BETTER HEALTH — MADE SIMPLE !

Thirty-four Steps to Happier Living – A Complete Online Health Course!

Published by TRAIL GUIDES - Altamont, TN 37301 USA

Road maps for pilgrims traveling home

LESSONS 13 - 14

LESSON THIRTEEN - WATER OF LIFE

1- You would not think of trying to use a car, a sewing machine, or a camera without making sure you understand the instructions regarding their operation, would you? Otherwise, you might damage or destroy your very precious investment. Yet, how strange it is that through neglect, ignorance, and abuse we often ruin the most delicate piece of equipment in the world—our own bodies. The way we treat ourselves often encourages germs to grow and multiply in our bodies resulting in sickness, pain and misery which in most instances could have been avoided.

2- Now, I am going to give you another simple, but Very important recipe for good health: DRINK WATER! Do I hear someone saying, "Oh, is that all? I thought you might tell about some new cheap miracle drug!" No, what I am going to talk about is not a miracle drug, but it is a miracle prescription.

3- How often when we inquire of our friends how much water they drink each day, we get such answers as 'well, usually drink whenever I am thirsty." Or, "I can go the whole day without taking a glass of water!" Or, "You know, I am like a camel. I am just never thirsty!" Many times those people do not realize that just such a simple thing as drinking water might have kept them from having to make a visit to the doctor's office.

4- Now, let us look at some of the reasons why drinking enough water is so important. Your body is made up of 70-75% water. Only about ¼ of this amount is in your blood. About ½ of the water in your body is in your muscle. Your brain—that important wet cell battery in your body is 75% water! All food is carried to the cells of the body dissolved in liquid. The cells themselves are mostly water.

5- Let me give you an illustration. Here is a woman doing a daily job with which we are all familiar: the daily washing of clothes. As you women well know, keeping clothes bright and clean depends upon proper washing and rinsing. What would happen if you used only this same water to wash in day after day? When you finished soaping and scrubbing, you would wring out the clothes and hang them up. Of course, from time to time as the dry clothes take up the water, you would have to add a little more water, you would not pour out your original water, and change it. You would always carefully keep it, and the next time you wash, you would again use the same water. You would wash out the next lot of dirty clothes, wring them, hang them—still using the same water. Again you would save that water, and the next day you would again put in your clothes, wash them, wring them, hang them. Well, that is what this strange person is doing! And you can imagine how her clothes look. That water has become like mud. When she puts in something white, it comes out well—pretty bad! You simply would never think of caring for your clothes in such a way!

6- This is just a simple illustration of what we too often expect of our bodies. The body has to keep on using the same water over and over again when we do not drink enough. It is true, there is water in your food—in your juicy fruits and in your vegetables. But this is not enough for your body needs to keep your cells and organs in the best condition.

7- You will remember that in an earlier lesson we mentioned those wonderful organs, your kidneys. In these organs are many miles (kilometers) of fine tubing through which all the fluids in your body move many times a day at the average rate of about 6 quarts (6.3 liters) every hour! Those tiny tubes can get clogged up unless you drink plenty of water.

8- Perhaps you have noticed that every time I mention drinking. I specify water! Why not some other kind of fluid? For example, why not beer, or tea or coffee, or a coke, or some other kind of soft drink? The reason is that, while it is true these are mostly water, they also have other substances that are harmful. Beer affects your power of reasoning. Coffee and tea contain stimulating elements that are detrimental to good health; cola drinks also have stimulants.

9- Soft drinks contain what we call, "empty calories." The sugar can satisfy your hunger and may take away your appetite for good food at meal time and yet not give you any real nourishment. If you are really wanting good health, take these four items (beer, tea, coffee, coke) completely off your list, and go easy on those soft drinks—put in their place pure, clean water! How much? Six to eight glasses at a minimum per day.

10- When should you drink? Let me give a tip. Drink between your meals rather than at mealtime. As far as your body is concerned, an hour or so before meals is the ideal time to drink—then you will not be so thirsty at your meal, and your digestion will get along much better than if you gulp down water with your meals.

11- Let me give you another hint. If you happen to have trouble with constipation, take very warm water in the morning before you eat. Start out with half a glass or so, and gradually increase it until it becomes a pint or so. This is all that many people need to do to take care of constipation—no need for drugs or laxatives.

