We are ready to begin our fourth segment on the topic of health. If you have missed the first three segments, please do go back and watch those segments. Very important. We talk about the actual root cause of all sickness, all disease. And the root cause of all sickness and all disease is sin.

If it was not for Adam and Eve choosing to commit sin we would not have death in this world. And so, the root cause of all sickness and disease, ultimately, either directly or indirectly, is sin. And there are certain sins that we could get ourselves involved in that can very well easily cause disease in our bodies.

And we are going to discuss another one of those today. It is a major one. It is a doozy. It is a huge one. And we are going to talk about this. It is extremely important for us to talk about so that we can get the healing that we want and desire from Yahweh. And so, here we are.

We are in our fourth part: What the Scriptures REALLY Teach About Health. They have a lot to say about health. The entirety of Scripture actually is one gigantic health message. It is a health message.

It is a message on how to be delivered from death, right? And so, it has to be a health message. It is showing us the reason why we have death in the world today, why we have disease.

And when Yahweh gave us His instructions, when He gave us His word, when He gave us His commandments, He warned us that if we chose to disobey those commandments, if we walked in a way that was contrary to His Word– just as He warned Adam and Eve, and He said…

“If you partake of this other tree, which I’ve commanded you not to eat, then you will surely die,” when Yahweh gave His commandments to the children of Israel, when they were in the wilderness, He told them, if you don’t obey them…

Deuteronomy 28:20 – YAHWEH will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me.

21 – YAHWEH will make the plague cling to you until He has consumed you from the land which you are going to possess.

22 – YAHWEH will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with severe burning fever, with the sword, with scorching, and with mildew; they shall pursue you until you perish.

He warned them, “This is what is going to happen if you do not keep My commandments, because your bodies were not made to live in sin. They weren’t.” And then He goes on to say in Deuteronomy chapter 28, verse 45:

Deuteronomy 28:45 – Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of YAHWEH your Elohim, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you.

That means they are going to chase you down.

Deuteronomy 28:46 – And they shall be upon you for a sign and a wonder, and on your descendants forever.

47 – Because you did not serve YAHWEH your Elohim with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything,

They lost their joy. He knew they would. This is what happens when you lose your joy. You lose the motivation to observe His commandments. You start to look for other things to fulfill you. And notice the connection between joy and obedience.

Why did Yahweh expect them to be joyful? Because of the abundance of everything. They were extremely blessed. How about us? Are we extremely blessed? Can we rejoice for the abundance of everything?

He expects us to remain joyful for the blessings He gives us. And according to His own words, these are the words of the Creator of the universe, that this is a key to health. Joyful obedience is the key to health and key to keeping ourselves from disease. It is a key. Obviously, it is a key. And it ties in with the proverb (chapter 17, verse 22):

Proverbs 17:22 – A merry heart does good, [like] medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.

Interesting. The merry heart is like a healing balm, a medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones. This is a clear verse here on health.

We see that having this joyful and merry heart is key to health, the same as we read in the Torah in the previous verse: “Because you did not serve Yahweh your Mighty One with joy and gladness of heart.” So all these diseases end up coming upon them and chasing them down and overtaking them.

Now the Hebrew word for “medicine” here is “gehah,” which is “a cure, healing.” A merry heart is a cure, a healing.

Lexicon: 01456 gehah {gay-haw’} Meaning: 1) a cure, a healing Origin: from 01455; TWOT – 321a; n f Usage: AV – medicine 1; 1.

And notice it is from #1455. But it is a cure, a healing. It is something that brings healing from some kind of disease, right? “But a broken spirit,” it said, “dries the bones.” So we have something that is the very opposite of having health and that is drying of the bones.

What is this “drying of the bones”? What is this all about? We don’t want to have the dry bones, right? I mean, dry bones– that means you are pretty much dead, right? The valley of dry bones, and so on.

Well, there is a process to getting to that death in a “more quicker” manner. Put it that way. So a broken spirit dries the bones.

Now I have a question. Do we look at that and do we really, truly, completely believe it? I mean, because we are either serious about believing Yahweh’s Word regarding health or we are not.

