The Beast of Obesity and God’s Solution
America is experiencing a plague of Biblical proportion and the name of this dread malady is obesity. The plague of obesity is a result of a series of disobedient acts. It begins as early as prenatal care. It can even be genetic. This feature will pick the problem up from the mother’s breast. We will list six of God’s directives that man has rejected and which are definitely the very dominant reasons for obesity. Be assured this is not an exhaustive list.
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The Beast of Obesity and God’s Solution
“How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:15)
The gospel of peace that passes understanding is the message of God’s glorious salvation. The beautiful John 3:16 reads:
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.
The gospel of peace is accomplished when total surrender unto Jesus Christ and to the Word of God takes place—not just surrender, but unconditional surrender. Romans 8:7:
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Enmity means to be at war with God. For the gospel of peace to have its full, beautiful effect, a full surrender must be made. As we travel through this very short life, God continues to show us thoughts and deeds that must be surrendered unto Him. These revelations come in a myriad of ways. This is the peace process. II Corinthians 10:4-5:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
This single-minded surrender to the unadulterated truth of the Word of God is the obliteration of confusion and the doorway to perfection.
Are you born-again? Have you ended your war with God? Today is the day of salvation. Click onto “Further With Jesus” for immediate resolution and entrance into the Kingdom of God. NOW FOR TODAY’S SUBJECT.
GOD SAID, Proverbs 23:2:
And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.
GOD SAID, Proverbs 30:5-6:
5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
GOD SAID, Deuteronomy 30:19:
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
MAN SAID: Who needs the Bible? This old Christian mentality is for the world’s lightweights.
Now THE RECORD. Because God’s Word is Truth, you cannot disobey one of His commandments or directives without suffering negative consequences. GodSaidManSaid, which presently archives 373 feature articles in text and streaming audio, establishes this reality over and over again. Each of God’s commandments and endorsements has inherent within it a blessing or a curse. We choose which it will be.
America is experiencing a plague of Biblical proportion and the name of this dread malady is obesity. The following excerpts are from the feature on the Daily News Central website under the heading, “Obesity Causes Society-Wide Cost Burden:”
Americans’ widening waistlines are the main force behind rising US health care costs, a new study shows. Between 1987 and 2002, the proportion of private health spending attributable to obesity increased more than tenfold, researchers report, from $3.6 billion to $36.5 billion.
In the year 2002, obesity‑related medical care spending accounted for 11.6 percent of all private health care spending compared to just 2 percent in 1987, concludes an article published today in Health Affairs.
“We can focus on obesity and we should be,” said study lead author, Kenneth Thorpe, the Robert W. Woodruff professor and chair of the department of health policy and management at Emory University in Atlanta. “We need to have the same type of societal attention on this issue that we gave to smoking 20 years ago,” Thorpe added.
“We found overwhelmingly that the rise in private insurance spending was traced to the fact that we were treating more and more people with a variety of chronic health conditions,” Thorpe said.
In other words, more people are sick now than before; predominantly with conditions linked to obesity such as diabetes and high blood pressure. This means that in 2001, obese adults with private health insurance spent $1,244 more per person per year on health care than normal‑weight adults. Back in 1987, that number was just $272.
Obese individuals are being treated for more conditions, too, the study found. In 2001, for example, 15.5 percent of obese adults were treated for six or more medical conditions, nearly double the 1987 percentage.
“Obesity is a very expensive health problem and, unlike some other health problems, doesn't appear to be topping out. It appears to be accelerating,” said Dr. Tom Farley, co‑author of Prescription for a Healthy Nation and professor of community health sciences at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans.
“We all pay for these costs,” Farley pointed out. “It’s not just people who are obese. All of us have higher premiums, higher taxes. This is a society‑wide problem and we need society‑wide solutions.”
Unfortunately, the debate on how to curb this growth in obesity and its related expense is focusing on the wrong issues, Thorpe said.
“The private insurers are doing nothing to deal with this issue,” he said. “They're looking at consumer‑driven plans, increasing co‑pays. If you think about it, those are going to do nothing to affect the 60 percent increase in diabetes.” [End of quote]
The plague of obesity is a result of a series of disobedient acts. It begins as early as prenatal care. It can even be genetic. This feature will pick the problem up from the mother’s breast. We will list six of God’s directives that man has rejected and which are definitely the very dominant reasons for obesity. Be assured this is not an exhaustive list.
