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“How do You Exercise Spiritually?” Part 4

Sitting!

So how do you exercise spiritually speaking?  We talked last week how that when we have a sedentary lifestyle how detrimental it is to our physical health.  But how does that apply spiritually?  The reality is that when we are taking care of our bodies in a physical way it actually has an effect on our spiritual lives.  If you don’t feel good physically it affects every area of our lives.  We just want to live for self because we don’t feel like doing anything different.

What does it feel like when you have been sick for a while and you have done nothing?  I can relate to this very much.  A little over 10 years ago I got very sick.  And I was sick for a very long time.  I was so sick I could do nothing.  For several days I was even too weak to eat.  I finally started eating out of principle, not because I was hungry.  But even when I was eating I could hardly lift the spoon to my mouth.  It took so much energy that I would sleep for a long time afterward.  I was sedentary physically as well as spiritually.  I was unable to do anything.

Moving

If we are not moving spiritually our spiritual immune system gets down and we can easily get spiritually sick.  When temptation comes along we are drawn in quickly and fail to overcome.  We get angry with those around us a lot more easily.  And we can also have a depressed feeling.

But after a while of not moving spiritually, you can start to have a false sense of ease.  The temptations seem to be less frequent and things seem to be going relatively easy.  It all depends on what our goal is.  Is our goal to win the race of life?  And if it is, what race do we want to win?  Is it the race of ease and security or the race of eternal life?  If we want to win the race of eternal life it will take courage, discipline, and moving.

Exercise

I talked in part 2 of this series about the importance of spending time in God’s Word.  And how we need to chew on it thoroughly so that we can understand it through the power of the Holy Spirit.  But I also believe there is another aspect and that is exercising the muscles that the Lord has given us.  And as we exercise this muscle it will become stronger and help keep our spiritual immune system healthy so that when “sickness” (temptations) comes around we will have such a strong immune system that we can keep from getting spiritually sick.

I believe that as we are memorizing God’s Word we are exercising our brain muscle so that we can run the race with confidence.  I am not saying memorizing is easy.  But as you do, it will become easier.

When I was ill with the sickness that I talked about above, it affected my brain.  I lost a lot of my memory.  Even today after so many years my family will remind me of things that we did as a family or incidents that happened and I no longer can remember them.  So when I do memorize it is very difficult.  I have to trust the Lord that He will bring it to my memory when I need it because I have put forth the effort.  There are times when I forget how to do something that I do every day and I have to try to bring it to my mind.  Sometimes it takes me 2-3 minutes or longer before I can think of how to do it.  I know as I age it also is a factor as well.  But when I first was sick it was way worse and happened to me quite often.  Now, due to some supplements that the Lord led me to it happens less.  It happens mostly now when I feel under pressure.  And remembering people’s names can be one of the worst.  But I keep persevering with the memorizing and as I do I see the Lord’s blessing.

Energy

When we physically exercise it can bring us more energy.  The same is true of spiritual exercise.  When we memorize and study God’s Word it brings energy into our spiritual life.  Because when our brains are being exercised they will not be sluggish and sedentary.  You will be alert and energized to fight the battles of the day.  Now you have your armor to go forth for the day and God can use that armor that you have chosen to put on to help you win the battles.

Will there be “pain” and “discomfort” with memorizing?  Absolutely!  Just like physical exercising we need to persevere.  And just like our muscles get built up when exercising physically our spiritual muscles will also and it will become easier and less painful.

Dear Father,

Thank You for Your Word and Your ways that can help us in this race of life so that we may win the race.  And the amazing part about this race is that we all can be the winners.  You have given us all the necessary provisions for us for which I am grateful.  Thank You for Your love, Your patience as we run, and for Your forgiveness when we fall.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

If you are not already memorizing God’s Word I would encourage you to do so.

Love you all!

What ways do you use to memorize that helps you in the process?

This is part 4 in a several part series “Maintaining Healthy Immune Function”.  There are many things I will be sharing with you on how to support your immune system, both physically and spiritually.  Although what I am sharing is not exhaustive, I am sharing just a taste from my own experience.  In part 3 I talked about how physical exercise helps in maintaining a healthy immune system.  Coming up in part 5 I will be talking about how fresh air plays a role in maintaining healthy immune function.  Stay tuned!

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“You Need to Keep Moving!!” Part 3

Sitting!

Have you ever been on a plane or even in a car for a long trip?  You have been flying or driving for hours and it seems that you will never get there.  I know some people who have flown for many hours and there is a tenancy for your legs to start swelling because of lack of movement.  What’s it feel like when you finally arrive and you can get off the plane and walk?  You want to get off and start to walk around but on the other hand, it is so difficult.  It is not easy to start walking.  Your legs don’t feel right and your muscles feel like they haven’t moved in eternity.  But you persevere and get moving.

