YES, WE CAN EAT BY FAITH...

Take these specific words of Jesus literally and figuratively. “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” The Bible is profoundly true on many levels. If we realize that food is mentioned throughout Scripture, recommended, commented on, given as the essence of God’s blessings to us, (“I have brought you into a land flowing with milk and honey,” Exodus 3:8) what does “eating by faith” mean?

Jesus said, “It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” To obey Scripture then is living by the Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” John 1:1-3. This is God, the Word, who created you, created the world, created the magnificent body you live in, and designed and created your spirit, soul, and body. All of you needs the Word. Not bread alone, not food alone, but you need every word of God.

When I decided to accept the challenge of our son, Zach, “Mom, write about health;” I knew major study would be involved, but the depth of change in both my views on food and profound excitement about food in the Bible has given me new purpose. If living by every word of God is about food, life, and eternity, as I now think it is, then eating by faith is an important pursuit. For myself, it is a new ambition: glorify God by living “every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

After fasting forty days, Jesus was hungry. The enemy told Him to do something he could do but Jesus would not yield to the temptation.

In our current culture, food has become somewhat of a temptation because so much of it looks like food, tastes like food and is so easy to reach. With bleached, degermed flour, bleached sugar, corn syrup, chemicals, additives, “Natural Flavor” and devitalized, processed, bioengineered “food” we are regularly tempted to neglect the knowledge and wisdom to eat as we should.

Fast food is the new “unclean food.”  

 

The Temptation of Jesus

Mat 4:1  Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 

Mat 4:2  And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. 

Mat 4:3  And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 

Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 

 

WHEN EVERYTHING CHANGED

The controversial, varied opinions about “diet” disagree. There is a place to go that is right and good for you. In the end you must decide. "I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation." Psalm 119:99. Look closely, the Bible has food "understanding."

When Jesus came to earth to redeem us, Biblical instruction about food changed (it was not disagreement with earlier truth, but progression).

We can be confident that the Bible gives us the final  wisdom about our diet…throughout the pages of Scripture. God’s love for us, His literal and figurative truth to mankind includes what is good for us: figuratively this food pictures God’s blessings and the way to live. The literal food shows God’s nutrition examples for us to eat.

This care for our wellbeing, this wisdom in the Bible does not include chemical additives in our nutrition, bioengineered, fake food, bleached and degermed flour, highly processed seed oils and on and on.

Food for Adam and Eve and early mankind was "every herb bearing seed" and "every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed." Later, after the global flood, Noah’s instruction changed, "Every moving thing that lives shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things." Genesis 9:3.  When God delivered Israel from Egypt, He gave the laws of clean and unclean food.

 After Jesus came, The Book of Romans explains: "...All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eats with offence. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbles, or is offended, or is made weak." Romans 14:20,21. We are responsible for each other, for caring about their understanding. "For meat (food) destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eats with offence." 

"It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbles, or is offended, or is made weak. Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth." Rom 14:20-22.

We can eat by faith. Faith is believing God and acting on it. It will always benefit you.  

PURSUING FOOD WISDOM

 

“HEARKEN DILIGENTLY”: PURSUING FOOD WISDOM

Interestingly, Scripture shows that guidelines for food changed four times. First, food provided to Adam and Eve was simple. Simple in the sense that there were no chemicals, additives, bioengineered, devitalized, bleached or the big lie: “Natural Flavor.”  "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." Genesis 1:29. (Right here is basic food: any combination of vegetables will create a stir fry meal. Combine this with Olive oil, butter, salt, onions, and garlic. Add baked potatoes, fruit, and nuts).

Later, God said to Noah and his family after the Global Flood, "Every moving thing that lives shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have, I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat." Genesis 9:3,4. (Meat mixed with vegetables, butter, milk and cheese and wholegrains, with cut up pineapple or watermelon for dessert).

Later when Israel marched out of Egypt to Canaan, through Moses came “clean and unclean” nutritional laws. This fascinating law is in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. (I tend to pay attention to this list even though our fifteen-year-old granddaughter taught me about the freedom we have after Jesus came when her love for Octopus showed up at a restaurant one evening. Her cerebral Dad and Mom were ahead of me).

When Jesus came to earth, He changed everything when He said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." Matthew 5:17. What does this mean?

NEXT:

WHEN EVERYTHING CHANGED

EAT WHOLE FOOD

 

Thinking about it our 51 years of marriage and even growing up

Let me help you…

 

It is becoming clearer: what we put into our bodies is critical.

Think about and study the food you eat. Thinking for me about this subject began with my father as I grew up. So now, at fifty-one years of marriage and growing in understanding, it has become obvious. God has provided and put in front of us “the things He has made…” The simplicity is amazing. But it will require you to believe God and the Bible and the Truth of it to avoid “positive” messages that differ from Scripture, from each other and from wisdom.

The focus is on God’s Word, the food He created is mentioned through the pages of the Bible. If we read the Bible, we will find in the most surprising places in Scripture what is good inferred by God Himself. "Ho, every one that thirsts, come to the waters, and he that has no money; come, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfies not? hearken diligently to me, and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live..." Isaiah 55:1-3.

In Ezekiel "...you did eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and you were exceeding beautiful..." Ezekiel 16:13.

Coming up: Wonderful simplicity of the food we need to eat.