12- Thirst is a good indication that your body is needing water. Do not ignore it. But thirst alone cannot be a safe guide. Whether or not you feel thirsty your body needs fresh water continually. Remember the illustration of the woman washing clothes!

13- Friends, we live in a world that surrounds us with enemies of health. In this lesson we have considered another means of preventing needless aches and pains. With this simple but very important health rule, you can help to make yourself the kind of person germs do not like, instead of the kind germs like very much.

14- We have learned how vital water is to the human body in combating germs—the enemies of good health and long life. The Holy Scriptures reveal that we all are plagued with another enemy called sin. Paul wrote, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." I assure you now, friends, there is a solution to this problem—there is Living Water available to cleanse us from sin and make us strong to resist the enemy of our soul.

15- The Bible tells us the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sins. In the spiritual sense the water or the cleansing agent is compared to the Blood of Jesus.

16- If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." 1 John 1:8. Therefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. The first person who sinned was Eve, then joined Adam and down the stream of life until everybody is a sinner. So everyone needs to be cleansed. Everyone needs the cleansing agent which is only the blood of Christ.

17- Hear the claim of Jesus while on earth. "Which of you convinceth me of sin?" In other words, who can say that I have sinnned? The Bible further tells us "who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth." Jesus is the only person who has ever made such a claim. He is the only sinless person and hence He alone can cleanse us.

18- "For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. Our God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." What wonderful love! By disobedience man was doomed eternally, but God steps in and a plan was laid. God will not allow the human race to perish. Law which is the foundation of God's government cannot be changed or withdrawn. This would only bring chaos. At the same time, justice must be done. The sinner must die.

19- So, in this plan of salvation, Jesus took upon Himself to ransom the fallen race by offering to die in man's stead. He is called the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

20- So, justice and love kissed each other at the cross. The cross is a sign of the justice of God and also a sign of God's love. As soon as Adam and Eve fell, they were told of this wonderful plan. God did not leave them without hope. They were given the promise of salvation through the loving death of Jesus Christ on the cross. But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman.

21- Until the time Jesus was crucified, men were told to offer sacrifices—sacrifices of animals. This is actually the offering of the blood of slain animals. This blood was to represent the blood of Christ. So a system was introduced by God Himself which was known as the sacrificial system. This was a type or the shadow of things to come. A symbol of what Jesus was going to do for sinful humanity. And without shedding of blood, there is no way whereby a man may get rid of his sins.

22- The blood of the animals did not cleanse anybody. It was only to remind them of the blood of Christ. While offering the blood of animals, they were to have faith in the blood of Christ. Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood." It is the faith which justified the people before Christ and it is the faith still that justifies us after Christ, faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. "In whom (Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." If we believe today that His blood can cleanse us from our sins, and accept Him as our personal Saviour, we are justified in His sight.

23- Jesus is in heaven now, and if we pray to God, believing in the blood of Jesus for the cleansing and forgiveness of our sins, He will clean us completely. Jesus will plead with His father on our behalf saying, "Yes Father, pardon him, I have shed my blood for him and he believed in it." And our sins are forgiven and we stand before God as if we had never sinned. This is really a mystery, but it is exactly so.

24- My dear friends, we all know we are sinners. We must understand that Jesus is our only Saviour. Let us believe in His atoning sacrifice. God grant that we all will accept the gift of His blood to cleanse us from all sins and prepare us to meet Him at His soon appearing. "For God so loved the world; that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Here is additional information about Jesus in heaven just now:

"Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an High Priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;

"A minister of the Sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man."-Hebrews 8:1-2.

"Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them."-Hebrews 7:25.

"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."-Hebrews 4:14-16.

"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh. And having an High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith."-Hebrews 10:19-22.

LESSON FOURTEEN - WORKING TO LIVE

1- What I am going to tell you in this lesson is extremely important. It can, perhaps, save your life. It can certainly add years of better living to your life. But, first of all, I want to ask you some questions. Do you spend most of your time in quiet occupation such as working in an office, or sitting in classes? Do you spend most of the day in rather vigorous work such as farming, or some other kind of work that is quite strenuous?

