Daily Bible Portion (Friday)
Daily Bible Portion - 6 of 7
"EIGHTH"
(Weekly Reading>>Leviticus 9:1-11:47, 2 Samuel 6:1-19, Mark 7:1-23, Acts 5:1-11, Acts 10:1-35, 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1, Galatians 2:11-16, 1 Peter 1:14-16)
Life is in the Blood - What's in Your Blood?
The body is pH balanced and so is our blood. If our body temperature rises even slightly, we feel sick. It is the same with our blood. When the pH balance is not stable, our blood becomes too acidic and our body suffers. First our bodies gather calcium and other minerals from the organs to buffer the over acidic state of our body. When this is depleted the body begins to store fat to protect the organs. This can cause disease and sickness that in turn can lead to more serious illnesses and even death. Fat is a sign of an over acidic body.
Where do acids come from? When the pH in our blood is not correct caused by us either eating what God says is not food for us, or by our unclean thoughts and speech, our bodies begin to crave sugars and carbohydrates. Consuming too much of these makes us listless, out of focus, tired and sick. Reaching for a refined sugar product to boost our energy such as a chocolate bar, soda or ice cream will not help the problem. In an over acidic climate, microorganisms are encouraged to grow. It is these microorganisms that are hungry causing us to crave sweets. They deplete all our energy and cause us to become sick and tired. This can become a physical cycle, which addictive personalities may fall into through its spiritual roots.
An over acidic body is also a friendly environment where bacteria grow producing a yeast forming fungus, which if left unattended may later develop into a breeding ground for microorganisms. When these enter the bloodstream they go wherever the blood goes – to the brain, to the heart, to the muscles - causing major diseases like arthritis, heart problems, diabetes and cancers. To reverse any damage from this in our bodies, eat biblically. Doing so from a healthy, biblically based diet (physical and spiritual) from the Owner's manual can cleanse our bodies bringing life and vitality, and clear the mind ridding us of life-threatening diseases. Our bodies are designed to line up with the Word of God for radiant health (Deuteronomy 28).
Clean and Unclean Sea/Water Life
(Leviticus 11:9-12)
Only fish with both fins and scales are to be food for us. All other sea and water life God says is to be an abomination to us. Shellfish and fish without scales and fins are the scavengers and cleaners of God's waterways. They are cesspools of filth and contaminants, containing high levels of bad cholesterol, mercury, disease, worms, chemicals, and parasites. Their job is to clean all urine, feces and scum from the water. Shrimp, prawns and other mid water swimmers like squid and octopus are vacuum cleaners. Whales are big surface filters. The shark and other aggressive cleaners remove larger debris. Clams, oysters and mussels are immobile filter feeders that contain bacteria, viruses, and can also harbor hepatitis; bringing all the contaminants they hold into our bodies when consumed. God says we are not to eat these.
God shows us many things through His Creation. In Matthew 4:19, Jesus calls us to be fishers of men and to multiply. We see this in the parable of the twelve loaves and two fishes (Mark 8:19). When people do not heed Yahweh's words but hang on to bitterness, unforgiveness or critical spirits, they act like bottom feeders or as the sea creatures (without fins or scales) that hide in dark crevices away from the light. If people continue in hardness of mind, an outer shell like character grows and hardens the heart. Hearts that continue in bitterness sadly become segmented and full of pus as we see with the unclean crabs and lobsters. Eventually they will no longer be able to move but latch on to hard surfaces as a muscle or barnacle does, grouping together with other tough shelled ones. This mindset is in sharp contrast to what God calls us to be – like the soft flexible fish, at peace with one another, that have elegant fines and scales and swim obediently in colorful schools.
Do These Dietary Instructions Apply To Us Today?
And according to Hebrews 13:8,
How long is forever?
Has Heaven and Earth passed?
Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me. (John 14:23-24 NKJV)
Thus God's dietary instructions do not change either. As believers can we have it both ways? Is the Word of God a sort of biblical buffet where we pick and choose? If we follow our pastors words rather than His words whom have we placed our faith in? If we understand that Christ is the Word of God (John 1:1,14) and He says His words, laws, instructions are forever then another comes along and says don't keep His laws is this not literally anti-christ? This is the scriptural definition of corruption mixing the holy with profane. Seeds are words and by mixing the holy with profane the result is corruption and death. This is why it is called the tree of the "knowledge" of good and evil.