Because I have a sense there are some of you out there who are, you know, you are on the fourth segment now, and you are like, “Okay, Tom, I’m a little skeptical about what you are sharing right now. I see it a little bit here, but…”

And maybe you are so caught up in your herbs and medicines and nutrition and physical fitness, and you have had such good results from what you have already done, you just say, “Well, yeah, Tom, I hear what you are saying, but when are you going to get to diet and nutrition and herbs and physical fitness?

“You are on your fourth segment now, Tom, and I am waiting for you to talk about what REALLY has an impact on our health.”

Well, I do plan on talking about those things, but listen. I am a minister of the Word. I am not an herbalist. I am a minister of the good news of Yahushua the Messiah. I am not a physician or a health practitioner or a nutritionist or a medical doctor. And not one of the disciples– except for I think one, Luke– was actually a physician.

But the point was to some extent our willingness, of course, to take care of our bodies. What we eat and what we drink has some relation to whether or not we are going to be healthy, because it has to do with whether or not we are obedient to Yahweh’s Word. So I do plan to talk about this.

But we get so very prideful when we think medical science has the real answers, while Scriptures are kind of old and antiquated and the writers were kind of ignorant about the body.

And so, one kind of takes what they said as helpful hints, while the things said by medical and scientific literature is on a higher level than some proverb written by an Israelite king. But we need to understand:

2Timothy 3:16 – All Scripture [is] given by inspiration of Elohim, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

17 – that the man of Elohim may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

You have everything you need right there in the Scriptures.

So it is given by inspiration. Yahweh breathed the words. It is not just some old proverb written by an Israelite king. It was given by Elohim Himself by His Spirit.

Solomon asked Yahweh for wisdom. Yahweh gave him that wisdom he asked for. A lot of his wisdom is written in the Proverbs, and Yahweh gave him understanding as to the reason for things. And Yahweh said through him: “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit will dry your bones up.”

So if Yahweh said in His Word, “Israel, you are going to end up with consumption and fever and inflammation and a whole host of other health problems if you don’t serve me with joy and gladness of heart for the abundance of everything,” I am going to believe Him. I am.

I am going to take it for what He says, that our lack of joy can cause disease and the presence of joy cures disease. I am going to believe Him. How about you?

It seems so simplistic, but it is true. And, okay, you want medical evidence. Here we go. Here is some medical evidence for you.

Quote from Medical Study: “Dr. Lee S. Berk, a preventive care specialist and psychoneuroimmunology researcher at Loma Linda University’s Schools of Allied Health (SAHP) and Medicine, along with his colleagues were the first to establish that laughter helps optimize the hormones in the endocrine system, including…

“… decreasing the levels of cortisol and epinephrine, which lead to stress reduction. They have also shown that laughter has a positive effect on modulating components of the immune system, including increased production of antibodies and activation of the body’s protective cells, including T-cells and…

“… especially Natural Killer cells’ killing activity of tumor cells… enhances your mood, decreases stress hormones, enhances immune activity, lowers bad cholesterol and systolic blood pressure, and raises good cholesterol (HDL).”

All this stuff you hear about in the news: “Oh, your blood pressure.” “Oh, your cholesterol.” “Oh, your this” and “Oh, your that.” “And cancer!”

And he actually showed, medically, laughter has this kind of effect on your body. So when Yahweh told Israel what He said, it is proven medically. It is already proven biblically. We don’t need medical anything. We just need to look at the Scriptures and believe it and practice it.

But for those who think they need some kind of medical study to prove anything, here you go. So when Yahweh told Israel, “These curses shall come upon you and overtake you…” Why? What curses? Among the curses were disease. “You didn’t have the joy and gladness of heart for the abundance of everything.” That’s why.

He is the ultimate Physician and Healer. He created our bodies in such a way that when we express joyfulness and gladness of heart for the abundance of everything He has blessed us with, it actually has an impact on our immune system, increases the killer cells that kill cancer, the T-cells, the immune system– everything.

The cortisol and the stress hormones are reduced. The cholesterol goes down. The good cholesterol goes up. And that is why the author of this proverb, when he was inspired by Yahweh’s Spirit, said:

Proverbs 17:22 – A merry heart does good, [like] medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.

He knew exactly what he was talking about. And so, it says laughter has this “positive effect on modulating components of the immune system, including increased production of antibodies and activation of the body’s protective cells…”

Look at this… “including T-cells and especially Natural Killer cells’ killing activity of tumor cells.” Especially that, it says.

