's
healing...
24 So Jesus went with him, and a great
multitude followed Him and thronged Him. 25 Now a certain woman had a flow
of blood for twelve years, 26 and had suffered many things from many physicians.
She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.
Oftentimes with doctoral care, the worst
happens. Through man's view, a medicine may help but can have serious
repercussions! A cough medicine might have a side effect of kidney
failure, for example. Medicines can be a natural means of healing,
but the side effects CAN be weighty.
27 When she heard about Jesus, she came
behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. 28 For she said, "If only
I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well." 29 Immediately the fountain
of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed
of the affliction.
God's View is omniscient. He knows
all and sees the root of every problem. A good rule of thumb in sickness
is to 'Go to God first'!
30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself
that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who
touched My clothes?" 31 But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude
thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?' " 32 And He looked around
to see her who had done this thing. 33 But the woman, fearing and trembling,
knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told
Him the whole truth. 34 And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made
you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."
Her faith (a gift from God) was the key.
Beforehand, she thought to herself that if she just touched the hem of
His Garment, she'd receive the healing that the physicians could not provide
for 12 years of degradation of health!
35 While He was still speaking, some came
from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead.
Why trouble the Teacher any further?"
Sometimes things will be planted in your
way to doubt or to get sidetracked and doubt God's power. In our
own eyes, a problem may seem large, but when we look at how much larger
God is, the problem becomes small in comparison.
36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that
was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only
believe."
Exactly...
37 And He permitted no one to follow Him
except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 38 Then He came to
the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who
wept and wailed loudly. 39 When He came in, He said to them, "Why make
this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping." 40 And they
ridiculed Him. [continued...]
Having faith in a non-visible God to some
is wacko. Expecting the unexpected from God is seen sometimes as
crazy by outsiders. Healing is a great witnessing tool as well as
a benefit to Christians worldwide. The same God who healed 3000 years
ago is the One who heals today (see Hebrews 13:8 as well).
But when He had put them all outside, He
took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him,
and entered where the child was lying. 41 Then He took the child by the
hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl,
I say to you, arise." 42 Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she
was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. 43
But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that
something should be given her to eat.
Noted there is 'Talitha, cumi', an Aramaic
phrase left in the text. This is called a 'targum' (just a note).
Jesus healed the daughter of Jairus, and it was no big ceremony or ritualistic
thing. Jesus just healed her...period.
WHAT SHOULD WE DO?
Help others live as long as possible.
Here are a few guidelines:
... Pray with faith. Doubting God
won't help, and have confidence in prayer when it's according to His Will.
(See James 1:5-8)
... Lay hands on the sick, whether in a
church setting or not (see Mark 16 and James 5:14-16). "The
effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
... Pray for wisdom on what to do health-wise,
and always rely on God. If your diet is lacking in some area, pray
for wisdom for what you're doing wrong. God is the God of all Wisdom!
... Feed your body right and take good
care of it. We are all to be stewards of our bodies, and that includes
watching and controlling what we eat.
... Be strengthened by Biblical healing
passages. As 1 Peter 2:24 states about Jesus (a recollection
of the prophecy made in Isaiah 53) - "He himself bore our sins in
his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins And live for righteousness;
by his wounds you have been healed."
... Trust in God's Word that we can live
to 120 years old. :) Go to God FIRST! He's not a 2nd
or 3rd option. Time doesn't heal -- God does!
SOME OF THE COOL BIBLICAL HEALING PASSAGES
Jeremiah 17:14 - Heal me, O LORD,
and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one
I praise.
Psalm 77:14 - You are the God who
performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.
Job 9:10 - He performs wonders that
cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.
Psalm 103:2-3 - "Bless the
Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all
your iniquities, who heals all your diseases."
Daniel 4:2 - It is my pleasure to
tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God
has performed for me.
Matthew 4:23-24 - Jesus went throughout
Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom,
and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him
spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with
various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those
having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.
Matthew 9:35 - Jesus went through
all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the
good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.
Mark 16:17-18 - And these signs
will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons;
they will speak in new tongues. They will pick up snakes with their hands;
and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will
place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.
Luke 4:18 - The Spirit of the Lord
is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He
has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, and recovery of sight
for the blind, to release the oppressed.
Matthew 8:7 - Jesus said to him,
"I will go and heal him."
Amen.