Gods people from the time of Moses at Mt. Sinai have been called to become a Kingdom of Priests, a holy nation. If we keep His covenant we will become a special treasure to Him above all the nations [Exo 19:5-6]. Today we have the same opportunity as or ancestors if we hear and obey the Covenant
Mark 7:1-23 records a discussion between the Pharisees and the teachers of the law and Jesus in which He is correcting them. The men did not understand the difference between the laws created by man compared to God's word and the Torah Spirit led lifestyle that was written upon the hearts of flesh/spirit. Man's laws had cluttered God's teaching and instruction by adding to them exceedingly. Jesus was not sharing about unclean entities becoming clean food for us. Jesus is God in the flesh (John 1:1,14) and would not contradict Himself. These teachers of the law had added the "traditions of man" to the Word of God. They had set aside God's teaching and instruction in order to observe their own traditions. Jesus was correcting their religious spirits and pointing to the real contaminants in their hearts "What comes out of a man is what makes him unclean."
Acts 10:1 to 11:18 details a vision Peter received from God in which a sheet, known as a tallit in Hebrew descended and ascended from heaven three times. In this holy garment were all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. God told Peter to kill and eat. Peter said to God that he had never eaten unclean unauthorized species before and was perplexed, as he knew that God would not contradict Himself. As Peter wondered about the true meaning behind this vision, God showed him that the animals represented people. "But God has shown me that I should not call any MAN impure or unclean" (Acts 10:28). These people in the Book of Acts were those God was redeeming to Himself filled by Christ's life giving Spirit. The House of Judah (Jews) had for generations up until then, thought of themselves as the only clean people before God as the House of Israel had been dispersed (exiled) among the pagan nations and taken up their ways becoming an unclean people. God was saying to Peter that he was no longer to think of the House of Israel or those returning from the nations as unclean. If the returnees embraced Jesus(Yeshua), the Word personified, and returned to the ways of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they were considered clean!
Sinning or missing the mark/truth of Torah is dishonoring to God. This is like a little boy all dressed in his good clothes that goes outside of his home and jumps in a puddle, covering himself with mud (walking outside the principles of Torah into the realm of death). Returning to the house (Torah/realm of life), the boy removes his dirty clothes (his sinful nature), has a bath (baptism), and puts on clean clothes (fruit of repentance reflected in the gifts of the Spirit/priestly or bridal garments) before re-joining his family again. In Hebrew this is called the ritual application of the Torah. We want to apply God's teaching and instruction in our lives, as this will sanctify us and lead us to a walk of redemption, which brings spiritual life.
The teaching of clean and unclean food is called Kashrut in Hebrew. Kashrut is just one of the realms in the Kingdom of God's teaching and instruction for life. Not to be confused with mans tradition of "Kosher" foods. Man cannot make biblically clean, "cleaner" this is legalism and exactly what Jesus and Paul both argue about with the pharisees and sadducees. We are always in His presence, but staying in His provision is what His instruction is all about. Obedience brings the blessing. This is not a salvation issue, but a redemption/sanctification issue. Once we understand, we can choose to repent and turn from past choices and influences to a more Scriptural understanding.
A Short List of Clean Flesh Foods That God Considers Food to Eat
Clean Dietary Food Laws
As you can see, the biblical dietary instructions are not hard to follow and the clean choices of foods are wide. To perform a clean kill the animal is placed in a slaughter trough, head down. The main arteries on both sides of the neck and esophagus are severed quickly and cleanly with a knife, allowing the heart to continue to pump as the lifeblood of the animal drains out and it dies a painless death. If properly killed food is not available, soaking the meat in salted water, rinsing and repeat if necessary is acceptable. Please note that meat is made of blood and some blood will still be in the meat. What you want out of the meat is the lifeblood of the animal.
Pork
The following is a quote from Dr. Tessler, a well-known doctor who wrote in the book The Genesis Diet:
"Pigs are known to carry up to two hundred diseases and eighteen different parasites and worms, including the deadly worm called trichinella spiralis. This worm is commonly called trichinosis and there is no known cure for these spiral worms. The trichinae worms are so small and transparent that only trained inspectors using high-powered microscopes can detect their existence. Trichinosis can cripple or even kill anyone that eats as little as a forkful of contaminated food! Trichinosis can mimic other diseases such as arthritis, rheumatism, or typhoid fever."
