The Law and the prophets; friends or foe? Part 2

unclean food, Diabetes, Heart disease, Arthritis, Health food, Bible, nutrition, disease,

If Jesus declared all foods clean; (Mark 7:19) why does Wellness Gospel say that unclean food still exists?

In the gospel of Mark Jesus declared all foods clean. Some believe that when he did that all the things listed in the Old Testament as unclean food, instantly became healthy for people to eat.

New International Version
For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)

New Living Translation
Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.” (By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes.)

There is always some, self-proclaimed “theologian”, who reads this passage and says, “If Jesus declared all foods clean, then there is no such thing as unclean food. And there is no point in being careful or particular about what we eat! Since all foods are equally healthy, we should just eat what we want and enjoy it.”

That one idea, “there is no longer any unclean food,” has killed more good, loving Christians than all the persecutions through the ages.

My initial answer to people who are saying this is, “how’s that working for you”! It never is working for them, in fact it is killing them. It is the reason they will not get to see their children’s children get married and have kids. Not following God’s instructions concerning food choices is the reason they will spend much of their adult life fighting off diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and cancer.

First of all; if it were true that there are no unclean foods and that all foods are equally healthy, then we wouldn’t have ever had the following disasters.

Jack in the Box, 1993

732 people were affected by unclean food containing E. coli. It was the most infamous food poisoning outbreak in history, it nearly forced Jack in the Box out of business. 73 locations across California, Idaho, Washington, and Nevada served undercooked patties. A specially promoted “Monster Burger” wasn’t cooked long enough to kill off the bacteria. Four people died, all of them children, and 178 others were left with permanent damage.

Chipotle, 2015

In 2015, unclean food caused a norovirus outbreak in Simi Valley, California. The outbreak sickening 243, a salmonella outbreak in Minnesota and Wisconsin sickened 54, E. coli sickened 60 people in 11 states. It landed 22 in the hospital. A second norovirus outbreak in Boston sickened 143. The cause? Chipotle. While the exact culprit of the E. coli and salmonella will likely never be known, the two norovirus outbreaks were caused by sick employees who came into work. The chain has implemented several new rules and regulations in order to prevent this from happening again, but its reputation has taken a major hit.

McDonalds, 2004

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Size_Me

Then there is the blockbuster documentary “Super-Size Me”. It was nominated for an academy award. In the movie, Morgan Spurlock gets checked out by doctors and found to be in great health. Then he proceeds to eat only McDonalds food for thirty days. At the end of the thirty days he goes back to the doctors to see what effect eating McDonalds food had on his health.

Spurlock had gained 24 lbs. and , increased his cholesterol from 160 to 230 mg/dL. He also experienced mood swings, sexual dysfunction, and fat accumulation in his liver. The doctors told him he was killing himself and needed to stop eating whatever it was he was he was eating and go back to his previous diet. Evidently not all food is created equal, maybe there is still such a thing as unclean food.

Does anyone really believe that all foods are equal? That all foods have the same amount of nutritional value? When Jesus declared all foods clean, wasn’t he aware of basic nutrition 101?

We believe that Jesus knew exactly what he was saying. Nothing that he said is contrary to science, health or the Bible. So what did Jesus mean when he said all foods are clean? And wasn’t he contradicting Deuteronomy 11:29 and other passages that list unclean food?

Deuteronomy 11:29 “‘Of the animals that move along the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard,

Matthew 5:19 “Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Jesus speaking)

Mark 7:18 “Are you so dull?” He (Jesus) asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him ‘unclean’? For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods “clean”)

First of all, if you are a serious Bible student, you know that the word of God does not contradict itself.

Jesus is not confused, saying at one time you need to practice and teach the Law, and at another time that the Law is incorrect in saying that there is unclean food that should not be eaten. He is not like our politicians who say one thing to one group and something different to another group just to make everyone like them. You and I must rightly divide God’s word in order to understand it, and sometimes it requires a little hard work on our part.

2 Peter 3:16, speaking about the Apostle Paul who wrote a large portion of the New Testament, Peter says, “He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.”

Some things in the Bible are a little harder to understand than others but it is well worth our time to get the correct meaning.

