Resolved Not to Defile!

I have been slowly working through Beth Moore's "Daniel" study and when I say slowly -I mean I am still in week one... something she said in the opening session has stuck with me and I have been turning it around in my head. She said that in Daniel's day, "to share a meal was to commit oneself to friendship" - it was a sign of coming into covenant with someone...so in Daniel 1:8, when Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the food from the King's table what he was really saying was, "I refuse to switch my allegiance from the one true God to the false gods of Babylon". He determined not to break his covenant to Father God even though those around him were doing everything in their power to force the situation -even changing his name(more on that in a future post)!
In the course of this first week's study, the question of cultural influence and indoctrination was posed. She asked us what bothered us most...
The truth is -if you are walking & breathing, believer or not-- you have been indoctrinated.

As I was thinking about this, my focus kept coming back to the church (of which I am a part -least anyone think I am excluding myself from this sermon)...
What bothers me most is that the church has been unwittingly indoctrinated into the world's way of doing life, health and nutrition -in many respects there is no difference between us and the world...the divorce rate is the same, we are dying from the same diseases and we are literally eating from the same table! Some would argue that it is because we live in a fallen world that these similarities exist and while that may be a contributing factor, it is becoming more and more clear to me that our own choice (overt or covert) to embrace the patterns and behaviors of the world are at the center of our demise.

The majority of us (when I say us I'm referring to believers) have adopted the same hurried lifestyle, pace and values of the world... we pile our plates high with the same rich food, we satiate our lust for more, we burn the candle at both ends and we practice very little restraint. All the while, disabling the God-given system for naturally building and sustaining health within our bodies. Then, we plop down in the Doctor's chair and expect some chemist's potion to miraculously cure -in reality only mask -  the damage that is a direct result of what we ourselves have either knowingly or unknowingly propagated against ourselves through poor lifestyle choices, neglect of  pursuing and applying truth in health practices and nutritional compromises. We have effectively incapacitated ourselves on a whole host of levels and virtually rendered ourselves ineffective for the kingdom because we look no different than the world around us!

That's a pretty bleak summation if it stopped there...but there is hope! The bible says in Hosea that we are perishing for lack of knowledge. It also says, in the Book of James, that Father delights in giving us wisdom. His truth and operating in the fullness of his principles really does set us free! We just have to seek it and then practice it on a daily basis...

Studies show (I and my family are living testimonies) that adopting a lifestyle of true health and wellness -including a healthy nervous system, organic whole foods nutrition, detoxing, exercise and renewing your mind in the truth of God's Word all work in tandem to effectively reverse and in most cases obliterate the plague of conditions and diseases that are robbing us of the abundant, long life God promises in his Word and intends for each of us to experience! When we start putting sound nutrition into play and eliminate emotional, chemical and physical stressors from our body's systems then, this amazing machine - God's pristine design~the pinnacle of his creation- begins to operate in it's perfect order: restoring, regulating and healing itself! All it takes is a willingness to pursue truth, shift our paradigms to it and practice what we learn on a daily basis.

It worked for Daniel! He refused to "defile himself" (Daniel 1:8) and the favor of the Father rested on him all the days of his life even in the midst of great adversity:

"At the end of 10 days[of eating healthy, nutritious food] they looked better and healthier than all the young men who were eating the king's food."

Daniel 1:15

In the 3 years of keeping covenant and pursuing health and not the world's way ...

" God gave....knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom. Daniel also understood visions and dreams of every kind...In every matter of wisdom and understanding that the king consulted them about, he found them 10 times better than all the diviner-priests and mediums in his entire kingdom."

Daniel 1: 17 & 20

To do what Daniel did takes resolve and courage! You will in essence be a salmon swimming upsteam...you will risk offending and even those closest to you thinking you're crazy or weird (Jesus did, too) but, in the end the narrow way will lead to fullness of life and freedom!

You can do it!

Resolve to be a covenant keeper and set your face like flint to the task and beyond that to the One who has called you to the task...Father will empower and equip you with all you need to rise to the challenge!

To your health and that of the generations that will be forever changed because of your courage "not to defile" yourself... May Father reap His glory from your faithful obedience and may his kingdom come through hands and feet surrendered and submitted to his way! AMEN!