"Pigs have more incidences of arthritis than any other known animals in the world. Arthritis may be a virus or a parasite that is transmitted from pigs to humans as a direct result of eating the flesh and blood of hogs or pigs. Perhaps many other diseases are misdiagnosed and their real cause is roundworm, gullet worms, hookworms, thorn-headed worms, trichina worms, stomach worms, nodular worms, tapeworms, as well as many other parasites found in the flesh of the unclean swine. A person may be committing slow suicide when they eat bacon, ham, sausage, or pork chops."
The American Cancer Society considers the pig and pork products like bacon, salami and hot dogs to be the number one cancer-producing agent in the world today as noted by their questionnaire. The body tries to fight the trichinosis worm by forming tumors around them. Sadly a whole industry has been built around eating biblically unauthorized, unclean species as a substitute for life giving foods. Doctors, pharmaceuticals, medical related support and hospitals testify to the results of not eating cleanly as recorded by the physical illnesses they cause. Those who are returning to a biblical lifestyle are learning God's food laws and how to keep their temples clean and healthy physically and spiritually. We will not need a prayer line-up as it starts with a heart decision.
continues tomorrow...
"EIGHTH"
(Weekly Reading>>Leviticus 9:1-11:47, 2 Samuel 6:1-19, Mark 7:1-23, Acts 5:1-11, Acts 10:1-35, 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1, Galatians 2:11-16, 1 Peter 1:14-16)
Life is in the Blood - What's in Your Blood?
The body is pH balanced and so is our blood. If our body temperature rises even slightly, we feel sick. It is the same with our blood. When the pH balance is not stable, our blood becomes too acidic and our body suffers. First our bodies gather calcium and other minerals from the organs to buffer the over acidic state of our body. When this is depleted the body begins to store fat to protect the organs. This can cause disease and sickness that in turn can lead to more serious illnesses and even death. Fat is a sign of an over acidic body.
Where do acids come from? When the pH in our blood is not correct caused by us either eating what God says is not food for us, or by our unclean thoughts and speech, our bodies begin to crave sugars and carbohydrates. Consuming too much of these makes us listless, out of focus, tired and sick. Reaching for a refined sugar product to boost our energy such as a chocolate bar, soda or ice cream will not help the problem. In an over acidic climate, microorganisms are encouraged to grow. It is these microorganisms that are hungry causing us to crave sweets. They deplete all our energy and cause us to become sick and tired. This can become a physical cycle, which addictive personalities may fall into through its spiritual roots.
An over acidic body is also a friendly environment where bacteria grow producing a yeast forming fungus, which if left unattended may later develop into a breeding ground for microorganisms. When these enter the bloodstream they go wherever the blood goes – to the brain, to the heart, to the muscles - causing major diseases like arthritis, heart problems, diabetes and cancers. To reverse any damage from this in our bodies, eat biblically. Doing so from a healthy, biblically based diet (physical and spiritual) from the Owner's manual can cleanse our bodies bringing life and vitality, and clear the mind ridding us of life-threatening diseases. Our bodies are designed to line up with the Word of God for radiant health (Deuteronomy 28).
2 Corinthians 6:17 to 7:1 "Therefore come out from them and be separate. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters. Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for Yahweh."
Clean and Unclean Sea/Water Life
(Leviticus 11:9-12)
Only fish with both fins and scales are to be food for us. All other sea and water life God says is to be an abomination to us. Shellfish and fish without scales and fins are the scavengers and cleaners of God's waterways. They are cesspools of filth and contaminants, containing high levels of bad cholesterol, mercury, disease, worms, chemicals, and parasites. Their job is to clean all urine, feces and scum from the water. Shrimp, prawns and other mid water swimmers like squid and octopus are vacuum cleaners. Whales are big surface filters. The shark and other aggressive cleaners remove larger debris. Clams, oysters and mussels are immobile filter feeders that contain bacteria, viruses, and can also harbor hepatitis; bringing all the contaminants they hold into our bodies when consumed. God says we are not to eat these.
