Be health-oriented, speaking health, life and words of hope into your situation.

The Bible tells us that “death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov. 18:21). Nowhere do these words ring more true than with regard to sickness, disease and recovery. Speak life and you will have life! Speak defeat, illness and failure, and those are what you will receive.

I encourage you not to talk about your health condition 24/7. Don’t complain, ask Why me?, or become filled with self-pity. Most of all, do not become fearful of your situation or permit hopelessness to set in.

The soul and spirit link to achieving health is frequently overlooked by people dealing with illness. But in order to experience total well-being, you must allow the Holy Spirit to renew your mind, heal your emotions and regenerate your spirit. Instead of suppressing symptoms with harsh drugs that can weaken your body’s ability to heal, seek to find the root cause of the condition, correct your eating habits and ask God to deal with your past hurts in order to improve your emotional state.

Both your internal and your external dialogue must be positive. Negative attitudes, emotions and talk not only fail to promote healing but can actually cause disease.

Instead of being disease-oriented, be health-oriented, speaking health, life and words of hope. Speak life to that bad back, stomach ulcer, migraine, high blood pressure. Speak healing!

Remember, the Word of God promises that if you say to your mountain (your disease), “‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,'” it will be (Matt. 21:21-22). Make peace with all those who have offended you, and cultivate an attitude of gratitude and faith. There is power in your words, so use them wisely. Also, monitor your thoughts daily.

Take an active part in your wellness and recovery program. Study all you can on your particular health challenge, and make appropriate lifestyle changes to enhance your results. If you glorify God in your body by taking the best care of yourself and in your spirit by meditating on the Word daily, you will have victory.

While you wait, speak life and live! At the same time, follow these four basic steps to building better health: ingest, assimilate, eliminate and strengthen your spiritual life.

Ingest. Eat foods that are unadulterated or as close to the “original” garden as possible, such as fresh fruits and vegetables. Decrease or avoid sugars and refined foods. If it does not rot or sprout, do without! Have a “green drink” daily such as Kyo-Green.

Assimilate. Take plant enzymes such as those produced by Enzymedica before and right after meals to aid digestion and help you assimilate food more efficiently, thereby fueling your body completely for optimal healing.

Eliminate. Some health professionals claim we are only as healthy as our ability to assimilate and eliminate properly. Make sure you are eliminating every day. Two to three times a day is ideal. Add fiber to your diet, and drink plenty of water.

Hippocrates, the father of medicine, recommended eating whole wheat “for its salutary effect upon the bowels.” Take acidophilus or a total probiotic formula for optimal intestinal health.

To further improve elimination, I recommend a good colon cleanse such as Nature’s Secret Ultimate Cleanse, which includes herbs to stimulate the colon muscles, herbs to prevent gas, blood purifying botanicals and a fiber source. Or look for blends of any of the following herbs: cascara sagrada (should be the primary herbal), slippery elm, senna, red clover, black walnut, acidophilus, garlic, psyllium hulls, Irish moss, burdock, capsicum, ginger and pumpkin seeds. An herbal blend using these herbs listed will provide nutritional support while stimulating intestinal cleansing and detoxification.

Strengthen your spiritual life. Finally, pray unceasingly (see 1 Thess. 5:17). Prayer is the most successful form of therapy. Whatever you ask in Jesus’ name, believe you receive it, and you will (see Mark 11:24). Then speak as though it is already yours–and watch your life become abundant.

My book, Divorce Proofing Your Marriage, deals with 10 lies that lead to divorce and 10 truths that help prevent it. Judging by the numerous radio call-ins, emails and letters I’ve received with the question, “What do you do when a spouse tells you he no longer feels love for you,” Lie No. 5–“I’ve lost that loving feeling, and it’s gone, gone, gone”–has apparently hit a national nerve.

To hear those words from someone who was once crazy about you, couldn’t live without you and publicly committed his or her future to you is devastating. It’s normal to wonder: What happened?

The process is not a mystery. Love gets “lost” through our actions and attitudes.

Relationship deterioration is progressive. It begins with minor discontent, a little criticism here and there. Then criticism becomes more frequent.

Confrontation moves from challenging behaviors to character assassination. You search for negative attributes and expect to find them.

Knowing how precious you are to your heavenly Father changes everything.

I’m going to share something with you that not very many people—even my close friends—know about me: I’m a doll collector. I absolutely love dolls. Though I have some I have saved from the time I was a young girl, my interest in dolls has grown since my three children have advanced in age—perhaps because I miss having little ones around.

Whatever the reason, the dolls are a great substitute: They’re always pleasant to look at, they don’t talk back and they’re maintenance free!

