Devotional of the Week September 28- October 4

Ephesians 2: 11-22

"Wherefore remember, that ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: and came and preached peace to you which was afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are buildeth together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."

We are all God's children. He has broken down the wall of separation between people, so that we can all come together as one happy family. He has removed the artificial barriers and walls that separate us, so that can full access to Him and each other. In the place of a wall, God is erecting a beautiful temple of Believers, where we all come together on the solid foundation of Christ. Each one of us are stones in His temple, and without the stones the temple cannot be built. If one or more stones are missing, then the structure will be weak, and will fall. It is only through bringing all the stones together that we can build a strong temple of love and brotherhood, that will never fail.

Prevent Sexual Diseases by Practicing Biblically Safe Sex

Sexual diseases have become a scourge on our society, especially with the rise in the HIV/AIDS epidemic worldwide and in this country. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there are currently over 1 million people infected with the HIV virus in the United States, and about 55, ooo new cases occur each year (1). Medical science has failed to give us a cure, but there are many drugs on the market that are useful (and expensive), that can control the symptoms of HIV/AIDS to a certain extent. To date, the best cure for sexual disease is not drugs and medical treatment, but prevention.

You have all heard the saying "cleanliness is next to godliness." This saying is especially true in the case of sexual diseases. Not allowing your body to become defiled with sexual diseases is the best way to combat these diseases, because once you have these diseases, they may be difficult or impossible to cure. Even curable sexual diseases such as syphillis and gonorrhea are becoming increasingly difficult to cure, as they have become increasingly resistant to drug treatment (2). How then can we prevent sexual diseases? We prevent sexual diseases by practicing Biblically safe sex. Biblically safe sex involves:

1. Avoiding sexual immorality (Hebrews 13:4)
   


2. Practicing monogamy (Mark 10: 6-8; 1 Timothy 3: 1-2)



3. Avoiding sexual contact with infected body fluids (Leviticus 15: 1-15, 25-30)


4. Avoiding risky sexual behavior (Leviticus 15: 24; Leviticus 18: 20, 22-24)


5. Practicing good personal sexual hygiene (Leviticus 15: 16-23)


6. Obeying God's moral and health laws (Exodus 15:26)
   

The above practices are good for persons who are disease free, and who want to keep themselves free of disease. In the case of persons who already have a sexual disease, my advice is that you seek medical care to control or cure the disease, so that you do not pass the disease on to your partner. If you are infected and incurable, then there are a few options open to you in order to prevent the spread of disease. These options include:

1. Abstinence: Avoid all sexual contact. Abstinence is 100% effective in preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Abstinence however is not 100% effective in preventing the spread of AIDS, as AIDS can also be spread in non-sexual ways, such as by blood transfusions, using contaminated medical equipment that pierce the skin, which allows entry of the virus into the blood stream, and through breast-feeding and pregnancy (3). It has recently being brought to my attention that the rapid rise of AIDS in Africa is not mainly due to promiscuity, although sexual contact plays a huge role in spreading the disease, but that the main cause of the spread of AIDS in Africa is the use of contaminated medical equipment and tainted blood in blood transfusions, in the delivery of health care ( 4)(5). In America, disease transmission in health care is controlled and prevented by the use of disposable medical equipment, and by screening blood for HIV. In poor African countries, and other poor countries around the world, they cannot afford disposable medical equipment and thus have to re-use medical equipment, that SHOULD BE DISCARDED, or in many cases are poorly sanitized. In addition, blood used for blood transfusions may also be contaminated due to inadequate screening of blood for HIV/AIDS (6).



2. Use of condoms: Condoms however are not 100% effective in preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Latex condoms are 80-90% effective in the prevention of the spread of disease, but they spread disease if they tear or slip off (7)(8). Condoms made of porous material offer very little protection against sexually transmitted diseases as they allow germs to pass through.



3. Practice good sanitary habits: Do not let anyone else come in contact with your blood or body fluids. Clean up soiled surfaces, and dispose of contaminated material. Do not share needles or personal care items such as toothbrushes or razors, which may have microscopic amounts of blood or germs on them (9).