God shows us many things through His Creation. In Matthew 4:19, Jesus calls us to be fishers of men and to multiply. We see this in the parable of the twelve loaves and two fishes (Mark 8:19). When people do not heed Yahweh's words but hang on to bitterness, unforgiveness or critical spirits, they act like bottom feeders or as the sea creatures (without fins or scales) that hide in dark crevices away from the light. If people continue in hardness of mind, an outer shell like character grows and hardens the heart. Hearts that continue in bitterness sadly become segmented and full of pus as we see with the unclean crabs and lobsters. Eventually they will no longer be able to move but latch on to hard surfaces as a muscle or barnacle does, grouping together with other tough shelled ones. This mindset is in sharp contrast to what God calls us to be – like the soft flexible fish, at peace with one another, that have elegant fines and scales and swim obediently in colorful schools.
Do These Dietary Instructions Apply To Us Today?
Malachi 3:6 says, "I, The Lord, do not change."
And according to Hebrews 13:8,
"Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).
Isaiah 40:8 "The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever."
How long is forever?
1 Peter 1:24-25 for "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever." And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
Has Heaven and Earth passed?
Matthew 5:18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Luke 16:17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.
Luke 21:33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me. (John 14:23-24 NKJV)
Thus God's dietary instructions do not change either. As believers can we have it both ways? Is the Word of God a sort of biblical buffet where we pick and choose? If we follow our pastors words rather than His words whom have we placed our faith in? If we understand that Christ is the Word of God (John 1:1,14) and He says His words, laws, instructions are forever then another comes along and says don't keep His laws is this not literally anti-christ? This is the scriptural definition of corruption mixing the holy with profane. Seeds are words and by mixing the holy with profane the result is corruption and death. This is why it is called the tree of the "knowledge" of good and evil.
Gods people from the time of Moses at Mt. Sinai have been called to become a Kingdom of Priests, a holy nation. If we keep His covenant we will become a special treasure to Him above all the nations [Exo 19:5-6]. Today we have the same opportunity as or ancestors if we hear and obey the Covenant
1 Peter 2:7-12 "You are followers of the Lord, and that stone is precious to you. But it isn't precious to those who refuse to follow him. They are the builders who tossed aside the stone that turned out to be the most important one of all. They disobeyed the message and stumbled and fell over that stone, because they were doomed. But you are God's chosen and special people. You are a group of royal priests and a holy nation. God has brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Now you must tell all the wonderful things that he has done. The Scriptures say, "Once you were nobody. Now you are God's people. At one time no one had pity on you. Now God has treated you with kindness. Dear friends, you are foreigners and strangers on this earth. So I beg you not to surrender to those desires that fight against you. Always let others see you behaving properly, even though they may still accuse you of doing wrong. Then on the day of judgment, they will honor God by telling the good things they saw you do."
Deuteronomy 14:2-5 "For you are a people holy to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. "You shall not eat any abomination. These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep....."
Mark 7:1-23 records a discussion between the Pharisees and the teachers of the law and Jesus in which He is correcting them. The men did not understand the difference between the laws created by man compared to God's word and the Torah Spirit led lifestyle that was written upon the hearts of flesh/spirit. Man's laws had cluttered God's teaching and instruction by adding to them exceedingly. Jesus was not sharing about unclean entities becoming clean food for us. Jesus is God in the flesh (John 1:1,14) and would not contradict Himself. These teachers of the law had added the "traditions of man" to the Word of God. They had set aside God's teaching and instruction in order to observe their own traditions. Jesus was correcting their religious spirits and pointing to the real contaminants in their hearts "What comes out of a man is what makes him unclean."
Acts 10:1 to 11:18 details a vision Peter received from God in which a sheet, known as a tallit in Hebrew descended and ascended from heaven three times. In this holy garment were all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. God told Peter to kill and eat. Peter said to God that he had never eaten unclean unauthorized species before and was perplexed, as he knew that God would not contradict Himself. As Peter wondered about the true meaning behind this vision, God showed him that the animals represented people. "But God has shown me that I should not call any MAN impure or unclean" (Acts 10:28). These people in the Book of Acts were those God was redeeming to Himself filled by Christ's life giving Spirit. The House of Judah (Jews) had for generations up until then, thought of themselves as the only clean people before God as the House of Israel had been dispersed (exiled) among the pagan nations and taken up their ways becoming an unclean people. God was saying to Peter that he was no longer to think of the House of Israel or those returning from the nations as unclean. If the returnees embraced Jesus(Yeshua), the Word personified, and returned to the ways of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they were considered clean!