One way is to look at the context that the passage is found in. The context of Mark 7:18-19, is where Jesus is rebuking the Pharisees and teachers of the law because he says, “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men… You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!” Mark 7:1-9

Notice Jesus is not making friends, he is actually rebuking them for not following the law and the prophets. They were teaching that if you did not do a “ceremonial washing of your hands, cups, pitchers and kettles” that what you were eating became unclean food. We are talking about food that the law said was clean. (Lamb, beef, etc.) He was not talking about pig, rat, or shellfish.

We need to also notice that Jesus made a distinction between the heart (spirit, soul) and the body (Our flesh).

He was making a point that the Pharisees had missed. He wasn’t changing or nullifying the Old Testament scriptures, he was explaining them. Unwashed hands will not affect your heart or your spirit. It is what comes out of your mouth and my mouth that will affect our hearts. The Pharisees were concerned about ceremonial traditions that weren’t in the law.

Jesus was not teaching, as some people suppose, that all of a sudden unwashed hands couldn’t hurt you. If that were true Chipotle wouldn’t have been the focus of some very negative news that dominated the media for months. Cooks with hepatitis who tossed your salad couldn’t harm you. No one believes that! You’d have to be a couple of fries short of a happy meal to believe that. So why would do people believe that Jesus was teaching us that all foods are physically clean, that all foods are equal, concerning our health?

Jesus was declaring food to be spiritually neutral. It has no direct effect on your spirit or your soul.

If Jesus was teaching that the disciples should stop adhering to the teachings old testament teachings about unclean food, then we could expect that Jesus and the disciples would have acted upon that teaching. Jesus taught that you should not just be a hearer of the word but a doer. Jesus himself never violated any of the Mosaic Laws, he fulfilled them completely. He wasn’t even accused of eating with unwashed hands; it was his disciples who were accused of it.

Jesus never ate any unclean food. He even gave the Pharisees an opportunity to expose any violations of the Mosaic law, that he might have made, if they could, “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?” (John 18:46a) The Pharisees would have nailed him on that, but they could not, because he never disobeyed any of the Law, not even the least of the laws.

Then there is Peter’s declaration, many years after the resurrection and after Pentecost,

Acts 10:14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

Why would the Apostle Peter still be observing the Mosaic food Laws if Jesus had taught him not to?

The answer is this; Jesus didn’t teach Peter not to observe the Law, on the contrary in Matthew chapter 5:17-19 Jesus taught Peter and the Apostles to teach and practice the Law till heaven and earth disappeared.

When Jesus declared all foods clean he was referring to the more important issue of the heart. The Pharisees had heart issues and they wanted to focus on food and ceremonies. We need to keep our hearts pure first, no amount of good nutrition can undo a heart that has no place for God. But if your heart is right with God and you ignore his teaching about what to eat and what not to eat, you will be unhealthy and get to see Jesus in heaven sooner than God intended.

THE ONLY WAY TO EXCEPTIONAL EMOTIONAL, SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH, IS TO SPEND TIME EACH DAY LISTENING TO JESUS CHRIST AND DOING WHAT HE SAYS.

Often people have questions or comments about Wellness Gospel articles, please feel free to send an email to chrisschauermann@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you.
If you believe God knows what is best for us, join us and the Wellness Gospel team and spread the word, share this with your friends on social media and may God bless you richly.
To keep improving your health, and enjoy this kind of biblical, scientific information, then I would like to recommend three must-read books and the link to Youngevity a wellness company founded by Dr. Joel Wallach. Simply click on the titles below for purchase information.

May 27, 2017May 27, 2017

Tried everything, still sick, maybe it’s spiritual?

Spiritual warfare, sin, sickness, disease, fear, confession, Bible, name of Jesus, armor of God

Not all disease and pain can be fixed by medicine or nutrition. The source of your problem may be spiritual!

Often people spend all their time and money pursuing a physical answer to a spiritual problem.

Spiritual warfare, sin, sickness, disease, fear, confession, pruning, Bible, — When everything else has failed; Jesus can you help me?

She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.

Mark 5:23

A woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had spent all her money on physicians, but no one was able to heal her. Luke 8:43

In both of the preceding passages, Jesus healed these women who had run out of medical options.