4. Pray: Pray that God will cure you or lead you to a cure for your disease (3 John 2).

For more information about sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS, please feel free to go the government website of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) at http://www.cdc.gov/.

(1) http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/basic/index.htm#history

(2) Tortora, Gerard J and Grabowski, Sandra Reynolds, Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. 7th ed. New York: HarperCollins College Publishers, 1993, p. 962.

(3) http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/basic/index.htm.

(4) http://www.oneplace.com/

(5) http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/od/gap/pa_prevention.htm

(6) Ibid.

(7) Tortora, Gerard J and Grabowski, Sandra Reynolds, Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. 7th ed. New York: HarperCollins College Publishers, 1993, p. 958.

(8) http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/basic/index.htm.

(9) Ibid.

Make Your Own Body Powder

I want to share with you guys an easy recipe for body powder. I have been making and using this body powder for several months now, as part of my personal hygiene, and I quite pleased. It contains two non-toxic ingredients that are good for the body and the environment: corn starch and baking soda. This powder is effective and will prevent and cure skin rashes due to body moisture, and can also be used to control body odor. Use it in areas where body moisture tends to problematic such as in skin folds/creases, under the breasts, in the groin area, and between the thighs.

Mix together:

1 cup of constarch
1 teaspoon baking soda

Shake well to blend the ingredients together. Use liberally and enjoy!

I Believe in Miracles

As a health care professional and Physical Therapist, it is very hard not to believe in miracles. In caring for my patients, I have witnessed many instances where patients recover unexpectedly, when they should not have recovered at all! This just goes to show that healing is a process that involves both the physical input of man and the miraculous input of God. We are His co-partners in healing, and we work alongside Him in healing others, but He is the ultimate source of healing. When we are sick we should pray to Him for guidance, and help to recover. He will direct us along the right path to healing, by sending us good information and to good health care practitioners who are knowledgeable in their fields. I know this for a fact, because this has happened to me, when I was suffering from a very serious, life-threatening case of fibroids. My first attempt at curing these fibroids in 1996 failed, because I was trusting in the wisdom of myself and medical providers to find a cure. The fibroids were removed, but grew back with a vengeance, and much more than before. The condition was so bad that my life was threatened. I never received a cure until 2005, after I finally gave up and gave the problem to God. He started to direct my health care, and opened up opportunites for me to get good books on the subject. I learned about the causes, and was educated on the different herbs,and lifestyle changes needed. I also consulted with my medical providers, and chose one who respected my decision to eliminate the fibroids, instead of performing a hysterectomy. Finally, in December 2005, the fibroids shrank to sufficient size, where they could be safely removed, without causing major harm or removal of my uterus.

God has provided resources here on Earth for us to get well in the form of herbal remedies, lifestyle changes, and modern medicine. If these resources are used correctly, we can manage and cure many physical ailments successfully. In our modern world, with great scientific discoveries and breakthroughs, many diseases and medical conditions are still considered incurable. Diseases and medical conditions such as the common cold, influenza, polio, AIDS, High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, Cancer, Parkinson disease, Stroke, Congestive Heart Failure, Kidney Failure, and so on, are all incurable. Yes, many of these can be "managed" but there is no real cure; however, many of these conditions can be controlled, reversed, or even cured, if one understands how to apply the wisdom of natural medicine with modern medicine, and miraculous healing.

Wisdom is needed to know when to skillfully apply the three methods of healing, which is natural healing, modern medicine, and miraculous healing. A good health care practitioner will realize that he/she cannot do it alone, and that all three methods of healing may have to be utilized for effective healing. The tendency to tout one method as superior to the other is dangerous, and any health care practitioner that denies the healing power that can be derived from any one of the other two methods of healing is not a good practitioner. How many times have you heard medical doctors deride natural healers and faith healers? How many times have you heard faith healers deride medical doctors and natural healers? How many times have you heard natural healers deride medical doctors and faith healers? Here is the truth. God is our ultimate healer, and He is the great Physician; but He has placed resources here on Earth for us to use, and He expects us to use them. He wants us to look to Him for wisdom and instruction in the application of those resources. He wants us to increase in knowledge on how to take care of our bodies and how to keep it healthy. He wants us to be good stewards of our health, and to live a lifestyle that promotes health, so as to avoid sickness and disease. He knows we will get sick, so He makes provision for that through natural remedies and medicinal cures. He also knows that not all diseases are curable, but He has the power of miraculous healing for those incurable conditions. Do you want to be healed? Put your trust in the wisdom of God and not man.

