Should You Eat Meat?

              What Does God Say About it?

Let’s jump right into it. Most of us want to live long healthy purpose filled lives. The reality is some won’t because of the food that’s being consumed today. Many people are not interested in changing their diet. GMO’s (genetically modified organisms), High fructose, corn syrup, fast food and processed meat is destroying human bodies. Even animals are dying from disease. It’s time to start making big changes in the way you eat.

Many people are becoming vegan, vegetarian and pescatarian because they feel it’s a healthier lifestyle. Many feel that’s how God originally intended for us to eat - GENESIS 1:29. I agree that much of the meat and dairy being sold in our markets are causing lots of health issues. Recently my friend and I were sharing how God’s Word and his Promises trump the fear that the world tries to instill in us regarding food. We must do our research about the foods we eat and what ingredients and preservatives are in them. Then we must use wisdom and do what’s best for our individual bodies.

Those who enjoy eating meat should not feel guilty or fearful about it. I would suggest buying organic or free range/caged free meat with no antibiotics. This so-called “clean meat” isn’t the end all be all and it doesn’t mean you’re completely safe. There is risk with everything we eat. I like to think of it as using wisdom and shopping responsibly while trusting God that the meat you purchased is clean and not contaminated with unhealthy ingredients. Even those who are vegan, vegetarian and pescatarian should buy organic fruits and vegetables and wild caught fish when possible.

What does the Bible say about eating Meat?

I like this scripture:

“But you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your food and your water; and I will remove sickness from your midst. There shall be no one miscarrying or barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days” - Exodus 23  

Yes, this is an Old Testament scripture, but there is a principle here. When we serve the Lord God with all of our hearts and use wisdom in purchasing and consuming food - I believe God will bless it.  As children of God we should be blessed. We should be healthy. Sickness and disease should not be rampantly taking believers to their graves. Consuming fast food (Popeye’s, McDonald's, Chick Fil A etc.), junk food (soda, ice cream, candy, chips etc.) on a weekly / daily basis will literally put you in an early grave. It’s a new day. The food today is not pure like it was back in bible days. We must be mindful of what is in our food.

Here are a couple of Old Testament scriptures to meditate and ponder when it comes to this controversial subject of eating meat or not, click on pink links:

• After the great flood in the bible, God gave us meat to eat in addition to fruits and vegetables (with a command to basically cook your meat thoroughly - no blood) – Genesis 9:1-4


• God also gave instructions on which animals and sea animals were clean and unclean to eat (very interesting) - Leviticus 11

Let’s take a look at what the New Testament has to say.

• The Apostle Peter had a vision the Lord gave him 3 times. When the Lord says the same thing 2 or 3 times that means His word is established. What He wants to happen will happen. Peter's vision had a two-fold meaning. The Lord was saying that the gentiles (me and you) were made clean and could receive the gift of salvation just like the Jews. The Lord was also saying that the different animals (meat) that Peter saw were declared by God clean and ok to eat because He made them clean – Acts 10:9-14

The Choice is Yours:

"One person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval" - Romans 14:2-4

Eating meat or not all boils down to a choice. There is no right or wrong. We must be respectful of each other’s choice and not feel that we are superior or inferior because our choice is different from another persons.

 Where should you begin to make changes in your overall eating?

Read labels!! Stop purchasing food that contains high fructose and corn syrup. Look for labels that say Organic, NON GMO, USDA Approved, Free Range, No Antibiotics, No Sodium Nitrites or Nitrates (these are harmful preservatives found in deli meat and bacon). Drastically limit your fast food and soda intake. Eat more home cooked meals. Snack on nuts and seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts). Purchase a Nutri Bullet or Juicer. Incorporate smoothies and fresh juice from fruits and vegetables. You can also purchase organic juice. I love carrot juice!! Your body needs nutrients from fresh fruits and vegetables daily.

Blue Zone Diet: Eat Smart, Live Long (I think this is a great template to follow)

https://www.bluezones.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Blue-Zones-Food-Guidelines-2015.pdf

Be Encouraged 

"Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead. They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanks by faithful people who know the truth. Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and prayer" - 1 Timothy 4

Next post I will share What I Eat.

