Living by Design… Discovering the Spirit, Soul and Body Connection is what I’m currently reading.
Ray Strand, MD and Bill Ewing, a Christian counselor, do a terrific job of explaining how God designed us and how our bodies function when we are under the stressors of life. The book, based on Biblical principles, points us to peace, love and possibly better emotional and physical health.
Here are chapter highlights:
- Stress and the body
- Unresolved anger
- Motivation of the heart
- Rest for the soul, power for life
- Exercise and diet
- Oxidative stress, free radicals and the need for nutritional supplements
- Healing God’s way
- An eternal perspective
If you know of someone who might have a chronic degenerative disease, inflammatory-related disease, panic attacks or another stress-related condition, this book would be a wonderful gift for them. I highly recommend it!
Have an awesome day!
Do you struggle with past hurts? Is your body in a constant state of inner tension and stress? Are you battling an addiction of some sort? Do you eat 
emotionally? Is there some other thinking pattern or behavioral pattern that keeps you from feeling totally at peace and free? If this is the case, your emotional and physical health is likely to be suffering.
The New International version of 1 Timothy 2:6 says that Jesus “gave himself as a ransom for all men.” The Greek word for ransom is antilytron which means a purchase price for liberation from oppression. All of us have probably felt oppressed at some time or other in our lives. Life is hard and many of us have experienced circumstances that have resulted in us feeling burdened, abused or that we’ve been taken advantage of. If we keep this attitude over a period of time, it can’t help but affect our emotional, spiritual and physical health. How can we move past this oppressed state?
God has provided a way. He can free you from anything that keeps you from experiencing a flourishing and whole life. God loves you so much that He sent his son Jesus to die for all your past and future sins so that you can have an abundant and eternal life. This week’s scripture says, “For he (God) wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and people. He is the man Jesus Christ. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone.”
God’s done His part. Our part is to believe this deep in our heart. Then we have to claim this truth and get it into our spirit. The evil one, Satan, would like us to hold on to these past hurts and thoughts and keep this oppressed state of mind. This will keep us from feeling free. That’s not the way it has to be and it’s not what God wants.
Get to know God in a personal way, and His truth will set you free. John 8:32 says “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Once you are totally free from oppression, aspects of your emotional health will likely be positively affected. This could bring about improvements in your physical health.
The choice is yours. Will you accept the total freedom and the abundant life that Jesus provides?
1 Colossians 16 & 17 says, “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
This past weekend the pastor at church mentioned the protein laminin in his sermon. He urged us to go home and read about it. I’ve taken a little time to do that. Here’s what I learned.
Laminin is a cell adhesion molecule. It’s the stuff that holds the membranes of our bodies together. Read about it on Wikipedia. A diagram of its’ structure is to the right. Isn’t it something that the shape of the “glue” that holds us together is in the form of a cross? Yes, as Psalm 139:14 says, we are fearfully and wonderfully made. And we do have such an awesome God that is in ALL the details of our life. Such details as shaping the glue that holds us together in the form of a cross.
Jesus died a horrible death on a cross to set us free from sin and to give us an eternal life. He also died to give us an abundant life here on this earth. As we know him more and more deep in our hearts he can set us free from addictions, pain and all the stuff that keeps us in chains. And He wants to be the ‘glue’ that keeps us together on the inside and makes us a whole person.
Follow this link to a moving video by Louie Giglio about God’s love, Jesus and laminin.
Jesus wants to hold us all together like glue. I hope you know Him and have experienced His love. If you have questions about the Christian faith or want to know more about Jesus and His love, I hope you’ll contact me.
“… let’s make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let’s make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God.” This is from the Message translation of this week’s scripture.
If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, God’s spirit, in the form of the Holy Spirit lives inside you. Paul is urging us to live in a way that is honoring to God. We are called to be Holy as God is Holy. The way we live our life is a form of worship to God. As we attend to the health and well being of our body, this is a form of worship.
Anything that takes us aware from our relationship from God is a distraction or a defilement. Not only in our external behavior but in our thought life and “internal” life. What we read, watch on television and listen to on our Ipods and the radio has a potential impact on our relationship with God. It’s either a positive influence or a negative influence. It’s either building up your faith muscles or tearing them down. That’s why Paul urges us to ‘make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us.’ God wants us to be as fit as possible -physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Knowing that God lives in you can be a great motivator to live in a way that is holy and honoring to Him. How about it? Might you benefit from making a break from something that is a distraction in your relationship with God or that defiles His temple?
Want to learn more on Spiritual Exercises for a healthier life? Click here.
Hope you have an awesome day!
Health experts would agree that a regular diet of grains is essential for us, especially whole grains. Dietitians will tell us that we should eat about 6 ounces of grain products each day and half of those should be whole grains. Whole grain breads are one such source. Whole grains benefit us because they help reduce heart disease and constipation and may help with weight management. Whole grain bread is also a good source of magnesium which helps keep our bones strong.
Chapter six of John speaks about Jesus being a source of spiritual nourishment. Jesus tells people that have been following Him that the reason they desire to be with Him is because their spiritual hunger is satisfied when they are in His presence. (verse 26). He tells us that God has given the people true bread from heaven and He is speaking of himself. In verse 35, He tells us that He is the “bread of life” and that all who come to Him will never be hungry. Jesus is saying that we will be nourished spiritually by Him, not only here on this earth, but forever.
We all eat food when we are physically hungry. It satisfies us for a while, but then when we’re hungry again, we need to eat some more. We will never be satisfied by eating regular food such as whole grain bread, as nutritious as our diet may be.
Jesus promises us that if we follow Him that He will meet the deeper spiritual hunger that we all have inside. He is the true source of spiritual nourishment that provides all we need for a rich and rewarding life while we are on this earth and for life eternally.
Are you feeding on the bread that Jesus provides? Are you being nourished deep in your soul by the One who satisfies your deepest hunger pains?
