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    Dear friends,

    God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him
    as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That's the most
    sensible way to serve God. Don't be like the people
    of this world, but let God change the way you think.
    Then you will know how to do everything that is good
    and pleasing to him.  

    I realize how kind God has been to me, and so
    I tell each of you not to think you are better than you
    really are. Use good sense and measure yourself by
    the amount of faith that God has given you.
    Romans 12:1-3 (CEV)

Amen! God IS good! As followers of Christ, we are called to be ‘righteous’ (pure and pleasing) in all aspects of our living—as a
whole. Scripture says that we are created in the image of (a triune) God.

    So God created man in His own image; in the image of God
    He created him; male and female He created them.
    Genesis 1:27 (NKJV).    

I think we often read scripture, but don’t actually grasp its meaning. To be created in the image of God and having the power
within us to overcome all things!  

Thus, Man is a tri-partite being of spirit, soul and body.  

    May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and
    whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit,
    soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our
    Master, Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonian 5:23 (MSSG)

We know that it is with our spirit that we worship and commune with God.  Our soul includes our conscious and subconscious
mind, emotions and will.  Our soul dictates our reasoning and ‘feelings’ and we live in our bodies--a complex physical creation
by which we relate to other people in this world.

There are even scriptures that speak to us about what we are to do with our bodies.

    Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who
    is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you
    were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in
    your spirit, which are God's. 1Corinthians 6:19,20 (NKJ)

    Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may
    your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our
    Lord Jesus Christ comes again 1Thessalonians 5:23 (NLT)

It is a fact that given proper nutrition and following a healthy lifestyle, the human body has an amazing ability to repair
(restore) itself.

    I will give thanks to you because I have been so amazingly and
    miraculously made.  Your works are miraculous, and my soul is
    fully aware of this. Psalm 139:14 (GW)

One well-known Christian health practitioner defines seven areas for us to be aware of in our lifestyle: water, sleep/rest,
living food (fruits/vegetables/healthy animal protein), exercise, detoxification, supplements and coping with stress.  

By sharing some information with you that we have learned through our personal experience, (the word of our testimony) our
hope is to enlighten and encourage those of you who have been struggling with one or more areas in your life that has
prevented you from fulfilling your calling and purpose.  Your struggles could be due to an issue arising out of any one of the
three parts of our make-up (spiritual, emotional or physical). While these areas are inter-related, in this forum, we will be
focusing on some of the physical problems that often plague us (which could be outward manifestations of unresolved
spiritual or emotional issues).

We absolutely believe in the tenets of Isaiah 53 regarding Christ and healing and we know by reading New Testament
scriptures there are many recorded miracles of Christ by which we learn that healing can come in different forms.
[click here to reflect on healing scriptures of Christ]. These scriptures also show us that there are instantaneous as well as
progressive healings. Why did Jesus not perform healing miracles in the same way all the time? It would seem that, while all
sickness comes from Satan, all sickness does not manifest from the same issue (as stated, some can be related to spiritual
issues, some can be related to deep rooted emotional issues or related to our simply not following proper guidelines for
maintaining our well being) thus requiring differing manners for which the healing will evolve.  

We also know that God loves process—it is how we learn. We see in scripture that sometimes healing was immediate,
sometimes it was progressive.  Progressive healings serve a two-fold
purpose: 1) to be healed of course and 2) for us to learn through the process to “go and sin no more”.

We believe also that there is a distinction between being healed from illness (whatever the cause and being well. After
witnessing the amazing process of healing in our son from Autism over the past year, through the use of proper nutrition and
specific exercises combined with prayer, we decided to learn how to combat some of the things that were wreaking havoc in
our bodies attempting to prevent us from fulfilling all that God has called us to be.

Through the use of what is called ‘natural health care’--simply meaning outside of what has been termed “conventional” or
what we have come to accept as pharmaceutical-based health care which often treats symptoms rather than addressing the
root cause. By doing so, our current “health care system” is basically “disease care”.  We treat outward manifestations of
deeper issues by medicating the symptoms.

    [NOTE: Prices for prescription drugs are skyrocketing. In 2007, Americans spent $287 billion on prescription drugs, about five times as
    much as in 1993, according to Consumer Reports and projections for 2010 are to be around $360 billion  for prescription drugs and
    over the counter medicines are over $20 billion. Americans are spending more than 33% of their income
    on medications and insurance.]

Many of us may be familiar with the language that talks about ‘holistic’ wellness and are aware that this seems to have been
captured by the New Age movement.  Holistic simply means: considering all factors or looking at the whole system rather than
focusing on an individual component.  As we have stated, man is a three-part being and when one area is not functioning as
it should, the other areas are prone to suffer as well.

Just as we need to spend time in the Word and taking time to worship the Lord to strengthen our spirit in order to present
ourselves to God, by taking account of our lives from a “holistic” or all encompassing approach in order to navigate to the
place of being healthy and strong in our bodies, we will also present ourselves as a ‘whole’.

Part of our mandate at the Emerging Daniel Company is to assist in the restoration of all things (Isaiah 61) and we are taking
back—reclaiming, re-gathering and restoring that which was God’s idea and plan in the first place! As this relates to our
physical bodies, it is to repair (reclaim and restore) and then maintain ourselves to a state of being healthy.

While preparing for the launching of this aspect of our ministry, I was cautious (testing all things) as I proceeded to walk forth
in that which I know is the calling on my life.   During a time of prayer, the Lord spoke to me in what I called a “duh” moment.  
With all this declaration going on in present days about ‘reclaiming and recapturing’ mountains of influence the Lord pointed
out to me that in order to be recaptured or reclaimed, the mountain must first belong to someone (or something else)!  So, if
we are not willing to go to or into the mountain, how do we expect to take it back?

Please know that we DO NOT ascribe to anything that is unbiblical, unethical or immoral. However, we will not back down from
that which makes us well and keeps us healthy.  We encourage you to study and test all things. (2Timothy 2:15)

We are living in extraordinary times.  We have so much at our disposal with the use of technology yet sometimes we do not
access the appropriate knowledge.  The scripture also tells us in Matthew 10:16 that we are like sheep among wolves and
we are to be wise, which means that while we partake of all the knowledge that is available, we must continue to use our
spirit to discern the difference between that which is “good” and that which is “best” for us.  

In some of the articles to follow, we will be sharing about what we have discovered in our journey to re-claim our health.  It is
our desire in doing so that we will help more people identify those areas that have been holding them back from receiving
God’s highest and best.

It is time for us to arise and shine!
Presenting Our Bodies ~ Jill-Marie Evans
PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS
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© Emerging Daniel Company 2010 All Rights Reserved