One doll I acquired recently is a particular favorite of mine. Designed to look like a toddler, she is dressed in what appears to be a Christian school uniform and comes with a book and a pair of eyeglasses. Though she has an Asian face and dark hair (I was born a blonde), she couldn’t be a better representation of the person I see myself to be—a perpetual student who always has some type of reading material in her hand.

I have her sitting on a chair in front of my computer. One day not long ago I glanced at her as I was walking by, and I couldn’t help smiling. Just the sight of her—so perfectly crafted, sweet-faced and “studious”—gave me a pleasant feeling inside. Almost as soon as I had registered the thought of how special she is, I heard the Holy Spirit whisper into my spirit: “That’s the way God feels about you. He delights in you. He loves looking at you.”

Instantly I had an almost tangible sense that God was gazing at me that very moment with a smile on His face, just as I had been looking at the doll.

That realization really gave me something to smile about! It was a bit hard to grasp, I admit; I had trouble laying hold of the idea that God gets a similar, though much greater, satisfaction from looking down on me. But the Bible confirms what I heard the Holy Spirit say: Our Father delights in His children.

David wrote in the Psalms, “The Lord was my stay. He brought me forth also into a broad place; He rescued me, because He delighted in me” (Ps. 18:18-19, NASB). Isaiah declared that the righteous would be “a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord” and would be called “My delight is in her” (Is. 62:3-4). “For the Lord delights in you,” he prophesied, “… and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you” (vv. 4-5).

Zephaniah also used the term rejoice with regard to the way God feels about His people. “He [the Lord] will rejoice over you with shouts of joy,” the prophet said (Zeph. 3:17).

Most of us can believe God loves us in a general sense, but does He truly enjoy us so much as individuals that just looking at us makes Him smile? I believe my experience—and more significantly, God’s Word—prove that He does.

And if we walk in the knowledge of how He sees us, we will be changed. For what child does not thrive in the presence of a father’s loving gaze?

Here are a few things to consider when choosing products for your nutritional needs.

What constitutes a good multivitamin? The answer is the same things that make living food healthy. Most multivitamins are made of synthetic ingredients and toxic fillers. They may have all the vitamins you need, but the vitamins are typically in suboptimal amounts and in a cheap form made of mineral salts, which are poorly absorbed. People who take these pills usually don’t get the nutrition they need.

These chemical-based supplements also lack that vital combination of nutrients that characterizes living foods. Nature never produces nutrients in isolation. Oranges, for example, contain much more than vitamin C.

Carrots contain much more than beta-carotene. When you eat them, you get a myriad of vitamins, phytonutrients, flavonoids and more that interact in ways that are not fully understood, but that we recognize to be healthy.

When you isolate one of these nutrients and take it in high doses, especially in synthetic form, your body may treat it like a foreign substance. When only synthetic vitamins are consumed, there is generally no synergy or balance. It’s similar to taking a drug or medication. It ignores the complexity of nutrition.

Pharmaceutical companies are now jumping onto the phytonutrients bandwagon, realizing that these have a certain appeal to consumers. The problem is that phytonutrients were almost certainly not meant to be consumed one at a time.

The healthiest supplements combine the enzymes, coenzymes, trace elements, antioxidants, activators, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals, and many other elements, which all work together synergistically. These supplements are called whole-food supplements and are generally what I recommend.

Whole-food supplements combine portions of the plants we know are healthy and those portions we have not yet discovered to be healthy. I believe it’s wise to do this because medical knowledge is expanding so quickly that it gets outdated practically every few years. A nutrient we hadn’t heard of a year ago can suddenly be discovered to protect against certain kinds of cancer or disease. You need a comprehensive multivitamin, made from living ingredients and combined with living nutrition.

BASICS FOR EVERYONE
The reason we have so many vitamin and mineral deficiencies is because most Americans have embraced fast foods and processed foods, rarely consuming adequate amounts of whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts and seeds, which are excellent sources of these nutrients. So we do need supplements, preferably whole-food supplements.

When choosing a supplement, you should look for a multivitamin that contains all 13 vitamins and 17 to 22 minerals with 100 percent of daily values. Also, you need omega-3 fats and a phytonutrient powder. That’s it!

Realize if you consume a healthy diet, you will probably get at least 50 percent of the daily values of vitamins and minerals. If you are over 50 years of age, you will probably need extra antioxidants, extra calcium and vitamin D, sublingual B-12, and maybe digestive enzymes. If you already have a disease or simply want more protection, start taking extra antioxidants after the age of 40.