Now if you don’t know anything about anatomy and the way the body functions, do you know where the process of producing T-cells and the tumor killing cells actually originates? Do you know where it originates? It originates in the bones.

Quote from Wikipedia: “Bone marrow is also a key component of the lymphatic system, producing the lymphocytes that support the body’s immune system.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_marrow)

Another quote… it says: “Our bone marrow produces blood cells, called red blood cells, platelets, and white blood cells. White blood cells [named] Lymphocytes, neutrophils, and monocytes… fight against invading bacteria, viruses, or fungi to help destroy infection. Each of these cells differs in appearance.

“Eosinophils and basophils white blood cells respond to allergens that can invade our bodies.” (Christine Armstrong, RN, MScN, NP Peds & John Doyle, MD, FRCPC, FAAP)

So it is a medical fact. If we have a broken spirit instead of a joyful heart, it can affect our bone marrow, which in turn affects our immune system.

What happens when we have a broken immune system? We get disease. We don’t respond well to allergens, to bacteria, to viruses, to tumors, and a host of other things that attack our bodies. That is what happens. You are looking for medical. There you go. There is your medical.

The white blood cells originate in the bone marrow. That is where they come from. Everybody knows, white blood cells, okay, that helps with disease. And so, if we have this broken spirit, it will affect our bone marrow, which in turn affects our immune system.

And so, Scripture says: “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.”

Now the word translated “broken” here (“broken spirit”) comes from the Hebrew word “nake'” {naw-kay’} and it means “stricken” (stricken!), which comes from #5217: “to strike,” “to scourge” or “smite.”

Lexicon: 05218 nake’ {naw-kay’} or naka’ {naw-kaw’} Meaning: 1) stricken Origin: from 05217; TWOT – 1362a,1362b; adj Usage: AV – broken 2, stricken 1, wounded 1; 4.

Lexicon: 05217 naka’ {naw-kaw’} Meaning: 1) (Niph) to strike, scourge, smite Origin: a primitive root; TWOT – 1362; v Usage: AV – viler 1; 1.

And Scripture tells us they are stricken in spirit:

Proverbs 15:13 – A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

So we have “sorrow of the heart” in turn causing this man’s spirit to be broken and the broken spirit in turn affecting the man’s immune system.

The word translated “sorrow” in the Hebrew is “atstsebeth,” Meaning “pain, hurt, injury, sorrow” and “wound.” It refers to the wounds of the heart. When a heart is wounded it can get so bad that our spirit is also stricken.

Lexicon: 06094 atstsebeth {ats-tseh’-beth} Meaning: 1) pain, hurt, injury, sorrow, wound Origin: from 06087; TWOT – 1666d; n f Usage: AV – sorrow 4, wounds 1; 5.

And so, the Scriptures are clear. Having joy within ourselves is a key to good health, and being wounded in the heart to the extent that our spirit becomes stricken, through a sorrowful heart, will in turn affect our bones, and therefore our body’s ability to fight disease becomes compromised. When our hearts are wounded, the spirit man is affected.

And so, we have a crystal clear demonstration from Scripture how the condition of our heart can affect our immune system, and therefore affect our health. We see it in Scripture and we see it medically. Medically they see it.

Now we all have moments of sadness. We all have moments of times when our hearts get wounded and we feel grieved by it. That is a part of life. We are going to have those moments. And in fact, Yahushua Himself had a moment of grief.

I wonder, where the real danger would be is when we have prolonged depression, prolonged unresolved wounds, unresolved bitternesses, unresolved fears to the extent that our spirit is broken, and therefore affecting our immune system, as we saw, and therefore affecting our health.

And how did Yahushua manage the moments when His heart was wounded, when He was sorrowful of heart? How did He manage that? In Matthew 26, and verse 37, it says:

Matthew 26:37 – And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.

38 – Then He said to them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.

39 – He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You [will].

We notice first of all what He did with that sorrow. He took it to prayer. He fell on His face to Yahweh, and begged Him, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

We see Yahushua making a connection between sorrow and death. He was sorrowful, even to the point of death. This could kill Him. And what was He so sorrowful about? Some people say, “Well, this caused a medical condition,” and they will quote Luke 22:41.

Luke 22:41 – And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed,

42 – saying, Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.

43 – Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.

