The Healthy Christians Issue 2 by The Healthy Christians

WELCOME

Contents Healthy Spirit

Healthy Mind

Are You A Flamboyant Fig Tree Christian?

We Are Not Ignorant: Deception

Basking to Relax

Bathing to Relax

Praying to Relax

Healthy Body Eating to Treat Arthritis

Healthy Finances Obeying for Prosperity

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HEALTHY SPIRIT

Are You A Flamboyant Fig Tree Christian? Jesus was hungry as they journeyed from Bethany. And, seeing a fig tree with leaves from afar, He went to see if He could find some figs to eat on it. But, when He came to it, He found only leaves. (Mark 11:12-13) Jesus approached this fig tree because He was hungry and its display of lavish foliage suggested that it might have something to satisfy Him. But, on approaching it and inspecting it closely, He found nothing to eat and satiate His hunger. This specific fig tree represents flamboyant Christians who from afar seem to be very fruitful Christians. They maybe Christians who always carry their Bibles and whip them out at every opportunity to quote Scriptures. Or they may have multiple Christian stickers on their cars and numerous Scriptural plaques on their office desks.

They may also wear crosses on their neck chains everyday as symbols of their strong faith. But, regardless of their mode of display, these people on close inspection, are just showy Christians without substance. Their words, actions, jewelry, car stickers and office dĂŠcor are the loud leaves that advertise their Christianity but they do not produce the fruits that Christians should produce which are love, joy, peace, patience or longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and selfcontrol. (Galatians 5:22-23)

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and selfcontrol.

Carrying Bibles and wearing crosses and sticking Scriptures to cars is not wrong of itself. What is wrong is when these actions serve as false advertisements telling the public that one is a mature, productive Christian yet they lack the fruits of the Spirit which are the true symbols of mature, productive Christianity. This false, flamboyant advertising is detrimental to the rest of the Church, which is the Body of Christ that needs nourishing today, because it draws people closer only to sorely disappoint them when they receive nothing that can feed them as they journey through life. This false advertising of their â&#x20AC;&#x153;healthy Christian statusâ&#x20AC;? is even doubly detrimental to non-believers who may approach them seeking love, joy, peace, patience or longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) because it can leave them with a bad, disappointing taste in their mouth. It can also make them severely disillusioned with Christianity especially if they receive hatred, sorrow, chaos, impatience, cruelty, badness, unfaithfulness, roughness and self-indulgence in place where they expected the opposite.

Therefore, we as Christians have to constantly examine ourselves and check if we are producing these fruits of the Spirit in our lives or just professing Christianity with loud actions and empty words. We also have to ask those whose opinion we trust whether we are actually exhibiting the true Christian fruits in our daily dealings. If on self examination and mentor evaluation you find that you do not exemplify and give to others love, joy, peace, patience or longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) you have to ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit since these are fruits of His Spirit.

Week 1 Give Love After praying, choose a gift that you will deliberately display each day. For example you can decide to begin with love and for a whole week do your level best to do something loving for at least one person that you meet. You can do this by giving them a loving word or a performing a loving act.

Week 2 Give Joy

all your dealings so as to enrich the lives of those you encounter.

After you have mastered the art of being loving, combine loving others with exuding joy for the second week. To exude joy as you love, think of things that bring you joy such as the blessings in your life while ignoring the vicissitudes.

Week 5 Be Kind For the fifth week, set an intention to coalesce love, joy, peace, patience and kindness.

Week 3 Give Peace For the third week, merge love, joy and peace in your affairs in a way that nourishes the lives of others.

Week 6 Be Good For the sixth week, decide to be loving, joyful, peaceful, longsuffering, kind and good.

Week 4 Be Patient For the fourth week, blend being loving, joyful, peaceful and patient in Page 5 (C) TheHealthyChristians.com All Rights Reserved. No material from this publication may be copied or reproduced without permission from TheHealthyChristians.com

Week 7 Be Faithful For the seventh week work on being loving, joyful, peaceful, longsuffering, kind, good and faithful.

Week 8 Be Gentle For the eight week work on being loving, joyful, peaceful, longsuffering, kind, good, faithful and gentle.

are a flamboyant Bible totting, cross wearing Christian who sticks Scriptures to their car because you will be producing the fruits that match your advertisements. Understand also that though sometimes you can fool people into thinking that you are truly a good, productive Christian, you cannot fool Jesus who has the ability to closely inspect the motives of your heart and see whether there is any true fruit in there just as He closely inspected the fig tree and found it to be lacking fruit and therefore condemned it. Therefore, let your motive as you express your fruits be to impress Jesus and not the people around you because in the final analysis, it is to Him that we must give an account of our lives.