"Wisdom is the principal thing: therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding...Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings: and the years of thy life shall be many" (Proverbs 4: 7, 10).

Your Body is God's Temple

Where does God live? Does He live in heaven, or does He live in all the earth? According to 1 Corithinans 6: 13, God lives inside of us too! You see, He has His throne in heaven (Psalm 11:4), and Earth is His footstool (Isaiah 66:1), but He also has a place within our hearts (Ephesians 4: 6). He is omnipresent, meaning He is everywhere; therefore, He is in heaven, on earth, and in our hearts all at the same time! All true Believers, who have dedicated their lives to the service of God, have the presence of God within. When He lives within us, our bodies become His temple, and a place in which to serve Him. Yes, our bodies belong to Him, because He has created it; but when we accept Him into our hearts, we become His temple. That is why then, as His followers, we are careful about the way we treat and use our bodies. We treat our bodies with respect, appreciation, and care, because it is God's temple.

God's temple is holy, therefore our body temples are holy (1 Corinthians 3: 17). We refrain from using our bodies for purposes that are displeasing to God, because it is holy. Any sinful act, and any act which is a defilement to the body we try to avoid, in order to keep our body temples pure and holy. Sickness and disease, especially infectious diseases, are all defilements to the purity, strength, and physical health of our body temples. They weaken our body temples, and decrease its usefulness and ability to function normally. Sexual immorality, which is a spiritual defilement of our body temple, puts us at risk for both physical and emotional defilement, that cause disease and emotional instability respectively. Sexual immorality, which is sex that confers intimacy upon someone who is not entitled to this privilege, is the cause of many broken hearts, nervous breakdowns, unwanted pregnancies, broken homes, financial hardships, dead beat parents, unwanted children, dyfunctional families, and sexual diseases. Using a person merely as an object of sex to satisfy an urge, instead of as a beneficiary of love, reduces the value of that person as a whole person. Sexual love that is accompanied by true love, respect, admiration, commitment, and care for the other person is what God desires for each of us. Our body temples are portals to intimacy, but this intimacy is sacred. It is meant to be shared within the bonds of married love, exclusive of all others.

Persons who have not invited God within, to live inside, may not understand the concept of a body temple. As a matter of fact, although their bodies belong to God because He is their Creator, their bodies are not His temple because they do not belong to Him in a spiritual way. When the temptation to be sexually immoral presents itself to them, they may find it hard to resist, as they do not have the benefit of God's power residing in them to give them victory over sexual sins. They give in to temptation, and may end up regretting the choices made. Those of us who have made our bodies God's temple, are also tempted too, but the God within gives us the power to resist, and to turn away from temptation. If however, we do falter, the God within gives us the courage to face our mistakes, and bring us into true repentance. He is ever willing to forgive, as long as we are honest with Him. Let us therefore give our lives and bodies over to the will of God, so that we can avoid the deception of sexual immorality, and turn to the living God, the One who has created true intimacy, for us all to enjoy.

Birth Control and the Creator

The issue of birth control has become front and center in the national media with the rise of Alaska governor, Sarah Palin, as the GOP Vice Presidential Candidate. In Christian circles, many are divided as to the proper place, if any, for birth control in our society, and the controversy surrounding abortion still rages on. In this blog, I will be looking at birth control from a spiritual and natural viewpoint, in order to learn more about our Creator's plan, if any, pertaining to birth and population control.