First of all, notice He submitted to Yahweh. He accepted what Yahweh had allowed in His life. And then this angel appeared and strengthened Him after that.

So He took the sorrow. He went to the Father. He expressed His own will. But He accepted Yahweh’s will, and then He received strength. And it says:

Luke 22:44 – And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Now there is actually a medical condition that people can get. They call it “hematohidrosis,” I think is how you say it. But it does not say that there was blood in His sweat. It says that His sweat became LIKE great drops of blood falling to the ground. The sweat was just dripping… drip… drip… drip… drip… drip… like you were bleeding.

He was sweating so much, His body, it was like it was bleeding. So I don’t know that I can use this scripture to prove that there was blood coming out of His body. But either way, we are looking at a temporary situation. Yahushua’s response was obviously not sinful. He was without sin.

And Yahushua had never been in a situation where He was ever forsaken by Yahweh. He always had Yahweh with Him at all times. He even said, “I don’t even do it. Yahweh in Me does the works.” He always had Yahweh’s divine protection.

He escaped death on occasions where people picked up stones to stone Him or tried to throw Him over a cliff, but He was not at those times getting ready to bear the sins of the whole world. But now the time was coming when Yahushua the Messiah was going to have laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:6 – All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And YAHWEH has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

It was not a sinful matter to experience grief and sorrow, particularly because this grief and sorrow was from Yahushua feeling forsaken by Yahweh. As He cried out in the ninth hour of the day, He knew He was about to be forsaken for a moment.

Matthew 27:46 – And about the ninth hour Yahushua cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is, My Elohim, My Elohim, why have You forsaken Me?

“My Mighty One, My Mighty One, why have You forsaken Me?” Now His question had an answer. Yahushua knew the reason why.

But do you know how they quoted Scripture in the old days? In those days they didn’t say, “Okay, now, Psalm number 22…” They actually would quote Scripture by reading the first few words of that Scripture and that would point people to go back to that Scripture and read that Scripture.

And so, when Yahushua was crying out these words, He was crying out a Scripture. Why did Yahweh have to forsake Him at that moment and not answer His prayer “take the cup away from Me”?

It is that same Psalm 22 that says:

Psalms 22:16 – For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet;

17 – I can count all My bones. They look [and] stare at Me.

18 – They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.

Well, Yahushua, what happened to Him is Yahweh laid upon Him the iniquity of us all and He bore the curses that belonged on us.

Galatians 3:13 – Messiah has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, Cursed [is] everyone who hangs on a tree),

Our iniquities were laid upon Him and therefore He became a curse for us. Now how was Yahushua able to endure all of these things and still never sin? I mean, listen to Him.

Luke 23:34 – Then Yahushua said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. And they divided His garments and cast lots.

Just as the psalm had predicted. It wasn’t what man did to Him that caused Yahushua grief and sorrow. It was the fact that Yahushua had to bear our sin, become accursed by Yahweh for a moment.

Yahweh’s only begotten Son, who had been so faithful and righteous, and had never known sin, had never known anything but sweet, beautiful fellowship with the Father, was for that moment being accursed. I can see why He would have asked Yahweh to take the cup from Him and why He felt such sorrow and such grief.

It wasn’t because He was bitter at what man was doing. It was the loss of sweet fellowship with the Father. He had left the comforts of heaven. He knew it was coming.

It would be like a man taking a hot iron out of a coal and the orange glow of the hot iron coming toward you slowly. That would be more tormenting than just someone suddenly burning you, wouldn’t it?

Yahushua knew exactly what was coming, but how did He bear all of this? How did He survive it and not sin, all this wrong being done to Him? Scripture tells us…

Hebrews 12:2 – looking unto Yahushua, the author and finisher of [our] faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of Elohim.

We need to look to Yahushua, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him was able to endure the tree. And He despised the shame and He sat down at the right hand of the throne of Elohim. That is how He was able to handle what He was going through.

He saw in His future. In spite of all the pain, in spite of all the agony and bearing the weight of the entire world’s sins upon Him, He was able to bear it because… what? The joy that was set before Him. It was still JOY that kept Him going. And in spite of the grievous situation, it was joy that kept Him going.

In fact, we read a prophecy about Him that was quoted by the apostles in the book of Acts chapter 2, verse 26, where he is quoting the psalm. And he says:

Acts 2:26 – Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.