Moving

So how important is movement?  Moving is so important for our bodies and it can help with keeping our immune function healthy.  As we move our hearts pump more rapidly so that our blood pumps through all the systems of our body.  Thus our blood is getting filtered from all the impurities that bring the immunity down.

If you are just a couch potato your blood becomes sluggish and the impurities just sit there.  Maybe you’re not a “couch potato” so to speak because you go to work every day but what kind of job do you have.  Do you sit mostly at a desk all day?  There are many that get up in the morning, eat their breakfast, maybe.  And then they drive to work, which means sitting.  Once they get to work they sit at a desk all day long getting up only to use the bathroom.  They do take lunch but then they just go into the lunch room and sit.  And then they drive home which is just more sitting.  The majority of society sits in front of a TV while eating dinner.  This is not far from a couch potato.  Unfortunately, this lifestyle goes on year after year.

Exercise 

Exercise is so important to healthy immune function.  We need more than just walking from our home to car, car to desk, and back to home again.  We need something that will get our heart rate up and keep that blood flowing to get the impurities cleaned up.

So having a good walking routine that you do at least 5 days a week is important.  Walking can be the very best type of exercise.  But really the best kind of exercise is the one that you will do.  So find something you enjoy.  If you can’t find anything you enjoy make sure you persevere in something.  Maybe you need to write out a “why” for the reason you want to exercise and that can keep you motivated.

Doing weight lifting is also important for keeping our bodies healthy.  As we age our muscle start to atrophy.  We need to be sure that we keep them toned and healthy so that our immune systems stay healthy.  It doesn’t always have to be lifting weights as long as you are using those muscles that do the lifting.  Push-ups can be another way to build our arm muscles.  Shoveling snow could be another one, which happens at our home in the wintertime.  Be creative.

Some people struggle with exercising due to some health challenges.  Just make sure and take it slow and talk to your doctor about what you can safely do.  

Another complaint I hear is “I don’t have the energy”.  So in order to get a pick me up, they drink some coffee or caffeinated drink to help get the energy to do what they need to do, which is not good at all.  Exercise will actually help give you energy.  But you have to make sure not to do too much too quickly.

Energy

There are many people who don’t get out, as they should exercise.  They use many excuses, lack of time, no energy, too much discomfort, etc.  I have found that when I take the time I actually have more success in my day and I get more done.  I find that time is not a factor it is just what my brain tries to convince me so that I don’t take the time.

I do understand the energy.  There can be different reasons why a person may not have the energy for it.  You may have a condition that is causing you not to have the ability to exercise. But the majority of us would find as we exercise that we would start to get more energy.  The important thing is to start out slow and build up to more.  Because of some things that I have dealt with physically, there are some other things that I do that really helps with my energy levels so that I have the ability to exercise.  I have some supplements that I take along with an energy & stamina complex.  Each person is different and needs to do what will help them reach their goals.

When it comes to discomfort in your joints or muscles building up gradually is also a key.  One thing that many athletes use that I have found beneficial is a soothing blend rub.  Most athletes put it on before and after their workouts.  I don’t always remember put it on before but even if you do it afterward it is very helpful.

Dear Father,

As we take the time to get physical exercise we pray for Your blessing.  I know that as we keep moving and circulate the blood that you have given us through our body it will be healthier.  Thank you for giving us such amazing bodies so as we follow Your plan for health it makes our immune systems stronger.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Start today!  Get out and take a walk.

Love you all.

What is your favorite kind of exercise?

This is part 3 in a several part series “Maintaining Healthy Immune Function”.  There are many things I will be sharing with you on how to support your immune system, both physically and spiritually.  Although what I am sharing is not exhaustive, I am sharing just a taste from my own experience.  In part 2 I talked about the foundation of how to support our spiritual immune system.  Coming up in part 4 I will be talking about how spiritual exercise plays a role in maintaining a healthy spiritual immune function.  Stay tuned!

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“Can I be Spiritually Sick?” Part 2

Sickness!

Last week I talked about the possibility of getting sick, what to do to help support your body to prevent sickness, and things you can do when you’re sick to help you get through it sooner.  What about spiritual sickness?  Are there things you can do to support your spiritual life to help prevent sickness?  And if you do get spiritually sick what can you do to get spiritually well.

Actually, there can be some similarities between our spiritual and physical bodies. They are intertwined in many ways.  I know for me that when I am fighting spiritual sickness it brings on some physical reactions, the most common is a depressed feeling.  Now I am not saying that all depression comes from a spiritual sickness but there are times when they are related.