Blessings,

Tytenisha

Will You Be My Armor Bearer?

                     Health and Faith

 

April 2015 I had a dream. I found myself at a day time house party. The atmosphere was nice and the crowd was mature, but it felt weird being there. I ran into Dr Reid - a woman I know. She seemed very impressed with me and asked if I’d be her Armor Bearer for an event coming up. I was extremely hesitant because in real life I know what being an Armor Bearer entails and quite frankly it’s not fun. Despite my feelings about that role, I told her yes. I knew this was only going to be a one-time thing. She told me the month but I couldn’t remember if she said June, July or Sept? The number 7 came up several times throughout the dream. Then I woke up.

Upon waking, I researched what type of Dr Mrs Reid is. I discovered she’s a Gastroenterologist. This branch of medicine focus' on the digestive system (Wikipedia). As I pondered this dream, I knew it was significant because of the number 7. When God is involved he'll use the number 7 to symbolize completion or something coming to an end. I understood the dream had something to do with the GI system but wasn't sure if it was in regards to myself or someone else that I should be praying for? See, an Armor Bearer’s role in the church is to pray for, look out for, encourage, and assist the Pastor / Bishop / First Lady (in whatever capacity) so they can be effective in performing the ministry they’ve been called to do. Side note: An Armor Bearer in the church is not scriptural, but many Pastors have them. As long as this role does not jeopardize a person’s salvation or contradict the written word… There's no harm in being an Armor Bearer. 

After a few months of racking my brain trying to figure this dream out, and making sure myself and my loved ones received yearly physicals and colonoscopies… the months of June, July and September of 2015 passed with no manifestation of the dream, so I decided to give it a rest, stop worrying and move on with life. 

Moving on with life consisted of me continuing to nurse a cervical herniated disc in my neck that caused me pain in my head, back, arms and legs. Every night I would gobble a couple of NSAIDs (ibuprofen) that would help me fall asleep comfortably. I followed this routine for close to a year. Not smart! Finally, in August of 2016, I decided I’d had enough of depending on those pills and I stopped taking them. In September of 2016, I began to feel burning pains along the walls of my stomach after I’d eat. I went to the hospital and basically diagnosed myself with “Possible Gastritis” and my doctor went along with it! Smh. My doctor didn’t feel I needed an endoscopy because my symptoms seemed to indicate Gastritis. So my Dr prescribed 20 mg of Omeprazole for me to take. I felt these pills were masking the problem so I didn't stay on them. I didn’t think too much of it and figured it would go away on its own. Wrong...

Thanksgiving Day rolls around and like most folk, I went in on that food! That evening my stomach was burning so bad. I said to myself, I’m not going to eat any more of that! What did I do the next day? I ate more of that... smh. It seemed like this “Possible Gastritis” was getting worse. I headed back to my doctor and she convinced me to go back on those stinking pills.

I began to do lots and lots of research on Gastritis and other GI diseases. I was completely obsessed with researching how to cure myself of this pain naturally. Every day I’d make note of the different foods I could and could not eat. I learned that abusing NSAIDS was part of the reason I was suffering. While on this journey it dawned on me that the dream was in full effect. The pain started in September. No wonder I was so hesitant to say yes to Dr Reid – who symbolized God by the way. 

God had given me the dream to prepare me for a journey of Health and Faith. I had no clue as to how this thing was going to unfold and believe me, it has not been a walk in the park. Let me be clear, God did not give me this affliction. God does not give us sickness and disease. God took advantage of this situation to teach me how to be the Armor Bearer of my own body. To take better care of it and to make changes in the way my household and I ate. My faith in God was also stretched... But I truly learned, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all!" - Psalm 34:19   

In a follow-up post, I will share my journey and provide pics. May my story enlighten you and encourage you to be The Armor Bearer of your own body as well. See you in the next post! Click on Link: I'm The Armor Bearer of My Body

Blessings,

Tytenisha