In the beginning of time, when God created the world, the world was uninhabited by man except for two persons, Adam and Eve. In order to populate the planet with people, God commanded Adam and Eve to be "fruitful and multiply" in order to fill the earth with people. It has been a long time now since that initial command was given to Adam and Eve, and the world is now filled with lots of people. Every continent of the world, except for Antartica, teems with millions of people, including even islands in the sea. Some countries have huge populations such as India and China, and in China, regulations are in place to control and prevent overpopulation, with government mandated birth control programs. The question may thus be asked, "Is population control through birth control part of the Creator plan or does it go against the Creator?" To answer such a question, we need look no further than the Bible itself and the laws of nature to find our answer.

The Creator's Birth Control Program

Many people do not realize it, but our Creator does have a birth control program to prevent overpopulation once the world becomes populated. This program is a multi-faceted program that ensures that overpopulation does not occur, and that the Earth can support all of her inhabitants. The Creator's birth and population control program from the Bible and nature consists of:

1. A decreased life span for man. Man's lifespan was decreased from 900+ years to 70-120 years(Genesis 6: 3; Psalm 90: 10; Isaiah 66: 20). The shorter life span of man reduces the total number of people on the planet at any one time.


2. Strict sex laws. Prohibitions against incestuous relationships (Leviticus 18), extramaritial afffairs (Leviticus 20: 10-12), and pre-maritial sex (Deuteronomy 22: 20-29), limited the number and type of homes which could legally produce children. It should be noted however that children produced outside of "legitimacy" were still entitled to legal rights, care, support, and protection by parents, under common law, as seen in the concubine relationships of ancient societies (Genesis 25: 6; 2 Chronicles 11: 21-23).


3. Female infertility. Women who were naturally incapable of bearing children were called "barren" (Isaiah 54:1).


4. Male infertility. Men who were unable to reproduce were called "eunuchs" (Matthew 19: 12).


5. Limited fertility. A woman's natural reproductive cycle limits fertility to only a few days within the month(1). In addition, pregnancy risk is reduced in mothers who are nursing(2).


6. Menopause. Women lose the ability to bear children at menopause, due to inability to ovulate(3).


7. Male senile infertility. Men have reduced ability to father children in old age due to decreased numbers of viable sperm, and impotence (4).


8. Abstinence. Avoiding sexual contact during periods of fasting and religious exercises (Exodus 19: 14-16; 1 Corinthians 7: 5).


9. Celibacy. Abstaining from sexual relationships for religious or other reasons (Matthew 19: 12; 1 Corinthians 7: 1,7-8).


10. Withdrawal or other method in which the sperm does not enter the woman to cause conception (Leviticus 15: 16-18).
    

Birth/population control methods in the Bible condemned by the Creator

1. Child sacrifices (Leviticus 18: 21).


2. Ethnic cleansings for the purpose of destroying or reducing the population of certain races or ethnic groups because there are "too many of them" (Exodus 1: 9-10).


3. Infanticide/massacres (Exodus 1: 15-21).


4. Refusing to reproduce in cases where reproduction is mandated (Genesis 38: 7-10).
   

Modern birth control methods

1. Birth control pills


2. Condoms


3. Intrauterine devices


4. Hormone implants


5. "Morning after" pills


6. Abortion
   

From the above examples, one can see that God's birth control program is a way for Him to manage the Earth's population, so that we can all benefit from the Earth's resources. The problem therefore is not that one practices birth control, as birth control is built into the very laws of God and nature, but lies with the method used. Make sure that the method you use is in keeping with the will of our Creator, and the call He has for your life. The practice of birth control is a personal, intimate decision between yourself and God, and is thus not subject to the whims and fancy, and dictates of others. He will guide you to choose a method that is humane, just, and righteous, and that does not go against His will.

(1) Tortura, Gerard, and Grabowski, Sandra Reynolds. Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. New York: HarperCollins College Publishers, 1993, p. 957.

(2) Ibid. p.990

(3) Lauersen, Niels M.D. and Whitney, Steven. It's Your Body: A Woman's Guide to Gynecology. New York: Berkley Publishing Group, 1983, p. 118.

(4) Tortura, Gerard, and Grabowski, Sandra Reynolds. Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. New York: HarperCollins College Publishers, 1993, p. 959.

Devotional of the Week September 7-13

Hosea 11: 1-4

" When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images. I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them. I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them."