Hosea 8:12 "I have written for him the great things of My law/Torah, but they were considered a strange thing."
Sinning or missing the mark/truth of Torah is dishonoring to God. This is like a little boy all dressed in his good clothes that goes outside of his home and jumps in a puddle, covering himself with mud (walking outside the principles of Torah into the realm of death). Returning to the house (Torah/realm of life), the boy removes his dirty clothes (his sinful nature), has a bath (baptism), and puts on clean clothes (fruit of repentance reflected in the gifts of the Spirit/priestly or bridal garments) before re-joining his family again. In Hebrew this is called the ritual application of the Torah. We want to apply God's teaching and instruction in our lives, as this will sanctify us and lead us to a walk of redemption, which brings spiritual life.
John 14:12 "Jesus said, 'most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.'"
James 1:22 "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."
James 2:26 "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."
Philippians 4:9 "The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you."
James 1:22 "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."
James 2:26 "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."
Philippians 4:9 "The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you."
The teaching of clean and unclean food is called Kashrut in Hebrew. Kashrut is just one of the realms in the Kingdom of God's teaching and instruction for life. Not to be confused with mans tradition of "Kosher" foods. Man cannot make biblically clean, "cleaner" this is legalism and exactly what Jesus and Paul both argue about with the pharisees and sadducees. We are always in His presence, but staying in His provision is what His instruction is all about. Obedience brings the blessing. This is not a salvation issue, but a redemption/sanctification issue. Once we understand, we can choose to repent and turn from past choices and influences to a more Scriptural understanding.
A Short List of Clean Flesh Foods That God Considers Food to Eat
- Clean Meats: Antelope, buffalo, cattle, deer, goat, oxen, sheep and other animals with a hoof completely divided and which chews the cud (with no lifeblood or fat).
- Clean Fish: Bass, cod, grouper, haddock, halibut, herring, mackerel, orange roughy, perch, salmon, snapper, trout, and any other finned and scaled fish.
- Clean Birds: Chicken, Cornish hen, quail, turkey and any other non-flesh-eating birds.
Clean Dietary Food Laws
As you can see, the biblical dietary instructions are not hard to follow and the clean choices of foods are wide. To perform a clean kill the animal is placed in a slaughter trough, head down. The main arteries on both sides of the neck and esophagus are severed quickly and cleanly with a knife, allowing the heart to continue to pump as the lifeblood of the animal drains out and it dies a painless death. If properly killed food is not available, soaking the meat in salted water, rinsing and repeat if necessary is acceptable. Please note that meat is made of blood and some blood will still be in the meat. What you want out of the meat is the lifeblood of the animal.
Pork
The following is a quote from Dr. Tessler, a well-known doctor who wrote in the book The Genesis Diet:
"Pigs are known to carry up to two hundred diseases and eighteen different parasites and worms, including the deadly worm called trichinella spiralis. This worm is commonly called trichinosis and there is no known cure for these spiral worms. The trichinae worms are so small and transparent that only trained inspectors using high-powered microscopes can detect their existence. Trichinosis can cripple or even kill anyone that eats as little as a forkful of contaminated food! Trichinosis can mimic other diseases such as arthritis, rheumatism, or typhoid fever."
"Pigs have more incidences of arthritis than any other known animals in the world. Arthritis may be a virus or a parasite that is transmitted from pigs to humans as a direct result of eating the flesh and blood of hogs or pigs. Perhaps many other diseases are misdiagnosed and their real cause is roundworm, gullet worms, hookworms, thorn-headed worms, trichina worms, stomach worms, nodular worms, tapeworms, as well as many other parasites found in the flesh of the unclean swine. A person may be committing slow suicide when they eat bacon, ham, sausage, or pork chops."
The American Cancer Society considers the pig and pork products like bacon, salami and hot dogs to be the number one cancer-producing agent in the world today as noted by their questionnaire. The body tries to fight the trichinosis worm by forming tumors around them. Sadly a whole industry has been built around eating biblically unauthorized, unclean species as a substitute for life giving foods. Doctors, pharmaceuticals, medical related support and hospitals testify to the results of not eating cleanly as recorded by the physical illnesses they cause. Those who are returning to a biblical lifestyle are learning God's food laws and how to keep their temples clean and healthy physically and spiritually. We will not need a prayer line-up as it starts with a heart decision.
continues tomorrow...
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