By Michael H. Brown

Joy brings us fullness of life. This is a standard of discernment: what gives you joy, peace, gladness, strength, and vibrancy of mind and body is from the Lord. If you lack energy after certain pursuits or if you can't find joy, take a close look at what you are exposing yourself to spiritually. Joy comes from closeness to God. If you lack joy, draw yourself closer to Him.

But let's focus on the health aspect -- the fullness of life -- because although many don't think in such terms, it is the Holy Spirit to Whom we should go when there are issues of health.

No medical decision should ever be made until there has been adequate prayer for direction and a feeling of that closeness, which grants the certainty of tranquility.

Draw unto Him and He will draw unto you and He will even tell you what to feed your body.

Our physical systems are too complex for doctors to fully understand. It is only God Who knows the intimate workings of our cells, tissues, and organs, along with what they need for healing or to prevent a problem.

“Is any one of you sick?" says James 5:14-15. "The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well."

And so it is.

Praying to the Holy Spirit to strengthen or heal every blood vessel and organ in our bodies (naming each one, with a prayer after each) is a powerful way to feel health flow through our systems and so is asking Him what we should eat.

Should we eat meat?

Ask the Holy Spirit. It is good for some people and others don't need as much. Jesus ate lamb, and the Old Testament has places where God even directs the eating of meat -- so it certainly isn't always bad for us!

Of course, vegetables are very important, and should be a focus -- but not an obsession.

Romans 14:2-3 tells us, "One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him."

Think about it: while science has been marvelous, it has never come to full grips with exactly what is good for us.

Decades ago, there was vitamin E. And there is still debate over it. Now some think it could be harmful. There was vitamin C. Even a former secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services urged me to take that. Proof is elusive. There was beef. For many years we have been all but told to avoid that, but now major studies have shown that it may not be a determining factor in the cancers many thought it caused, and that in at least certain quantities it is healthful. There is still debate over that. There was butter. That was horrible for while as they touted margarine but now they say that margarine is worse and to go back to butter. There was soy. It was a wonder food. Now doctors say there are certain negative effects. There are even studies showing that some vitamins, or at least herbal remedies, can be harmful (although natural is always a good first step).  There were eggs. They said not to touch them. They seemed like almost poison. Now they are saying that eggs are good for us, once more.

"The largest study ever to ask whether a low-fat diet reduces the risk of getting cancer or heart disease has found that the diet has no effect," reported The New York Times last February, referring to a $415-million federal survey of nearly 49,000 women, the largest such study ever.

This was after years of doctors urging us to cut fat.

No doubt it is good to cut fat, but to do it in a way that flows with our body chemistry. So too did a major study say that fiber doesn't have the protective power many thought, hardly affecting colon cancer. And forget calcium pills, yet another study said -- contradicting earlier ones.

The upshot is that all food that God has made is good for us under the right circumstances.

He is the One Who best know those circumstances -- and so He is the One to Whom we go when we want the right balance. Now, science has done some remarkable things. Let's start with the fact that so many people live so much longer! The tools of surgery are astonishing, and so are some of the medications. Killer diseases like polio and malaria have been all but eradicated.

Hats off the science, but let us know that it has shortcomings. Many things that were in medical textbooks a decade ago are now debatable and when we look back, we recall how there was a time when some physicians claimed that smoking might be healthful (because it reduced stress)! It took decades to prove that it was just the opposite. Now they tell us that wine is good for us, and perhaps even chocolate, and perhaps--

Well, you get the picture. What Scripture says is that everything God made is okay for us 9save of course for natural poisons), and we can extrapolate from that to say it is okay in the right circumstances and quantities.

Again, for that, we ask the Holy Spirit (Who made us!). Jesus ate fish, drank wine, and certainly broke bread, and so we can surmise that in the right measure  fish and wine and grains are good for us -- along with water, which in unchlorinated form is probably the single most healthful thing we can take into our bodies and a secret agent in loss of weight (because it expels salt, which causes us to retain heavy fluids).

Drink water, I was once "told" in prayer -- and in the next couple of months lost thirty pounds.

Even if just trying to lose weight, God will send you answers. 

The key is the word "balance," which means not to go overboard. If we pray, God will let us know what foods, herbs, spices, and drinks best fit our unique bodies, and will guide doctors who may be needed to assist us. He will also let us know what to eat if we pray not only when we are ready to eat but before we decide what to buy at the store!

Natural remedies have their place, and for the time being so does conventional medicine. When there is not exaggeration, certain herbs (consult God) can have effects that are wonderful. Local honey may do wonders for allergies!

When it comes to prevention and food, avoid chemicals. Avoid too much of anything. Avoid anything that is too man-made (did you know that margarine is chemically close to plastic, and avoided even by insects?). Even with "healthful" food like fish, we must be careful due to the pollution we have caused that there is not too much mercury. All in good measure.  

Any extreme and anything in excess is contrary to discipline which is a key to happiness.

God wants discipline. He wants the spirit to rule the flesh.

When it does, there is joy, tranquility, closeness to God -- and all we want to eat, but in a way that gives us a sense of well-being.