Week 9 Be Self Controlled For the ninth week be loving, joyful, peaceful, longsuffering, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self controlled. Doing this will ensure that you are not guilty of false advertising even if you

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HEALTHY SPIRIT

We Are Not Ignorant: Deception We are not ignorant of his devices (2 Corinthians 2:11) since by reading the Bible we can learn the various strategies that satan and his kingdom use to fight God’s people. These devices include:

DECEPTION The devil is a very crafty master of deception and we can see the extent of his cunningness from the manner in which the Gibeonites fooled the Israelites in the book of Joshua. After Joshua and the Israelites had crossed the Jordan, the Gibeonites Worked craftily, and went and pretended to be ambassadors. They carried old sacks on their donkeys, old wineskins which were torn and mended, wore old and patched sandals on their feet and put on old garments. The bread of their provision was also dry and moldy.

These people who were presenting themselves as paupers were from Gibeon which Was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and …all its men were mighty. (Joshua 10:2) They had done their homework well for they knew the Israelites' history and they even used the name of the Lord God whom they knew the Israelites worshipped for they said: "Your servants have come from a very far country because of the name of the Lord your God. For we have heard of His fame, and all that He did in Egypt, and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan." (Joshua 9:9-10) They were also expert liars who knew exactly what to say and do for they continued and said: "This bread of ours we took hot for our provision from our houses on the day we departed to come to you. But now look, it is dry and moldy.

And they went to Joshua… and said… "We have come from a far country; now therefore, make a covenant with us." (Joshua 9:4-6) Page 7 (C) TheHealthyChristians.com All Rights Reserved. No material from this publication may be copied or reproduced without permission from TheHealthyChristians.com

These wineskins which we filled were new, but now look, they are torn. These garments we are wearing and our sandal have become old because of the very long journey we have taken. (Joshua 9:12-13) They executed their performance flawlessly using their superb script and picture perfect props and managed to fool the Israelites that they been journeying from their faraway country.

The Israelites that they fooled were specialists in long distance travel since they had wandered in the wilderness for 40

Note that the Israelites they managed to fool were specialists in long distance travelling since they had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years and therefore they would have known better than anyone else how long distance travelers would look like and behave. However, the Israelites were hoodwinked and they signed a peace agreement with the Gibeonites. For It happened at the end of three days, after they had made a covenant with them, that the Israelites heard that they were their neighbors who dwelt near them. Then the children of Israel journeyed and came to their cities on the third day. (Joshua 9:16-17) From this example, we can see that the Gibeonites used the Cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting (Ephesians 4:14) and managed to fool the Israelites because the Israelites Did not ask counsel of the Lord. (Joshua 9:14)

years.

Therefore, learn from the Israelites' mistake and Lean not on your own understanding. Instead, in all your ways acknowledge God, and He shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6) even if you consider yourself a specialist of the issues at hand.

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HEALTHY BODY

Eating to Treat Arthritis Dietary modifications that you can institute to relieve joint pains naturally include:

1. Eat Fresh Pineapples Pineapples contain bromelain which is an enzyme that helps reduce inflammation. Therefore eat fresh pineapples regularly since freezing and caning them destroys this enzyme.

a) Vitamin A - red bell peppers, mangoes, carrots, cantaloupes, sweet potatoes. These red-to-yellow colored fruits and vegetables contain betacarotene which is converted in the body into vitamin A which acts synergistically with the other potent antioxidant selenium.

b) Vitamin C - citrus fruits like oranges, guavas, strawberries, melons, avocados, tomatoes.

2. Eat More Antioxidant Rich Foods

c) Vitamin E â&#x20AC;&#x201C; almonds, dark green vegetables, avocados, sunflower seeds, eggs and vegetable oils like olive oil, sunflower oil, canola oil and maize oil.

Increase your intake of antioxidant rich foods because antioxidants like vitamin A, C, E and selenium help reduce the inflammation in the joints. Perfect food sources of antioxidants include: Page 11 (C) TheHealthyChristians.com All Rights Reserved. No material from this publication may be copied or reproduced without permission from TheHealthyChristians.com

d) Selenium â&#x20AC;&#x201C; meat, garlic, onions, nuts like almonds and brazil nuts.

3. Eat More Calcium Rich Foods Increase your intake of calcium and vitamin D since these are vital for bone health. Perfect dietary sources include milk, yoghurt, cheese and other dairy products.

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4. Avoid Trans Fats Reduce your consumption of trans fats (trans fatty acids) by avoiding margarine, vegetable shortening and processed foods cakes and cookies and fast foods like French fries and doughnuts.

Basking isMIND one of HEALTHY

the best effortless stress management techniques.

Basking to Relax

This is because exposure to sunlight increases the levels of serotonin in the body. Serotonin is a mood lifting hormone which can impart a feeling of calmness, relaxation and emotional well being. Therefore, apply sunscreen and schedule a few minutes to enjoy the sunlight especially if you are in the middle of a stressful situation.

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HEALTHY MIND

Bathing to Relax

Lavender Essential Oil Safety Tips 1. Avoid/Do not use it in pregnancy especially the first 3 months.