Man consistently attempts to improve on God’s handiwork. His adds and subtracts have been devastating. Breast-feeding in America started falling out of favor in the late 1940s. By the 1950s, infant formula gained widespread endorsement from the pediatric community. Breast-feeding for millions of children and mothers became a thing of the past. Man’s formula was purported to be superior to God’s creation. Today we see a renewed interest in breast-feeding, but of such very short breast-to-child duration, that it can only be labeled tokenism.
Recent research links the lack of breast-feeding directly to the epidemic of childhood obesity. The following excerpt is from the GodSaidManSaid feature article, “Breast-Feeding:”
In May of 200,1 the Journal of the American Medical Association cited two studies which report that breast‑feeding not only boosts babies’ immune systems and brain power but may also reduce the risk of being overweight. Harvard Medical School, in a study of 15,000 babies, found that newborns given formula were 20% (one out of five children) more likely to be overweight in adolescence versus their breast‑fed counterparts. [End of quote]
The following features on this website deal with breast-feeding:
Man, in his arrogance, has challenged God’s wisdom concerning the created products whole wheat, whole grains, whole rice, and more. Instead, he’s stripped the bran and germ from these products, reducing the flour to white paste. Then he bakes up a maze of breads and cakes that have been unquestionably shortening the lives and quality of life of those who consume them. And yes, this issue is directly hooked to obesity. The following paragraph is from the GodSaidManSaid article, “Whole Wheat – Get In Line!”
CONTROLS WEIGHT. Women and men who ate more whole grains consistently gained less weight over an eight‑ to 12‑year period in Harvard studies. Whole grains decrease hunger by making you feel full and by curbing blood sugar spikes that trigger the appetite. [End of quote]
Years ago, my family and I vacationed in Italy with good friends. Our friends originally hailed from Italy, and their family members still lived in the country. On the way over, my friend mentioned that there were very few overweight people in Italy. After we were there several days, he asked if I had seen many heavy people. My answer, to my surprise, was none. At least, I couldn’t remember seeing any. The reason, medical researchers claim, is the famed “Mediterranean Diet.” Foundational to it is God’s beautiful olive oil.
GOD SAID, in nearly 200 instances in the scriptures, “Oil.” He favorably endorses oil, and when the scriptures define the kind of oil he is referring to, it is olive oil. God promotes the use of the wood, the leaves, the branches, and the fruit of the olive tree. When God spoke to the children of Israel of the land of promise, he described it in Deuteronomy 8:7‑9:
7 For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;
8 A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;
9 A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass. [End of quote]
The following excerpts are from the GodSaidManSaid feature, “Olive Oil:”
A 1997 release from the Athens News Agency reads:
Recent studies have proved that increased rates of illness such as arterial hypertension, obesity and diabetes would be reduced by an increase in the consumption of olive oil.
Dr. Mataix of the University of Granada spoke at a “Seminar on Olive Oil” in Cordoba, Spain, and pointed out many of the marvelous powers of God's choice...olive oil.
• Olive oil creates a sensation of fullness which decreases appetite.
• It improves digestion and the absorption of nutrients, thereby enhancing the enzymatic efficiency of intestinal juices and prolonging the absorption rate of nutrients.
• Olive oil inhibits gastric acid secretion and it has proved useful for gastric and duodenal ulcer patients. It also seems to diminish the size of the lesions and promotes healing.
• Olive oil is useful in decreasing gallstones.
• Bone mineral absorption in premature babies was increased when they were fed a milk formula enriched with olive oil.
Dr. Mataix pointed out that olive oil has a distinctive advantage over corn or sunflower oils since olive oil helps reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels while increasing high‑density lipoprotein cholesterol, HDL, the “good” cholesterol.
In addition, the doctor said olive oil reduces insulin requirements in diabetics and improves their lipidic profile. [End of quote]
The following list of subjects concerns the subject of olive oil:
Keep in mind that a series of disobedient acts is involved in America’s plague called obesity. God’s huge endorsement of dairy products such as raw whole milk, butter, and cheese, should be our cue to get in line. The Promised Land is even know as the land of milk and honey.