When you have spent thousands on doctors and drugs, and gotten worse. Then you bought every nutritional supplement known to man and are no better. You followed the advice of friends who told you to stop eating foods with chemicals, gluten, sugar, saturated fats, dairy, etc. Now you are starving and still sick as a dog.

You may not have a physical problem, you may have a spiritual problem.

A good example is of this was when one of our girls was 7, a babysitter exposed her to the movie “It.” The “monster” in this movie disguises himself as a clown. I am told, the monster lived in the sewers and would come out of toilets to get people. This movie was written by Stephen King and was designed to scare the heck out of people. The problem with movies like this is they can do just the opposite. They scare something into people and it is not good!

It wasn’t her fault!

Our daughter didn’t want to watch the movie, but the house was dark and she was afraid to go to another place in the house alone. While watching the movie, she was overcome with fear. She understandably believed the lie, that this monster was real and was going to get her. The Bible says, “the devil is a liar and he is the father of lies.” The devil uses lies in order to accomplish his goals.

After watching this movie our daughter could hardly sleep, and when she was able to sleep, she had to have the lights on. She was afraid to go to the bathroom; fear ruled her life. Even though it was not her fault, she was exposed to this horrible movie, it had a spiritual effect on her. The devil never plays fair.

Lying spirits bring disease.

The spirit of fear that gripped our daughter brought with it the most severe case of shingles I have ever heard of. She broke out with painful fluid filled blisters, they completely covered her stomach and looked like fish scales. We tried everything to get rid of the shingles but in the end it was prayer that did it.

Are you dealing with fear or do you have a physical ailment that won’t go away? It may be time to seek the Lord and do some spiritual warfare.

“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

1 Peter 5:8

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground”

Ephesians 6:10-13a

Notice, it’s not our armor, it’s God’s full armor!

It’s not our power; it’s God’s mighty power!

In every case, Jesus is the answer.

³For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. ⁴The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.⁵We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

What our daughter needed was to take some thoughts captive, but we need God’s weapons to do that!

So what are those weapons?

The Name of Jesus is the most powerful weapon. Simply call on the name of the Lord.
The Word of God. Take thoughts captive, and command those thoughts that are opposed to God’s Word to leave! Every time one of those lies comes to your mind, quote God’s word that is the truth. For instance, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Find scripture that applies to your situation or thoughts.
Faith. Jesus said that when you are praying and believe what you say, you will get what you are praying for. (Matthew 21:22) You and I must have faith in God.
Confession. James 5: 14-16 tells us to, “confess our sins to each other and pray for each other so that we may be healed.” Often people are healed when they confess their sins. Find someone you trust, and don’t leave anything out, then receive God’s forgiveness. (1 John 1:7-9)

Our daughter was eventually healed. Sometimes spiritual warfare takes time, not every war is won in a moment. Sometimes you have to battle for an extended period, and if you do not give up, you will prevail. Our daughter now a mom with 5 very healthy kids.

We have prayed with countless people who have been set free from all manner of illnesses. God will do it for you as well. Jesus is the answer, God’s weapons are mighty and they are always available.

Truly; the only way to exceptional emotional and physical health, and wellness, is to spend time each day with the Great Physician, Jesus Christ!

If you have any questions or comments about this or any other Wellness Gospel article, please feel free to send an email to chrisschauermann@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you.

If you believe God knows what is best for us, join us and the Wellness Gospel team and spread the word, share this with your friends on social media and may God bless you richly.

If you want to keep improving your health and enjoy this kind of biblical, scientific information, then I would like to recommend three must-read books. Simply click on the title for purchase information.

References

February 11, 2017

Super-centenarian credits God and the Bible!

Super-centenarian, 116-year-old, Violet Mosses Brown has discovered the secret to living a long and happy life without many of the ills associated with old age.

Bible obedience equals longevity. — Violet Moses Brown reading her daily Bible devotional.

Deuteronomy 33:25b “Your strength will equal your days”

This Bible verse certainly applies to Super-centenarian, Violet Mosses Brown. Born March 4^th 1900, now at 116, Violet still enjoys reading her Daily Bread devotional flawlessly without the assistance of reading glasses. She is still so sharp, she is able to effortlessly recite a poem, The Vision of Belshazzar by Lord Byron, a poem she learned while attending elementary school a century ago. She can recite it without a hitch. For fun Violet listens to music, practices shorthand and typing. So far, her strength is equal to her days.