For myself, I have never been really far from God or come from some of the evil things of this world that people experience before they find the Lord.  So I can’t share what that is like.  But I have had those times where I have been fighting a spiritual sickness.  A time when I wasn’t fully committed and taking preventative measure to stay spiritually well.  When I look back at those times they are not pleasant memories.

There can be all kinds of excuses.  I don’t have time to “exercise”, “eat right”, etc.  But it seems we always have time for those things we really want to do.  So what it really comes down to is how important is it for you to stay well.  Is it more important to eat your “sugar” or “junk food” rather than eating lots of “fruits & veggies” and more healthy “foods”?

Foundation

What is the foundation for spiritual health?  We keeping our physical body healthy with good wholesome food that God has made for us to eat.  In the same manner, the foundation for keeping our spiritual health is good wholesome spiritual food.  The good wholesome spiritual food that God has given us is His Word.

The digestion of our food starts in the mouth as we chew.  That is why it is so important for us to chew our food well before swallowing it.  In the same token as we read God’s Word we should be “chewing” it thoroughly.  Then we can properly digest it.

When you sit down to eat a meal and you are in a hurry how do you feel after you eat?  I don’t feel so well myself.  When I rush through my meal it affects my digestion.  But we know we need to eat so we just sit down and shovel it in as fast as possible.  The reality is that it would be better for us not to eat.  And then come back later when we can relax to eat and spend the time it takes.

In the same turn if we sit down to spend time in God’s Word and we feel rushed but we know we need to do it we are not going to gain much.  We should be thoroughly “chewing” each verse so that it can be properly digested.  “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts” Jeremiah 15:10.

Real Food

Just like you want to eat real food for your physical body, the same is true when it comes to your spiritual life.  When it comes to our physical health we need to stay away from refined foods, junk food, and eat less of the processed foods.  The same is true for our spiritual health.  The Word of God is the real food that our spiritual health needs.  We need to stay away from material that is refined to fit the taste, junk that fills our minds with unholy thoughts, and we should be careful of the material written by others, “processed food”.  The more we stick to God’s Word the safer it is for our spiritual health.

Supplement

Are there other writings that we can read beyond the Word of God?  There are many other writers that God has given great insights to that can help us grow spiritually.  Just like when you are looking for a good supplement for your physical body you want to make sure that it is whole food and not synthetic you want to be careful with other writers.

When it comes to your spiritual health it can be detrimental to be reading things that seem good but there is some “synthetic” things sprinkled throughout that can be unhealthy to our spiritual health.  There are also “synthetic” reading out there that is very detrimental to our spiritual health.  That is why this needs to be our criteria, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” Philippians 4:8.

We need to make the Word of God our foundation for everything we read.  As it says in Isaiah 8:20, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”  The Word of God is what we should compare everything to that we take in, whether it is reading, listening, or watching.

Digestion

Prayer is really a foundational part also to our everyday lives.  And we should be much in prayer.  But prayer is also what helps us in the digestion of God’s Word.  We can chew on God’s Word but it is the Holy Spirit that helps us in the digestive process.  This is why it is so important to ask God for His Spirit to guide us into all truth.

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you” John 16:13.  And God is so willing to give us the Holy Spirit if we just ask.   “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Luke 11:13.

Dear Father,

We want to strive to fill our minds with the best spiritual nutrients.  We need your Spirit to help us be discerning and to understand Your Word.  Guide us with Your Spirit.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Do those things that are going to give you the best spiritual nutrition so that your spiritual immune system is strong.

What do you do that helps support your spiritual immune system?

This is part 2 in a several part series “Maintaining Healthy Immune Function”.  There are many other things I will be sharing with you on how to support your immune system, both physically and spiritually.  Although what I am sharing is not exhaustive, I am sharing just a taste from my own experience.  In part 1 I talked about the foundation of how to support a healthy immune system physically.  Coming up in part 3 I will be talking about how physical exercise plays a role in maintaining healthy immune function.

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“I Don’t Want to be Sick!!!” (Part 1)

Sickness!

I don’t know about you but everywhere I go there is someone sick.  I keep thinking that maybe I can let down my guard a little because everyone at my house is well.  But then someone gets sick at work, home, church, or I run into someone at the store, bank, or post office that is sick.

Because I have a compromised immune system due to the different health issues I have had over the years I have to work really hard to stay on top of things.  I cannot step aside from right health principles and get away with it like some people seem to do.