2- Life has been compared to a barrel of water. As the barrel sits in the sun, the water gradually evaporates with the passing of time. This is normal and is a good illustration of the way life gradually runs out during the normal span of time. However, often, young people in particular, look at life and say to themselves: "Here is my supply of health. It is limitless! It is marvelous! Eat anytime! Smoke as much as I like! Drink any time! Sleep anytime! Forget exercise!" Such an attitude can sometimes be carried on even into the twenties and thirties before it is discovered that every bad health habit is like drilling a hole in the barrel. Health runs out before it should!

3- For example, it may surprise you to know that 77% of the soldiers aged 19-25 years who were killed in Korea were found to have hardening of the arteries! Why? Because they were drilling holes in their barrel of life. True, the body has an amazing ability to take abuse and yet keep on going; but there comes a day when the supply of energy seems to be less. An organ or system begins to cry out in pain, or may even stop functioning properly. Since organs and systems depend upon one another, when one suffers, so do others. The result is poor health, a break down or even premature death. Many people have lost their health trying to make money, and then had to spend that wealth attempting to regain their health broken by abusive living.

4- Now, the very, very important Health Insurance which I want to emphasize in this study is your need for regular exercise. Friends, I say without any exaggeration that this can make the difference for you between life and death—especially an early death. Your body is designed for activity. There are 639 muscles and over 100 joints which can be kept in healthy condition only if you exercise enough. The hospitals of the world are filled with people whose bodies have "rusted" out through lack of exercise. Let us look at some of the things science has proved regarding this matter of exercise!

5- 1. The most important muscle in your body is the great muscle which contracts and relaxes between 60-70 times a minute, 24 hours a day throughout your life time, and upon which your life depends-your heart. Like every other muscle in your body, it needs the benefits that only regular exercise can give. If you find yourself out of breath when you have to climb a few stairs, run a hundred feet, or climb a hill, your heart is in poor condition. You need to start an exercise program NOW.

6- 2. Exercise also improves your circulation. More oxygen and nourishment reach your body cells, and the waste matter from the cells is carried off more quickly through good circulation of the blood throughout the body.

7- 3. One of the first organs to feel the benefits and also the lack of exercise is your brain. Your mental powers are sharpened as more oxygen gets to your brain. Your nerves are calm and steady. And you are able to stand the stress and strain of life much better if you take regular exercise. Your whole personality improves.

8- 4. Exercise makes you take deep breaths of fresh air and exhale more deeply also. Your whole respiratory system is strengthened. Disease has a much harder time getting started in your lungs as well as the rest of your body if you exercise as you should.

9- 5. Your digestive tract all the way from you lips and tongue through to the end of your intestines depends on muscles in order to take care of the food you eat. Efficient digestion and elimination are greatly aided by exercise.

10- 6. Exercise gives you a more youthful appearance. Remember, your body with all its organs, is held in place by muscles! Inactive muscles sag and lose their tone. You can feel tired and exhausted, when the real problem is muscles which are not doing their appointed job due to lack of exercise. We have all experienced the feeling of weakness after being in bed for only a day or two. Why? Primarily because the muscles were not getting their accustomed exercise.

11- A healthy muscle is one that is used regularly and vigorously. Healthy muscles have twenty times as much blood passing through them as does the inactive. No wonder, they are more firm and able to help you stand and sit well, hold your abdomen in, and hold your head erect. So, whether you are 9 or 99, you need regular and vigorous exercise. The more you are under stress and strain, the more you are in need of exercise.

12- Perhaps, you are wondering just what kind of exercise I am talking about. After all, there are so many activities to choose from: walking, jogging, bicycling, swimming, etc. Well, you may be surprised to know that the exercise that gets the highest rating as the all round exercise for all ages is WALKING! Start out by walking for ten minutes in one direction, and then ten minutes back again: No, not strolling! That does you very little good. It must be brisk walking! The kind that makes you breathe deeply and swing your arms. Though you may not be able to do it at first and should work up to it gradually, you should be able to walk about 1/2 mile (1 kilometer) in 10 minutes before long. Then extend your walking time until you are walking from 30-45 minutes every day preferably in the morning! And enjoy your walk! Exercise that you enjoy does you more good than exercise you do not enjoy.