Violet Brown is a resident in the western Jamaica town of Duanvale, Trelawny. A local news reporter commented, “Mrs. Brown exudes peace and contentment as she sits on her cool veranda, enjoying the comings and goings of the district. Beside her is her 96-year-old son, Harold Fairweather, incredibly youthful in appearance and believed to be the oldest person with a living parent. Harold still lives with his mother as he approaches 100. People complain that their twenty-year-old children are still living at home. Get this; Violet has a 96 year old son still living with her and a 62 year old grandson to boot.

Her son did leave home and live in England for a number of years, but felt it was his duty to come home and take care of his mother. After she is gone, he can return to England to pick up were he left off. Just think of it, many 40 year olds think they are over the hill, with this family, they would barely be starting up the hill.

Often people tell me they don’t want to live to be over 100, much less be a super-centenarian. They feel the quality of life at that age would be so poor that it would be better not live at all. At the age of 110, Violet commented with a smile, “You know, sometimes I ask myself, “Am I really 110 years old?” Because I don’t feel like 110.” Though less active at 116, Brown boasts she is still able to make her own bed in the mornings. Her 96 year old son says she has no major illness, though her hearing isn’t what it used to be.

A local official stated, “This is a woman who we can say contributes significantly to the community. She has been humorous in her discussions, possesses good health, a memory that is outstanding, and, of course, she was the record keeper for all deaths in Duanvale.” Violet kept cemetery records so well that the local government used her record keeping procedures as the standard for all future employees.

This super-centenarian has also been a major help to her family and church community. Her grandson, 62-year-old Vernon Davis described his grandmother as the unifying force in their family. “She was a person who keeps the family together. She has been hard-working,” said Davis, who has lived with his grandmother since his youth. Her family says even at her age she continues to counsels the residents of Duanvale. They enjoy the company of this positive lady, who shares many gems of faith and poetry with them.

Church make us healthier — Violet with her pastor.

Violets influence has gone beyond the borders of Jamaca!

Her influence in her family and community has also spread to other parts of the world as evidence by this story told by her oldest son.

Harold Fairweather, appears closer to 60, than the centenarian he will be in only four years. He spoke animatedly about his experience as a migrant in Sheffield, England. He had applied for a job and was told by the manager that they did not hire blacks. I told the gentleman, ‘When your time comes for you to go to the City Road Cemetery, I don’t think color will matter there. I have a flower garden and I do not see only white flowers there. God made them of various colors. This is God’s world, and all of us are in His beautiful garden.” The gentleman seemed surprised and asked, “Where did you get that from?” (Obviously from his mother). He hired me that day. “I became the first person of color to be employed in that business, I opened the door for other people of color; and would you believe that this gentleman became like a second father to me in England”.

So what is this Super-centenarian’s secret to a very productive, very long, very physically healthy life?

Her son says that Violet is not given to gluttony, but enjoys small meals. He also says, “She likes fish and mutton and sometimes she will have cow foot, but she does not eat pork or chicken”. Her other preferences are sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, breadfruit, and fruit, especially oranges and mangoes. The Bible highly recommends eating mutton (red meat) and fish, it also vehemently commands us not to eat pork.[2][3][4] Violet is getting a lot of vitamin C from the fruit she eats.[5] She also says, “I don’t drink rum and dem tings.”

Breadfruit eaten by super-centenarian. — Young Jamaican with a ripe breadfruit.

In my study of super-centenarians, I have not found them to simply be lucky enough to win the genetic lottery, what I have found is that they all do a lot of the same things. And all of the things in common, that they do, are backed up by the word of God and science.

Exodus 23:21, 25-26

“Pay attention to him (the angel of the lord) and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him…Worship the Lord your God and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span.”

Violet proudly testifies that her full lifespan has come from obeying God. “I live by the grace of God. At 13, Violet was received into the Baptist Church, where she was told to read Psalm 119, verse 133 — words that she has never forgotten. According to a local reporter, “She declared them to us:” “Order my steps in thy word and let no sin have any dominion over me.”