God has done so much for so many of us, and yet we take His love for granted! No matter how much He does for us, it always seems as if it is not enough. Man is always dissatisfied with the provisions of our Creator, and it seems that we are hard to please. We depise the every day miracles of God, and keep demanding greater and greater miracles every day, as if it is our right to demand from God what we want Him to do for us. Herein lies the unhappiness of life which traps so many of us. We are unhappy not because life is tough, but because we do not recognize the love and care that God has for us. We tend to focus on our problems and on what we do not have, instead of on what God has done for us and what He has given to us. Let us therefore cease from complaining, and begin thanking and praising God.

Sex and Spirituality

The recent controversy regarding Sarah Palin, the Republican Vice Presidential Nominee, and her pregnant unmarried daughter, has again sparked the national debate about whether sex education and abstinence programs should be taught in schools. In light of the ongoing controversy, I would like to dedicate a series of blogs under the label SEX AND SPIRITUALITY, to deal with the issue of sex from a natural and spiritual level, and to learn more about this act, which is practiced by all of creation.

Sex is a natural act that is practiced by all creatures, whether plant or animal, for the purposes of reproduction and the continuation of the species. It is an act which God has created to ensure the continuation of the various species of plants and animals He has created, and to prevent extinction. In the book of Genesis we read where God told the birds and sea creatures to "be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1: 22), in order to populate the earth. Without sexual reproduction, all life on this planet would eventually become extinct, as the living members die off. Sex therefore is ESSENTIAL to the continuation of life on Earth.

In God's creation of man, His command to man was no less than His command to the plants and animals. In Genesis 1: 27-28, we read where God COMMANDED Adam and Eve to engage in sexual reproduction, and He BLESSED them with the gift of sex! It says:

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him: male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."

The original plan was for Adam and Eve to have many children, who in turn would have many children, and so on, until the whole earth was inhabited by man, along with the various species of plants and animals. In addition, man had the responsiblity of "replenishing the earth," which was to make sure that the resources of the earth which were used up were replaced, and to "subdue" the earth, which was to take responsibility and authority for the care of all living creatures on earth. The end result and blessing of sex would have been a world that was populated by a people who lived at one and in peace with God and nature. Alas however, sin and death entered into the world in the garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3). Consequently, sex took on a secondary function which, in addition to populating the earth, sex was also used to REPLACE those members of the race which had died. Thus we can see that sex was, and still is important for the continuation and survival of the human race.

In additon to reproduction, sex was created for a man and his wife to enjoy as a social activity, and for pleasure. In Proverbs 5: 18-19 we read:

"Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Let her be as a loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love."

King Solomon also enjoyed the sexual pleasures of his wife, and this is well documented in the book Song of Solomon. In this book we can read about the intimate desires expressed between king Solomon and his wife, who was Pharoah's daughter (1 Kings 7:8; Song 7: 1). In Song of Solomon 7: 10-12, Solomon's wife expressed her deep desire for her husband when she said,

"I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me. Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages. Let us get up early to the vineyards: let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grapes appear, and the pomengrantes bud forth: there will I give thee my loves."

What a powerful statement of desire and intimacy, expressed in poetic terms within the pages of the Bible! Who knew, that the Bible endorsed sex as a pleasurable activity to be practiced between a man and a woman in marriage! Some would have us believe that sex was only for reproduction, but here is living proof that was sex was also created for pleasure. In the book of Hebrews we read that "marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge" (Hebrews 13: 4). The sexual act in marriage is therefore not a dirty thing and unclean, but is actually a pure act, which is blessed by God. It is also a holy act, which is set apart by God for special use within the confines of marriage, but is only deemed unholy if practiced outside of marriage.

Yes, the debate about sex continues, and will continue as long as man is on earth. We need however to understand that sex is a natural part of life, is essential for life, and is a gift given to us by our Creator, for a blessing. Keep checking back for more blogs pertaining to this subject, under the label SEX AND SPIRITUALITY. I will be tackling more material pertaining to sex such as functionality and sex (from a physical therapy perspective), and also controversial topics such as birth control, sexual immorality, and sexual diseases. Have a great day!