13- Now, here is a word of warning. If you have not been very active, do not suddenly become involved in strenuous exercise. Starting off with exercise such as volleyball or tennis is a fine way to get sore muscles as well as to invite a heart attack. This is why I suggest walking. And I suggest that you start tomorrow morning! Consider the case of an 84-year­old lady who just a little over a year ago was having serious heart trouble. She had to take nitroglycerine continually. Then she started a walking program, gradually increasing her distance, time and speed. Now, she is briskly walking more than a mile every morning, and it has been months since she has needed to take a nitroglycerine pill!

14- If you live only 2 to 3 miles from your work-WALK! Do not ride a car or taxi. If you live too far to walk, then get out of the car or taxi at least a mile or two before your destination, or else walk 2 miles before you take the car. Every chance you get—WALK. Soon, you will not be panting any more when you have to climb stairs or do heavy work.

15- Some of you mothers think that because you do your own work and chase your children once in a while, that is exercise enough. It has been scientifically proven that exercise must get your blood circulating faster and your breathing to become deeper for at least 3-5 minutes at one stretch if it is to really benefit you. You rarely do anything really strenuous for that long in your routine household duties.

16- So friends, I urge—strongly urge you to start a regular exercise program, for your very life depends on it. God wants you to live a long useful, happy and healthful life. Exercise is one of the finest ways to insure health, and give strong resistance to disease.

17- God wants you to live a long and useful life. Exercise, in the form of work, recreation and other useful activities, will aid the body in being strong to resist germs and illness. You also need to be strong to resist sin which is so prevalent in our society. God has the answer now in His power, which is unlimited for you.

18- What is that spiritual exercise that helps us to resist sin? It is called the Law of God. There are Ten Commandments in this law. The whole law has just one root, which is Love. Then as it grows, it branches out into two divisions. The first one shows our obligations to our Maker and the second one shows our obligations to our neighbours. Our obligations to God are again divided into four parts and our obligations to our neighbours into six parts making a complete whole of 10 rules or commandments of life.

19- If we truly love God, we shall fulfill the first four obligations; and they are:

1. Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.

2. Thou shalt not bow down to images of any kind, or thou shalt not worship images.

3. Thou shalt not take God's name in vain.

4. Remember His day, the Sabbath day, to keep it Holy.

20- The next section which shows our obligations to our fellow men is as follows:

5. Honour thy father and thy mother.

6. Thou shalt not kill.

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

8. Thou shalt not steal.

9. Thou shalt not bear false witness; in other words, thou shalt not tell lies.

10.Thou shall not covet.

21- By doing these, we get spiritual exercise; we become spiritually strong. But we must remember this can be done only with the help of God. We must seek for God's guidance to help us keep these rules in our lives. And, when Jesus comes, we will be ready to enter into His kingdom.

22- Just as health laws are for our physical good, these moral laws are for our spiritual good. We are happy when we do them and suffer when we break them. All true health laws, physical laws, and moral laws are established by God. Anyone breaking these will be doing himself an injury, and must bear the consequences. A good citizen will keep the law of the land. Likewise, in order to be citizens of God's kingdom, we should keep the law of His kingdom. No lawlessness can be tolerated there. Heaven is all peace and joy and happiness, so we have to practice these rules here and God will help us. If we break them, we sin, and the wages of sin is death.

23- Sometime or another, we have broken God's law and so the death sentence has been passed on us. The sting of sin is death. There is nothing we can do about it that will save us. This is where Jesus steps into the picture and says, ‘Confess your sins to Me and I will forgive and cleanse you of your sins.’ All our past sins are taken away and we begin to walk a new life of obedience to His law. This is done by the grace of God. And because Jesus has saved us from our sins, by His grace; we, are doubly careful to keep His commandments in His strength. This was the purpose of the sacrifice of Jesus which was to pay the penalty of our sins caused by the breaking of His com­mandments.

24- Now, in and through His blood, we are saved from the power of sin over us, and so we walk in the newness of life. We are careful in keeping all the commandments not because we want to be saved; but because we are already saved from breaking them. What a wonderful provision! What love! May the Lord grant that we may be fit citizens of His coming kingdom. Then, when He comes, we can hear from His mouth these blessed words, " Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”

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