When choosing a supplement here is what I recommend for everyone, regardless of age:

• Choose a comprehensive multivitamin that has at least 100 percent of the daily value (DV) or reference daily intake (RDI). Start slowly because they may upset your stomach. Start with half the recommended amount and space them out during the day after meals. You may increase the amount as tolerated, but do not take more than 100 percent of the daily value.
• Choose a high-quality omega-3 fat to take daily. Start slowly with one a day and increase as tolerated.
• Choose a phytonutrient powder. This powder should contain a combination of colorful organic fruits and vegetables such as red, yellow, green, orange and purple. Start slowly with just a teaspoon a day, and increase the amount as tolerated.

  Living foods may cause gas and bloating as your body adjusts to them.

  FOR THOSE 50 AND OVER
  If you are 50 years of age or older, you should take a multivitamin, a phytonutrient powder and omega-3 fats; also make sure you get extra antioxidants, calcium, vitamin D, digestive enzymes and a sublingual B-12.

• Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols), 200 to 400 IU a day (may be present in a multivitamin). Be careful not to take more than 400 IU of vitamin E a day.
• Vitamin C, 250 mg twice a day (may be present in a multivitamin).
• Coenzyme Q-10, 100 mg a day
• R-form alpha-lipoic acid or R-DHLA, 100 mg a day.
• N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), 250 to 500 mg a day, or Recancostat (glutathione), one capsule once or twice a day.
• Turmeric and synergistic herbs (such as), one a day.
• Calcium and vitamin D: calcium, 400 mg three times a day, and vitamin D, 400 IU or higher a day. Men generally only need 400 mg of calcium twice a day.
• Digestive enzymes and/or HCL, one after each meal.
• Sublingual B-12, 1,000 mcg a day.

  I recommend a sublingual B-12 supplement for patients over 50 years of age. After age 50 many Americans do not produce adequate amounts of hydrochloric acid, which is required for absorption in the small intestines.

  Supplements in a vegetable-based capsule are far less likely to contain toxic components. Make sure the supplement is in a vegetable-based capsule made from herbal and vegetable concentrates.

  THE IMPORTANCE OF OMEGA-3 FATS
  High-quality fish oils, or omega-3 fats, are vitally important for good health. Realize that many deadly degenerative diseases are inflammatory, such as cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, autoimmune disease and so on.

  Fish oil is able to decrease inflammation significantly. I believe omega-3 fats are special fats the body needs as much as it needs vitamins. Much of the research on these powerful fats was done in the 1980s after realizing the Inuit Indians, who are Eskimos, rarely developed heart attacks or rheumatoid arthritis, yet their diet contained an enormous amount of fat from fish, seals and whales, which are all high in omega-3 fats.

  By decreasing inflammation, fish oil is able to help treat and prevent conditions such as cancer, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, migraine headaches, allergies, Alzheimer’s disease and even diabetes. Fish oil also helps balance and stabilize neurotransmitters in the brain, which may be helpful in patients with attention deficit disorder, depression and bipolar disorder.

  Realize that we change the oil in our cars every 3,000 to 5,000 miles. Shouldn’t we also begin to give ourselves an “oil change” regularly so that we can prevent a host of diseases?

  PHYTONUTRIENTS
  We have seen the importance of these powerful plant pigments in preventing heart disease and cancer. I firmly believe that everyone needs these supplements on a daily basis, and multivitamins simply do not provide them. Unfortunately, most of us, as well as our children, are also falling way short of the USDA-recommended servings of fruits and vegetables each day, and we are falling prey to disease as a result of that shortage. A phytonutrient powder should provide a combination of colorful organic fruits and vegetables such as red, yellow, green, orange and purple, as well as fiber in order to have phytonutrient protection on a daily basis.

  DIVINE HEALTH
  Opinions will always differ on what vitamins and minerals to take and on the amounts necessary. Before making any dramatic changes in the amount of vitamins or minerals you add to your daily diet, always consult your personal physician.

  There are other nutritional supplements that are important, including carnosine, glucosamine sulfate, gingko biloba and supplements for prostate health. However, the ones discussed today are the foundation for good health. Also, natural, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is extremely important for women and men, especially over the age of 50.

  As more research is done on nutritional supplements, we will find that some supplements may be healthier than we thought and others may be less healthy. It is impossible to banish all confusion regarding supplements, so we must do the best we can with the information we are given for the moment. This pillar of health represents the latest, most proven research on nutritional supplements to give you a great start to living in divine health.

  ---

  Don Colbert, M.D., is board-certified in family practice and anti-aging medicine. He is the author of the New York Times best seller The Seven Pillars of Health (Charisma House), from which this article was adapted. His latest book is I Can Do This Diet (Siloam Press). For additional resources and articles by Colbert go to . He and his wife, Mary, live in Longwood, Florida.