When the LORD visited Abraham in the plains of Mamre just prior to the cataclysmic destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, he ate a meal that Abraham had prepared. The menu is in Genesis 18:5‑8:
5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
In etymology which is the study of language, there is a principle known as the “rule of first occurrence.” It basically means the first time a word occurs in language it typically defines it’s original meaning. The account I've just read to you in Genesis is butter’s initial entry into the written world and it is sitting on God’s supper plate. [End of quote]
Man’s suggestion has been that milk, for example, is not necessary or even recommended for adults, and if you do eat or drink these products, be sure they are either skim or low-fat. The following excerpts are from the GodSaidManSaid article, “Milk...Man Leads The World Astray...Again:”
Dr. Hulda Clark, a famous naturalist and author weighed in concerning milk in her 604‑page book titled, The Cure For All Diseases. She recommends three cups of milk a day with at least 2% butterfat. The doctor said, “It takes bile to make calcium absorbable, yet milk with less than 2% butterfat does not trigger the gall bladder to empty its bile at mealtime.” Note that fat in milk is necessary if the calcium is to be absorbed into the body’s bones. The doctor says even calcium tablets are no substitute for whole milk.
New research from the Department of Nutrition at the University of Tennessee found that the more milk products such as yogurt or cheese people consume the leaner they are. The research has also found that a regular diet of yogurt (two cups daily) caused blood pressure to drop. [End of quote]
Dr. Greg Miller of the National Dairy Council, after reviewing the latest research on whole milk, said that if you’re looking to maintain a low-fat diet, you might want to cut the excess from an area other than milk.
God speaks of wine in the scriptures over 200 times. The scriptures make it clear that wine is wine before fermentation and after. God commands against drinking wine in the fermented condition. For more information on wine and alcohol, click onto the following:
Wine, which is a staple in the Mediterranean Diet, fights the plague of obesity. The following paragraphs are from the GodSaidManSaid feature, “Wine:”
Harvard researchers are touting the benefits of a discovered compound called resveratrol which is plentiful in red wine. It not only helps prevent heart disease but it mimics the benefits of caloric restriction, which is the only established regimen for lengthening life.
Scientists at Columbus Children’s Hospital, in Ohio, served up reconstituted grapes (the equivalent of about a cup and a quarter of fresh ones) to healthy adults who had just eaten a high‑fat meal. “We’re talking about a meal that could have come straight from the drive‑through,” says John Bauer, the researcher who led the study. The grapes completely prevented the harmful effects such meals have been shown, in other studies, to have on vascular cells. [Alternative Medicine, July/August 2003, p18]
Now for what they forgot to mention about consuming the juice of the grape. This following excerpt is from the publication Better Nutrition:
Solid research indicates phytonutrients in the wine, not the alcohol, are the awesome antioxidant workers. Red wine and its non‑alcoholic equal, purple grape juice, are brimming with the antioxidants resveratrol, grapeseed anthocyanidins, quercitin, ellagic acid, phenolic flavonoids, and epicatechin. Purple grape juice is, perhaps, the most powerful antioxidant on earth, having demonstrated the highest ORAC rating of more than 40 fruits, vegetables, and juices tested in the lab! [End of quote]
God said, “Wine”—wine that has not passed the line.
The links of disobedience in the chain of obesity are substantial. God commanded us to remove the fat from the meat we eat. God commanded the removal of blood from the meat we eat. God gave specific instructions concerning clean creatures fit for human consumption. All of these things are bulwarks against the beast of obesity. But, man has a better idea. For more information on these subjects and how a Christian should conduct himself, click onto the following:
Lest He Reprove Thee, And Thou Be Found A Liar
The Law and Sabbath ‑‑ Part One
You cannot disobey one of God’s commandments or directives without suffering negative consequences. The plague of obesity is one sure example. Thousands of years before man began to understand, God said!
GOD SAID, Proverbs 23:2:
And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.
GOD SAID, Proverbs 30:5-6:
5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
GOD SAID, Deuteronomy 30:19:
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
MAN SAID: Who needs the Bible? This old Christian mentality is for the world’s lightweights.
Now you have THE RECORD.
References:
Authorized King James Version
“Obesity Causes Society-Wide Cost Burden,” Daily News Central, June 27, 2005
Additional Audios
- The 6,000s (Part 4: Adam & Eve Found; They Are Young!)
- Fasting and Prayer--The Power that Breaks the Yoke
- The Worms from Hell
- Meditation Rebuilds Grey Matter in 8 Weeks (My Soul is Continually in My Hand)
- Dead Men Talking About Life After Death
- Heaven--Looking for Proof? (Let There Be No Doubt!)
- Why the Blood of Jesus?
- The Truth Remains True — Pigs — Lot’s Wife — Flush It
- Wicked Thoughts and How to Deal with Them
- Sodom and Gomorrah
- Forty-Eight Hours In Hell
Power Verse
1 Samuel 15:22 (KJV)
And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