27 – For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

“You will not leave my soul in [the grave].”

Acts 2:28 – You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’

This is a quote from Psalm 16, verses 9 through 11.

Psalms 16:9 – Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.

10 – For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

11 – You will show me the path of life; In Your presence [is] fullness of joy; At Your right hand [are] pleasures forevermore.

And that is where He is at now– at Yahweh’s right hand. So what Yahushua endured, brothers and sisters, is a pattern for you and for me. As we look to Yahushua, the author and finisher of our faith, it is a pattern for you and for me to not become bitter, a pattern to not be overtaken by grief to where it becomes chronic.

Hebrews 4:15 – For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all [points] tempted as [we are, yet] without sin.

16 – Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

He who was tempted in every way knows how to overcome temptation. And He is able to help us overcome temptation.

Yahushua was tempted to become bitter, but chose to ask Yahweh to forgive the people instead. He was tempted to curse Elohim and die because of all that Elohim had put Him through, but He chose to put His hope in Elohim instead. Just like Job.

Job said…

Job 19:25 – For I know [that] my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth;

26 – And after my skin is destroyed, this [I know], That in my flesh I shall see Elohim,

He knew. “Hey, the flesh is going to go. I am going to die anyway. I know my Redeemer lives. And, therefore, I will live.” Job had insight into what Yahushua was going to do for Him.

Yahushua endured all these things and He is able to help us in our time of need. And when the affliction of men becomes difficult, we may have moments of sorrow. But I notice that Yahushua’s sorrow was brief. It was not prolonged.

He didn’t spend three years in the ministry grieving over what was going to come. He didn’t spend three years of ministry in self-pity. He didn’t spend three years of ministry in prolonged depression over what was going to happen. He accepted this is what Yahweh had called Him to endure.

John 12:24 – Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.

He understood. He had to die for fruit to be born.

John 12:25 – He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

26 – If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him [My] Father will honor.

27 – Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? `Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.

John 12:28 – Father, glorify Your name. Then a voice came from heaven, [saying], I have both glorified [it] and will glorify [it] again.

Through it all Yahushua looked to Yahweh and did not become embittered. But many today have been through difficult circumstances, traumatic events, abusive situations– events that actually pale in comparison to what Yahushua endured– and are struggling with the wrong kinds of responses.

Instead of, “Father forgive them,” it is more, “How could they have done this to me?” Instead of taking the attitude, “Well, unless I die to the flesh, I won’t bear much fruit. Unless I put my stock in the life that is to come, I won’t inherit what is to come.”

Or, “My soul is troubled, but I know I am called to live and respond the way Yahushua lived and responded. Maybe Yahweh’s name can be glorified in my refusal to engage in evil for evil, tit for tat, hurt for hurt.” But instead we see joy is lost. Depression, anger, rage sets in and a root of bitterness rises up causing trouble.

Scripture tells us:

Hebrews 12:14 – Pursue peace with all [people], and holiness, without which no one will see YAHWEH:

Two things: He wants us to pursue holiness and He wants us to pursue peace. Without which no one will see Yahweh.

Hebrews 12:15 – looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of Elohim; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

“Lest anyone fall short of the grace of Elohim.” This means you are not saved.

By this many lose their holiness. They become defiled. So we must pursue shalom with all. We must be willing to forgive and let go. Otherwise, we can find ourselves in danger of falling short of Yahweh’s grace.

Matthew 6:15 – But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

That is how you fall short of Yahweh’s grace. And so, the root of bitterness springs up in the heart and causes defilement and we lose our joy altogether.

Listen, we cannot let any man steal our joy in Yahweh. We can’t let it happen. It can literally cause health problems– scripturally, medically. We cannot let circumstances or the way people treat us cause us to lose sight of either the joy He has given us or the joy He has set before us, or we could find ourselves having health problems. Seriously.

And Scripture admonishes:

James 1:2 – My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,

3 – knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

4 – But let patience have [its] perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Do we want to be perfect and complete? Are we looking at the spiritual? Consider the trials to be a blessing that will produce the patience you need to then in turn give you the perfect work that you need in you to where you don’t lack anything.

Yahushua said:

Luke 6:22 – Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile [you], and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake.