   

On that sunny afternoon, as my husband and I took a fitness walk along a row of car dealerships, I never dreamed we would be cruising home in a brand-new red Saab convertible. The car just seemed to fit the day. After all, this was Southern California, where sunshine and fancy cars abound.

It is also a place where many judge you by what you drive. Of course, we already owned a prestigious foreign convertible, but it had become a real headache with its never-ending expensive repair bills.

As we negotiated with the Saab salesman to purchase the car, we abandoned the idea of a trade-in because of the tremendous loss we would have had to take on the market value. Besides, we had driven my husband’s car that day, and the problem car was at home. We would just have to sell it on our own.

After several hours of waiting while the salesman repeatedly checked “with the manager in the back,” we drove off into the sunset basking in the exhilaration of having purchased a new toy.

It took only a few days for us to face the sobering reality that we now had three cars to insure and maintain. Plus, the monthly note was so huge that it rivaled the note on a rental property investment!

It took us much longer to sell the headache car than we had anticipated. We finally admitted that we had made an emotional purchase. We had bought the Saab out of frustration with the old car plus a desire to maintain a certain image.

I take no pleasure in sharing this story. In fact, I experienced a great deal of guilt over the transaction because I am a certified public accountant and am assumed by most people to be frugal with my funds.

My husband is also an astute financial manager. Even though we have never made a purchase we could not afford, emotional transactions simply do not reflect good stewardship of the money God entrusts to us.

After a year, we sold the car and invested in a single-family home, which ultimately yielded a handsome return. God graciously redeemed our mistake.

Unfortunately, the Saab was not the last of our emotional spending.

Emotional Triggers

The problem with an emotional purchase is that it doesn’t eliminate the emotion that motivated it, nor will it bring any lasting satisfaction. Isaiah the prophet asked, “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?” (Is. 55:2, NIV).

Spending to pacify an emotion is like being given an anesthesia but never getting the required surgery; you get temporary relief, but the problem remains.

I did some honest soul-searching about the car acquisition and concluded that many of my purchases emanated from my basic personality temperament. As a hard-driving, goal-oriented person, I found that my acquisitions were a way of saying, “I’ve made it.”

I wanted to be recognized as a success without having to say a word. After all, I abhorred braggarts, egotists and others who openly exhibited pride because of their possessions.

Having counseled singles, seniors and soulmates—and having observed their spending habits—I have concluded that everyone must come to grips with their emotional view of finances before they attempt to master the mechanics of money management. I can lecture until I’m blue in the face about the importance of having an emergency cash reserve or contributing the maximum amount to the company’s matching retirement plan or getting out of debt. But despite my admonitions, a single overriding emotion can cause anybody to abandon sound financial judgment.

Here are seven emotions that may cause you to spend in an unwise manner and some ways to deal with them:

1. Stress. “You deserve a break today,” declares the popular McDonald’s fast-food slogan. If you are constantly confronted with stressful situations, you do need to find relief—but not through spending.

My husband and I purchased a 32-foot cruiser boat with the hope of finding relief from our stressful schedules. The boat show was held at the marina, so we experienced on the spot what it would be like to chill out on our own boat. Just the thought of leisurely weekends cruising around Southern California’s harbors was enough to seal the deal.

It wasn’t long before the boat itself became a source of stress. Whoever said, “The two happiest days in a boat owner’s life are the day he purchases it and the day he sells it” was right!

In my book 30 Days to Taming Your Stress, I list 30 ways to address stress, including controlling your finances, setting boundaries, exercising, releasing unrealistic expectations, delegating, saying no and a host of other actions. There are numerous choices available to you to reduce stress—other than spending money!

2. Anger. Shopping may help you work off a little steam; however, if you peel your anger onion, at the core of it you may find you are angry with yourself. Perhaps you tolerated someone’s bad behavior, failed to speak up, put yourself at risk, disappointed God or indulged in a number of other regretful acts.

Before you run to the mall, get in touch with why you are feeling the way you do and deal with the root of the issue. Repent, if necessary, or confront the people involved.

If face-to-face is not possible, then write a letter expressing how you really feel about what has happened and what changes you desire. Ask God to give you His words and His wisdom so that you can be direct, honest and godly in your approach.