This super-centenarian declares her greatest joy is the church, “I love the Church,” Brown told reporters.

Worshiping God lengthens and strengthens life. — Violet Brown worshiping with church members.

Prayer and worship strengthen your days. — Violet praying with her church family.

The energetic super-centenarian also said she credited her long and fruitful life to her respect for family, life, and people in general, as well as a lot of hard work when she was younger. She believes that obeying the fifth commandment, “Honor your mother and father so your days may be long” Exodus 20:12, has worked for her. I believe that it is working for me and that it will work for you and your loved ones as well.

Somebody’s going to live long and strong past 100 years, might as well by you!

5 Biblical principals followed by Violet Mosses Brown, that contributed to her long, healthy and productive life.

Biblical eating habits.
Biblical worship habits.
Biblical relationships with God, family and neighbors.
Avoidance of sin (missing the mark, things that displease God)
Steady, hard work.

The Bible does not say that your genetics determine your health. The Bible says your actions determine your healthfulness.

I will admit that, “honoring your mother and father”, was a hard one for me. When I was growing up, my dad had always been a little overbearing, OK a lot overbearing, and even though the Bible says that honoring him would lengthen my days, I struggled with it. After being away from home and returning to work for my dad again, he and I almost went to blows one day in the back room of the golf course we were running. Our church encouraged me to keep trying to honor him, and the more I tried the easier it got. Before he passed away, he and I had some really good talks. A plethora of studies have shown the Bible to be true in this area. One study done by Brummett and colleagues (2001) found that, among adults with coronary artery disease, the socially isolated had a risk of subsequent cardiac death 2.4 times greater than their more socially connected peers.[6] Check out this link for a ton of evidence that points to relationships being a major factor in physical health and longevity. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3150158/

Once again, our purpose for writing each week is to provide you with Biblical advice and examples of people who followed that advice for the care and feeding of their bodies. We share this Biblical advice each week, because it is so rare. We also do it, because we see thousands of good Christians, whose lives have been cut short, simply because they were never taught what the Word of God and the Law of God had to say about health and wellness.

If you believe God knows best, join us and the Wellness Gospel team; register for our weekly newsletter, then spread the word by sharing this with your friends on social media and may God bless you richly.

If you want to keep improving your health, and enjoy this kind of biblical scientific information, then I would like to recommend three must-read books:

“None of These Diseases” by S. I. McMillen, M.D. and David E. Stern, D http://tinyurl.com/hh7ezs2
“Let’s Play Doctor” by Dr. Joel Wallac http://tinyurl.com/j8ybt8r
“God’s Guide To Biblical Health and Healing” by Rev. Chris & Shary Schauermann http://tinyurl.com/zvkbfau

You can get all these books at Amazon.com or simply click on the URL under each book title.

References

Violet Brown http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100308/lead/lead6.html
Mutton http://wellnessgospel.net/index.php/2016/07/10/should-we-eat-red-meat/
Fish http://wellnessgospel.net/index.php/2016/11/19/fish-can-make-you-sick-or-healthy/
Pork http://wellnessgospel.net/?s=Pork
Vitamin C http://wellnessgospel.net/index.php/2016/10/10/vitamin-c-granddaddy-vitamins/
Social/physical connections https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3150158/

October 16, 2016November 28, 2016

Sin, guilt, shame and sicknesses.

Sickness is not always caused by what you eat or don’t eat, how much you exercise or don’t exercise or even how much or little rest you get. There is a spiritual component that most doctors never consider. The Bible teaches that every person has a body, soul and a spirit, and that our soul and spirit can affect our bodies. If we are spiritually sick, filled with sin, guilt and shame, it will shorten our lives, just like bacteria and viruses can shorten our lives.