7. Do not confuse lavender essential oil with lavender fragrance oils since the latter do not have the healing properties.

2. Avoid/Do not use it if you are breastfeeding. 3. Avoid/Do not use it on young children as it may cause pre-pubescent breast development. 4. Avoid/Do not use it if you have low blood pressure as you may feel drowsy after using it. 5. Do not use it alone for more than 2 months as it may cause sensitization. 6. Always buy your essential oils from a reputable vender to avoid using adulterated oils.

Excerpt from Home Study Aromatherapy Course. Order Now!

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HEALTHY MIND

Getting Saved to Relax Behold,

He knocks and waits for you to let Him in voluntarily.

I stand at the door

He will not coerce you or force His way in.

and knock.

You have to admit to yourself that you need divine help and then make the conscious choice of letting Him come into your life.

If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him,

You may have dabbled in the occult, abused drugs or flirted with immorality. You may have broken all the commandments and your entire life may be in a mess but all this does not matter to Jesus. He wants to come into your life regardless of what you may have done and that is why He stands at your door knocking.

and he with Me. (Revelation 3:20) One of the soundest stress management strategies is to let Jesus into your heart and into your life so that He can calm your inner stormy emotions and show you how to manage your outer stormy stressful situation. Jesus has taken the first step. He came to earth, was crucified for our sins and now He stands at the door of your heart knocking. Page 15 (C) TheHealthyChristians.com All Rights Reserved. No material from this publication may be copied or reproduced without permission from TheHealthyChristians.com

He already knows what type of life you are living so do not be afraid or ashamed of your mess For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already. (John 3:17-18)

God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world. (John 3:17) So let Jesus in right now. He wants to come in so that He can help you sort out your life and your stressful situation. You can let Him in today when you are stressed or you can let Him in tomorrow when you are even more stressed by your problems. The choice is yours. When do you want the change? If you want it now, open the door and Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. (Psalm 95:8) Opening the door of your heart is very simple. All you have to do is to turn away from your sins and then You confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9-10) Therefore say with your mouth, “Jesus Christ is Lord” and believe in your heart that when He died for our sins, God raised Him up from the dead and you will be saved.

Say with your Mouth “Jesus Christ is Lord” Believe in your Heart “God raised Him from the dead” And you will be saved. Acknowledge that Jesus is Lord and then lay your entire life before Him so that the healing can begin. Submit to God (James 4:7) and let Jesus take control and be Lord over your heart, your mind and your body. Surrender to Him and you will find rest for He urges us, Come to Me, all of you who labor and are heavy burdened and I will give you rest. Take up My yoke and learn from Me because I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:2830)

Therefore stop struggling with life and take up the yoke or the instructions for living that Jesus gives us. Follow His instructions and you will be able to plow with peace of mind your little piece of the earth and pull your life-cart with ease regardless of how heavy it may be. Learn how He expects you to live by reading the Bible for All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.

Be doers of the word and not just hearers and thereby deceiving ourselves. (James 1:22)

It is useful doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness so that the man of God may be complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Combine reading the Word with living as it says since we are advised to Be doers of the word and not just hearers and thereby deceiving ourselves. (James 1:22)

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HEALTHY FINANCES

Obeying for Prosperity Isaac

Simon

In the book of Genesis, we see that there was a famine in Gerar and God appeared to Isaac and told him not to go to Egypt to escape the famine.

Another example of obeying God and reaping abundantly is found in the book of Mark where Simon and his partners had not caught any fish during the night.

Isaac obeyed God and sowed in famine stricken Gerar. As a result of his obedience, God blessed him and he reaped a hundredfold profit on his investment that one year. (Genesis 26:2-14) Therefore seek God’s guidance and then obey His directives completely because He can bless your efforts mightily and ensure that you get a miraculous hundred percent return on your investment even in a famine or recession year.

But, he obeyed when Jesus advised him to go fishing during the day in the deep waters for he said, “Lord, we have worked hard all night and did not catch anything. But because You say so, I will lower the nets.” (Luke 5:5) As a result of his obedience, Simon caught so much fish that his nets begun to tear. He then called his partners but the catch was so huge that even their boats begun to get overwhelmed. Therefore, regardless of the type of business you may be engaged in, obey God even when His advice does not make sense to your natural human mind. Emulate Simon for he obeyed and went fishing during the day instead of at night as was the tradition and his fishing business prospered. Obey God because He can bless you so much that even your website threatens to crash because of the numerous orders you receive the way Simon’s fishing nets begun to tear.

Lord, because You say so,

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than yours and My thoughts above your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

I will do so. (Luke 5:5) Obey God in totality because He can bless you so much that your blessings overflow and also bless all those who have partnered with your business or ministry the way Simonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fishing partner were also blessed. Therefore, obey God even when it does not make sense to your MBA trained mind because My thoughts are not your thoughts and your ways are not My ways, says the Lord.

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