3. Boredom. Television and Internet shopping companies thrive off the boredom that drives buyers to indulge their fantasies. The best way to combat boredom is to invest time in meaningful diversions that move you toward your goals or make life better for others. Here are a few suggestions:

• Take a crafts class or other class of interest at your local community college. They are usually low-cost and short in duration and are a great way to meet new people with common interests.
• Host or teach a class at home on a subject of interest to those in your circle of interaction.
• Volunteer with a church or other charity to visit nursing homes, hospitals, orphanages or shelters. I used to get great satisfaction from just combing the hair of elderly people who never received any visitors. The staff will welcome your support, and the patrons will never forget your act of kindness.
• Keep a supply of blank notecards. Send a word of encouragement to someone who needs it (for example, your minister, a college student, a mom with small children or someone who is ill). Helping others is personally rewarding and usually requires little more than your time.

Even if your expenditures seem to be minor, beware. Those frequent discounted purchases can really add up.

Anne, a receptionist, visits the 99 Cents Store when she is bored. She rationalizes that her spending is relatively harmless since the items cost so little. She doesn’t want to face the fact that her regular $5 to $10 purchases exceed a few hundred dollars during the course of a month.

Remember that boredom spending is just a temporary cure. The thrill of the purchase will fade in record time, and then you’ll need another fix. This vicious cycle is sure to keep you in a financial pit.

4. Depression. Recall the last thing you purchased with the hope that it would cheer you up? Did it? If so, for how long?

I know I’m treading on sensitive ground here, but if you are depressed, it may be because you have become the center of your world; you have focused all your attention on how things are affecting you. If you dare to step out of the spotlight and shine it on someone else, you’ll find amazing results.

See the list above for possible activities that may refocus your attention. Also, consider getting a psychological evaluation by a medical professional.

5. Insecurity. When you are unsure of your inherent worth as an individual, you may buy things you think will impress others. One of my counselees, Lucy (not her real name), drives a pricey BMW but cannot afford to go out for Sunday dinner even at an inexpensive restaurant.

“I want a car that’s a good investment,” she lies to me and to herself. The truth is that her entire self-worth is wrapped up in sporting the car around and being admired for owning it. It is her only asset besides her clothes.

If you are like Lucy, ask the Holy Spirit to give you the courage to stop living a lie and to begin spending at your affordability level. Value the intangible assets that you bring to the table such as a sense of humor, integrity, dependability, perseverance and so forth. Don’t be like Haman, the insecure Persian official who needed the king’s horse, the king’s robe and association with a noble prince to feel honored (Esth. 6:7-9).

Rather, adopt the mindset of the Proverbs 31 woman: “She perceives that her merchandise is good” (v. 18, NKJV). This woman was not dependent on outside validation; she knew inwardly that her merchandise (what she brought to the table) was good.

6. Frustration. Thwarted plans, unmet expectations or other unfulfilled desires can send you running for mall therapy—unless you have totally embraced the truth of Isaiah 14:27: “For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart Him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?” (NIV).

To be disappointed is human, but to insist on having something God has vetoed is the ultimate rejection of His wisdom. You must believe that if God desires a certain situation to come to pass in your life, nobody can thwart it.

If He denies your wish, consider that He may be working in you something of eternal value. Release it to Him.

Rest in the fact that Father knows best. Don’t try to pacify your disappointment with a shopping spree.

In fact, during this vulnerable time, avoid the mall like the plague. It is far easier to avoid temptation than to resist it.

7. Happiness. Not all emotional spending is spurred by negative circumstances. Sometimes you can be so overjoyed by a situation that you want to celebrate by treating your family, friends or others. This is especially true of those who receive a big bonus or a financial windfall.

A recent television special on lottery winners showcased several people who had won millions of dollars but who had lost it all due to their uncontrolled emotional spending. One man had gotten so far out of control that he sold his future earnings of $10 million for $2.5 million!

I’m not discouraging generosity. However, if you know that you are prone to emotional spending, you would be wise to set aside a fixed amount for celebrations and stick to it. You may even have to put the rest of the money into the hands of a money manager or in an account that is not easily accessed in order to stay on track. You do not have to set a bad precedent by playing Santa for every positive event that happens in your life.

You can control your spending no matter what emotion is demanding to be addressed. A self-intervention will save the day.

Ask yourself, “What am I feeling?” and “What is the best way to deal with this particular emotion?”

Next, focus on the proposed purchase and keep the questions coming: “Do I need it or just want it?” “Is it outside my spending plan?” “Will it hinder or advance my financial objectives?” “Will it permanently satisfy this emotion?”

Most important, know that the Holy Spirit, your strength, is standing by to help you make the right decisions. Don’t ignore Him! Listen to His gentle promptings to walk away from temptation and preserve your finances.

Read a companion devotional.

Deborah Smith Pegues is a respected financial consultant, author and speaker. She lives in California with her husband of more than 30 years, Darnell.