23 – Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward [is] great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

Have you ever done that? You know, someone starts reviling you, starts casting your name as evil, and all of a sudden you just leap for joy? I can’t say I have ever actually watched someone do that. I don’t know if I have ever done it myself. I think I might have done it once or twice. But… LEAP for JOY!

You have to look at the spiritual, look to the heavenlies. Look at the joy that is set before you. He says, “Your reward is GREAT! For the joy that is set before you, you can endure it. In fact, you can even leap for joy when they treat you that way.”

Look at the early disciples:

Acts 5:41 – So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.

The rejoiced that they were even counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. “Hey, not everybody gets to suffer shame. Wow!”

If you are suffering shame for Yahweh and His ways, and for Messiah and His name, guess what? Not everybody gets that blessing. You get to be counted worthy. You get to be counted worthy to go through that. Consider it an honor to be shamed for Him.

So what happens? You start praising.

Psalms 147:1 – Praise YAHWEH! For [it is] good to sing praises to our Elohim; For [it is] pleasant, [and] praise is beautiful.

2 – YAHWEH builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.

3 – He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.

Start doing that. Start giving praise, thanksgiving. They rejoiced. They were counted worthy to suffer shame (Acts 5:41). HalleluYah! All right! Whoo-hoo!

What did Paul say?

2Corinthians 12:10 – Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Messiah’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Why? Because Yahweh’s strength is seen in our weaknesses.

1Peter 4:12 – Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;

13 – but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Messiah’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

There is joy that is set before you.

1Peter 4:14 – If you are reproached for the name of Messiah, blessed [are you], for the Spirit of glory and of Elohim rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.

We are told to do this because it is actually a blessed thing to partake of the Messiah’s sufferings and to be persecuted and to be shamed for His sake. That is an honor. That is something to leap for joy about, not something to be depressed about, not something to be embittered about and angry about.

You see, we just have to have our minds on the spiritual.

Colossians 3:1 – If then you were raised with Messiah, seek those things which are above, where Messiah is, sitting at the right hand of Elohim.

2 – Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

3 – For you died, and your life is hidden with Messiah in Elohim.

Colossians 3:4 – When Messiah [who is] our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

There is joy that is set before you. Keep your eyes there. Keep your affections there. Keep your mind there. And you will be blessed.

The more our attention is on the heavenly things, the easier it is to ponder and meditate on that joy that is set before us.

So let’s look again at our health Scriptures:

Proverbs 17:22 – A merry heart does good, [like] medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.

Proverbs 18:14 – The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, But who can bear a broken spirit?

Your own spirit will sustain you, but if your spirit is broken, man, you are in a heap of trouble.

Proverbs 15:13 – A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

If you are sick, your spirit will sustain you during that time of sickness, but if you have the broken spirit, you’re in trouble. In fact, if you want some medicine, try this: joy; a merry heart; change your countenance; change your attitude; look to the heavenly things; look to the joy that is set before you.

So many people are depressed because they are afraid of dying. Afraid? They are afraid to join Yahushua? Afraid to live forever? Why would we be afraid?

Having joy within us is key to good health, but when our spirit is broken through a sorrowful heart, our bones are affected, and therefore our bodies ability to fight disease is literally compromised. Literally.

According to an article in The Dallas Morning News, they determined that, quote: “Hormonal reaction to stress is tied to disease, researchers say. Stress and depression that send emergency hormones flowing into the bloodstream may help cause brittle bones in women, infections, and even cancer, researchers say.

“A natural fight or flight reflex that once gave ancient humans the speed and endurance to escape primitive dangers is triggered daily in many modern people, keeping the hormones at a constant hyper-readiness, experts say. Even some forms of depression bring on a similar hormonal state.

” ‘In many people, these hormones, such as cortisol, turn on and stay on for a long time,’ Dr. Philip Gold of the National Institute of Mental Health, one of the National Institutes of Health, said. ‘If you’re in danger, cortisol is good for you… but if it becomes unregulated, it can produce disease.’ ”

The cortisol can create disease in your body. Now what are we looking at here? Brittle bones?

“In extreme cases, this hormonal state destroys appetite, cripples the immune system, shuts down processes that repair tissue, blocks sleep and even breaks down bone, Dr. Gold said.”

Just like Scripture says.

“He was among speakers of a two-day conference of the International Society for Neuroimmunomodulation, a group of experts who study the effects of stress and depression on physical disease.