Hells Angels 1965

An older lady who had been attending our church, called me up one day. She was new, and I did not know much about her, accept that she was a grandmother to some children that also attended our church. She called to asked me if God could forgive her for all the terrible things she had done in her life. Being a typical pastor, I said, “Of course God can forgive you”. Then she told me that she used to be a member of the Hell’s Angels and that she had been the debt collector for the bike gang. She said that she used a gun to collect, and you can guess the rest. That was a complete surprise to me, she looked so sweet and innocent. But, I stuck to my theology and told her again, “God can and will forgive you of any sin, if you will confess it and ask God to forgive you”. Providentially, the next Sunday I was preaching on the story of Jesus, where he tells a paralyzed man that his sins are forgiven. The Pharisees got mad and accused Jesus of blaspheme, because they said, “Only God can forgive sins”. Jesus response was:

“But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he (Jesus) said to the paralytic— ¹¹“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” ¹²And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” Mark 2:10-12

Jesus still has the authority to forgive sin and and prove it, by healing our bodies. That beautiful older woman came to church the Sunday following our conversation and told me that she had been having seizures every day for most of her life, but since we prayed for her to be forgiven, she had ceased to have seizures. She had not had one since we prayed. Unconfessed, and unforgiven sin, can cause sickness in our bodies.

Is all sickness a direct result of sin? The answer is a resounding NO! The disciples asked Jesus “Who sinned this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus” (John 9:2,3) Sin is not always the problem. Someone you love may be sick simply because they are unfortunate enough to live in the goiter belt (an area of the U.S. that has no iodine). That’s not a sin, it’s just an iodine deficiency. Sailors used to get scurvy because there wasn’t enough vitamin C in their diet. It is not sin that they didn’t have fresh fruit on the boat; it was a lack of understanding. People get anemic because they have a diet that lacks digestible iron. That is not a sin, it’s just unfortunate.

Not every sickness is a direct result of someone’s sin! BUT…

The reason Jesus’ disciples asked the question was because the Bible does teach that some disease is a direct result of Sin. In John 5:14 Jesus said…

“See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you”

(Psalm 38:3-7) “Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness because of my sin. My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. My back is filled with searing pain there is no health in my body.

So what is the cure?

1 John 1:7-9…

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Let me outline the process found in this Bible verse:

It is the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from sin.
We must confess our sins. (agree with God that what we did was wrong)
Then by faith we receive God’s forgiveness.

In 1974 my uncle Ward Graham showed me this verse in the Bible (1 John 1:8-9). At this time of my life I had been immersed in the hippie movement but was giving Jesus a chance. Also, up to this point I had not had any success in conquering sin in my life. I remember times when I would determine not to sin anymore, only, in short order,to fail miserably. As Shary and I began to attend church, (about the time the above picture was taken), I decided that my foul language needed to stop. But much to my disappointment I would slip and something embarrassing would come from my lips. Among other things I found myself using the Lord’s name as a swear word in the most awkward situations.

If you are like myself and the Apostle Paul, you probably have thought or said something like this…

“I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it…..What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Romans 7:18b-20, 24-25

My uncle advised me to apply 1 John 1:7-9. He called it spiritual breathing, so I tried it. Every time I would slip up, I would confess to the Lord, I would tell Jesus that I realized what I had said was displeasing to him and I would ask him to forgive me (that was the exhaling of spiritual breathing). Then by faith, I would thank him that he had forgiven me because Jesus had suffered and spilled his own blood to pay for that sin. I would also, by faith, thank him that he was washing the sin out of me, (That was the inhaling of spiritual breathing), it was actually quite refreshing. If I was alone, I would say it out-loud, if I was with other people, I would silently pray it.

The first benefit, was that I didn’t feel guilty all the time; that guilt had, at times, actually made me sick to my stomach. I now realize that it was also affecting my immune system. Instead of feeling guilt and shame, I felt free, light and forgiven. This went on for a number of weeks, and I was still cussing, but I didn’t feel the guilt and shame associated with it. Then, about a month later I realized that I hadn’t used any bad language for days. God had not only forgiven me but washed me as well; the freedom from uncontrolled cussing has lasted almost 40 years.

Over the years I have applied this passage of scripture to countless sin issues in my life with the same results. Some sins went quickly, others took years. Though my actions did not always immediately change, the deep down relief from guilt and shame always came instantly. I believe this is a big part of why I have not missed a days work, because of sickness, in almost 40 years.

Jesus is always the answer to sin and sickness, he is always the one we look to. Either he will tell us through his word what we need to do to live a sickness free life or he will forgive us and heal us when we fail. Jesus is our rescuer. It is not amazing that God can rescue us? What is amazing, is that he wants to, and he will rescue us from sin and sickness, God will forgive you, God cannot lie, His word says he will forgive you and cleanse you, so he will! His word is true and can be trusted. If you want to be washed clean and set free from the guilt, shame and sickness, if you want to be forgiven, you can pray this prayer right now.