I am not able to diagnose, treat or cure.  But I do believe disease is an effort of nature to free our bodies from conditions that result from violating the laws of health.  So when a person does get sick, the cause should be discovered. There should be changes made in the unhealthful conditions.  And make sure to correct wrong habits.  Then nature is to be assisted in her effort to get rid of impurities and to reestablish the right conditions in the body.

God has made our bodies to be an amazing machine and if we give it the right conditions by following His laws of health then our bodies can heal themselves.  I believe that nature must have an opportunity to do her work.  Any obstacles must be removed, and a chance must be given her to exert her healing forces, which she will surely do if every abuse is removed from her and she has a fair opportunity to do so.

I believe nature is God’s physician.  And the Lord has provided us health-giving properties in the flowers and trees.

Invite God to join you as you read and learn ways that you can assist your body in supporting your immune system.

Foundation

The foundation of a healthy immune system is in how we eat.  We are bombarded with so many toxic things in our foods today.  It would be good for us to stay away from as many processed foods as possible.  So when it comes to shopping get more of those things that are on the outside isles.

Eating lots of fruits and vegetables is great in helping to build the immune system.  The fresher you can eat the better.  These should make up the majority of our diets.

The meats and dairy products have become so diseased that it would be better to choose legumes, whole grains, and nuts.  Instead of getting the mostly white bread, choose the whole grain bread or make your own.  And instead of buying dairy products you can get alternative milk and cheeses.  Or if you are like me I like to make them myself.  There are some great recipes out there.  Eating a plant-based diet helps keep our body healthy.

Real Food

We need to be staying away from all the refined foods and making sure to lower your sugar intake or just throw it out altogether.   Instead of eating or drinking something full of sugar just eat a piece of fresh fruit.  Sugar can lead to insulin resistance, it promotes inflammation, can lead to weight gain, contributes to non-alcoholic liver disease, appears to act as a fertilizer for cancer, among other things, it also lowers the immune system.

I remember hearing a story about a person getting pulled over and they had an alcohol level.  They were not a drinker but had just come from a party where they had consumed ice cream.  Sugar and milk together actually ferments in the stomach and therefore turns to alcohol.

Speaking of cancer, did you know that the stuff they have you drink before doing a scan to see if you have cancer is sugar because it makes the cancer light up like a Christmas tree?

When you eat sugar it lowers your immune system for several hours while your body tries to deal with it.  If you have a sugary drink or food several times a day your body does not have the defenses it needs to fight against anything it may come in contact with each day.  It seems best to stick with what God has given us to eat.

Supplement

Also available in vegan

Even if we are eating the healthiest food we cannot get all the nutrients that we need.  Everything is so depleted.  To help support a healthy immune system taking a good supplement is very needed.  Making sure it is a good quality supplement is important as well.  I know that I have tried many but when you find a supplement that is good quality what a difference it makes.  It changed my life.

Digestion

To keep our healthy immune systems functioning properly we need to make sure our digestion is working well.  Taking enzymes to help with the digestion of our food is needed.  The only food that we get enzymes from for digestion is raw.  As soon as you cook it you lose the enzymes.  And the raw that we get from the grocery stores, even if it is organic, is only around 20% due to the fact that it is picked green.  The more we can eat directly picked ripe the better.  We have two types of enzymes our metabolic and our digestive enzymes.  If we do not have enough digestive enzymes it steals from our metabolic enzymes.

So what exactly is the difference between metabolic and digestive enzymes?  Simply put the metabolic enzymes are responsible for the functioning of our bodies at the level of the blood, tissues, and organs.  And of course, the digestive enzymes digest our food.

The fact is if we are stealing from our metabolic enzymes to digest our foods it can lead to many problems happening in the body, thus lowering our immune function.  We have got to get our digestive system working well.  Probiotics are another one that helps keep our digestive system flowing well.  A probiotic keeps the good bacteria in the gut that helps improve our digestion and elimination process.  I like to take enzymes and a probiotic, one of each before bed to help move things through the body by morning.  And for me, I take enzymes at each meal as well.  If our digestion is working, as it should, it helps us maintain a healthy immunes system.

Dear Father,

As we strive to do those things that will give the best nutrients to our bodies we ask for Your blessing.  You have given us such an amazing body that runs in perfect order if we supply it with what you have given us.  Thank You for such a blessing.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Make some changes in your life today to support a healthy immune system.

Love you all.

This is part 1 in a several part series “Maintaining Healthy Immune Function”.  There are many other things I will be sharing with you on how to support your immune system.  Although what I am sharing is not exhaustive, I am sharing just a taste from my own experience.  In part 1 I have been talking about the foundation of how to support your healthy immune system.  In Part 2 I will talk about the foundation of spiritual nutrition.