Our healing and how we maintain it includes how we care for and maintain our physical health. Wouldn’t it be ideal if you didn’t end up in dire need of a miracle in the first place? Let’s explore some solid rocks mentioned in Scripture upon which we can provide basic care for our bodies.
Foundation No. 1: Healthy, Real Food
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, proclaimed this centuries ago. He understood the healing power God placed in healthy, real food.
Most of today’s common diseases can be positively influenced by adopting and committing to a diet of real food, consumed as God designed it, not processed beyond recognition. We are wonderful, complex beings, and if we don’t give our bodies the proper fuel, we risk internal disharmony, stress and illness. This is all too evident today. The leading causes of death in the United States are heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease and stroke. How we eat and the lifestyle we keep are significant factors in our health.
Our standard American diet (SAD) has drifted far from what God designed for us. It is adulterated with refined, processed foods, unhealthy fats, and an overload of sugar and salt. As a result, diabetes and obesity are epidemic.
Big business is obsessed with toxic pesticides and the genetic modification of our produce. It supports raising animals quickly in unhealthy conditions, due to our insatiable desire for fast, cheap food. In the midst of all of this our life expectancy is lagging behind that of other developed countries, many of which have life spans well over eighty years. According to the American Council on Science and Health, “It is also possible that the rate of increase in life expectancy in America is beginning to lag, possibly because of obesity.”
It does not surprise me that science is not ready to state the reason for the lag, but it is pretty obvious our lifestyle and resulting maladies are a huge factor. We have more obesity in children than ever before.
I consistently observe better biofeedback readings—meaning, less stress—among the clients who do a few simple things:
1. Develop sound habits of health by eating real, life-giving food. Junk food or processed food is not real food by any biblical definition.
2. Consume reasonable portions so they are comfortable, not stuffed, after meals.
3. Eat in a peaceful atmosphere—not in front of the distressing television news or scenes of violence, horror, nudity or profanity—after speaking prayer and thanksgiving over their food.
Foundation No 2: Herbs
“By the river upon its bank, on this side and on that side, shall grow all kinds of trees for food … Their fruit shall be for food and their leaves for medicine.” (Ezek. 47:12).
I have used herbs on a daily basis for decades. Quality organic herbs have been a key in nourishing my family’s health for 34 years and counting. These gifts from God have been a major factor in keeping my family free of medical bills. They are a normal part of our personal prevention program and provide support for our bodies’ healing and maintenance. I have also seen countless people cure themselves of all sorts of ailments when using herbs properly.
Herbs are typically therapeutic and nutrient-dense plants. They are used by many people and cultures for cooking and medicinal purposes. China and India have used herbs as medicine for thousands of years. In America they are legally classified as food. They are part of God’s pharmacy, and His Word makes many references to them.
Foundation No. 3: Essential Oils
“There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man squanders it” (Prov. 21:20).
Yes, essential oils are a wonderful treasure indeed! There are more than 200 references in Scripture to oils. They were used as gifts, medicine, perfume, for mood and emotional elevation, to anoint the sick and to embalm the dead.
Essential oils are concentrated aromatic extracts from many kinds of plant material—seeds, rinds, bark, leaves, twigs, flowers, and some types of nuts. They are different from the common vegetable and nut oils we buy for cooking. Only small amounts—anywhere from one to twelve drops—are usually needed for daily use. They easily penetrate the cells when inhaled or applied to the skin, often absorbing in seconds.
Foundation No. 4: Pure Water
Water is a miraculous gift. Our bodies need it to function properly. If you wish to know how much water you should consume, take your weight and divide it by two. That is the number of ounces you need daily. If you divide that number by eight, you will find how many eight-ounce cups of water you need to drink each day.
The bad news is that water today is not as the Lord created it to be. In most of the United States the water is treated with a cocktail of toxic chemicals before being released into our water supply, whereas in many European countries the more body-friendly ozone is used to treat water. Additionally, certain water supplies in the United States have been found to contain carcinogens from factory runoff—and that’s not all. According to an Associated Press investigation, in very small amounts, “a vast array of pharmaceuticals including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans.”
It is time to take responsibility for what we drink and return as much as is possible to God’s original design: water that is pure and chemical free. Consider finding some way to purify your family’s water.
Foundation No. 5: Lifestyle
When we are diligent to set aside time each day to read and frame our day with the Word of God, we get a healthy dose of what true reality is and what are His true reports. Here is where we develop a resistance to the limited point of view this world offers and develop a peace and rest in the Lord.
Mental Health
An important factor in this process is in the monitoring of our thought life. I am continually having to monitor my reactive response to thoughts that are not in my best interest. Taking time to pause and ask myself if I will be better off without that thought has been a helpful step to take before allowing that thought down into my core and owning it. Thoughts have little power until you welcome them in and make them a part of your being.
What you think about, you become. Discard any thoughts that misalign you with the mind of Christ and that lead you off your path and purpose, and into the dark places of unbelief. God’s power and promises do not dwell in this wilderness.
Allow God’s Word to keep you a believing believer—stable and grounded. This is especially important when facing health challenges.
Marilyn Hickey Ministries 
James Lasher 
Kenza Haddock 