Dear Father I realize that _________________ (name the sin) is wrong and displeases you, please forgive me. I confess it is sin! I thank you that you have forgiven me because Jesus suffered and spilled his own blood to pay for this sin. I also thank you that you are washing _________________ (name the sin) out of my life.

The principle that sin can open us up to disease is also found in the New Testament. James 5:14-16a makes the connection between confession of sin and healing…

“Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well: the Lord will raise him up, and if he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed..”

Modern science once again confirms what the Bible has been teaching for thousands of years. Guilt and shame affect our hormone levels which can totally mess up our immune systems.

A group of researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) discovered that a cycle of shame and illness was measurable; “enrolling a group of graduate students into a study to examine how their opinions of themselves affect their immune systems. They asked 31 students to write about traumatic or emotional experiences for which they blamed themselves; 18 others were asked to write about experiences that didn’t evoke any guilt or shame. Results of the investigation were presented last week at a meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society in Monterey, Calif. The researchers, led by UCLA social psychology doctoral student Sally Dickerson, say that those participants who wrote about neutral experiences and those who felt guilt over their experience showed no measurable physical changes that might make them ill. However, the students who felt shame for the incidents they wrote about showed an increase in cytokine activity, as measured by blood tests. Cytokines are bodily road signs of inflammation, indicating that a disease process may be in progress.

“The people who felt the most shame had the highest elevation of cytokine activity,”1

In our church and ministry, we have literally seen thousands of people set free from sin, shame and sickness, by applying these simple truths. God told Noah that after the flood, man’s days were to be 120 years, but Psalms 90:8-10 says that our secret sins, if not confessed and repented of, will shorten our days, down to approximately 70-80 years. This is exactly the lifespan of the average American, 75.5 years. And that is about right, since the average American has a lot of guilt and shame that is making them sick.

Many people are suffering and don’t know why. They have spent all their money on doctors and only gotten worse. Many people I talk to cannot seem to do what is necessary to get well. They may know that cigarettes are bad, or sugar is bad, but cannot stop smoking or eating the thing that is killing them. Or they are told that vitamin C and calcium will cure their arthritis, but they are unable to consistently take the supplements that they need. I have even counseled with people who are workaholics, never taking a day off. I have convinced them that they would get more work done in six days than they do in seven, but they can’t seem stop and take a day off, even though they know it is killing them. Often this is due to unconfessed sin in their lives. Until they get forgiveness they are stuck, the apostle Paul says, “I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.” “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Romans 7:18b and 24-25a

Jesus is the answer. If you find yourself stuck, try making a list of the things that cause you guilt or shame. Then apply 1 John 8-9 to each one separately. If you have already done this and you are still stuck, you may have to go to the next level, as stated in James chapter 5. You may need to find a trusted, godly friend and confess to them and have them help you say out loud that you believe God has forgiven you. James says that we are to confess “one to another”. Usually, confessing to God is enough, but sometimes we need help, and that is where godly friends can be the mouth and ears of Jesus to you.

Ask God daily, to…

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” 139:23,24 KJV

If not, set aside time each day when you can listen to God. Then apply 1 John 1:8-9

It is our hope the these weekly, practical applications to God’s word are as helpful to you, your family and your friends as they have been to ours. If you have questions or just can’t wrap your head around a particular idea we are sharing, don’t hesitate to contact us at… chrisschauermann@gmail.com we would love to talk to you.

If you believe God knows best, join us and the Wellness Gospel team and spread the word, share this with your friends on social media and may God bless you richly.

If you want to keep improving your health and like this kind of biblical, scientific information, then I would like to recommend three must-read books.

“None of These Diseases” by S. I. McMillen, M.D. and David E. Stern, M.D.

“Let’s Play Doctor” by Dr. Joel Wallach

“God’s Guide To Biblical Health and Healing” by Rev. Chris & Shary Schauermann

You can get all these books at Amazon,com

http://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20010312/shame-on-you-self-blame-can-literally-make-you-sick

Category: Sin and Sickness