“Dr. Gold presented a study of bone density among 26 women, half suffering from depression and half with normal emotional states. The depressed women all had high levels of stress hormones, he said.

“Although the women were about 40, he said those with depression uniformly ‘had bone density like that of 70 year old women. They were clearly at risk of fractures. The magnitude of bone loss was surprising.’ ” (“Health and Science.” Dallas Morning News – 11/16/96)

Proverbs 17:22 – A merry heart does good, [like] medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.

It affects the bones. Depression, the sorrow of heart, affects the bones. The spirit is broken. The bones are affected.

The bones produce, normally, antibodies from the bone marrow. But when we have this constant fight or flight, we are constantly on edge from high octane bitterness in the heart, high octane fear in the heart, this cortisol turns on and stays on, which normally the cortisol is good in a fight or flight situation.

But if you leave it on for a prolonged period of time, it produces disease. Why does it produce disease? We read about cortisol’s basic function in the human body according to the Wikipedia article on “Cortisol.”

“Cortisol is a steroid hormone, in the glucocorticoid class of hormones, and is produced in humans by the zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex within the adrenal gland. It is released in response to stress and low blood-glucose concentration.

“It functions to increase blood sugar through gluconeogenesis, to suppress the immune system, and to aid in the metabolism of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. It also decreases bone formation.”

It is all interconnected– suppression of the immune system, decrease in bone formation and bone density, which in turn, of course, causes problems. They are both interrelated. The immune system and the bones are interrelated.

And so, medically speaking, if we are not walking around this life with things in our hearts completely resolved, if we are not walking in the joy of Yahweh, and instead we are walking in depression, instead we are walking in fear and anxiety and bitternesses in our hearts, it will have an impact on our health– somehow, someway.

It is just how our bodies were built. Because our bodies were not built to carry those things. Yahweh created our bodies perfect in the garden of Eden. We didn’t even need an immune system in the garden of Eden. Thankfully, He gave us that.

As Adam sinned, He gave an immune system. And there weren’t so many diseases and stuff back then either. So we lived longer. But now, here we are, close to the end of the age. It is like playing “whack-a-mole.”

You know, you knock one down and here comes another disease that pops up over here, and you knock that one down… And it is a big money making business out there to get people to sell books and sell medicines. And medical care– one-seventh of the United States’ economy.

How many diseases could be resolved by having our hearts healed, our hearts no longer walking in fear and anxiety and bitterness and depression, but instead we allowed Yahweh and His Spirit to manifest what He is about?

Galatians 5:22 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

What is that one right there? Joy.

Galatians 5:23 – gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

I don’t care how many times you speak in tongues. I don’t care how many times you are feeling led by the Spirit to do or say something. If we are lacking love, joy, peace, we are not manifesting that attribute of Yahweh’s character in our life.

If we have Yahweh’s Spirit, we are going to have joy, because we are not responding in the flesh when we are hurt by others. Instead, we are responding in the Spirit.

Instead of anger and bitterness, we respond with His peace. We respond with His longsuffering. We respond with His gentleness. We respond with self-control.

Because we don’t have bitterness in our hearts, we don’t hold these things. They have been resolved. The wounds have been healed and we are free. We are free to walk in kindness when we are mistreated.

Now when I say joy, I don’t just mean laughter. I know we read the earlier study today, the medical study about laughter and how it causes these good things in the body. I don’t believe we are going to really resolve our medical problems by watching comedians. Scripture says:

Proverbs 14:12 – There is a way [that seems] right to a man, But its end [is] the way of death.

And the truth is…

Proverbs 14:13 – Even in laughter the heart may sorrow, And the end of mirth [may be] grief.

Some people cover their sorrow with laughter. They cover their bitterness with a joke. Hollywood knows how to produce laughter, you know? A manufactured joy from something that is amusing, a joke. And they make millions producing their counterfeit of Yahweh’s Spirit, which is true, deep down, from Yahweh, joy.

What we need is not manufactured laughter through comedians, because even in laughter the heart may sorrow.

What we need is deep down genuine joy from Yahweh, the kind of joy that comes from knowing our future, the kind of joy that comes from the contentment and peace we have within ourselves, the kind of joy that comes from a thankful and grateful heart.

What do we need to have joy? We need thanksgiving. That is what we need. We need a thankful heart. The thankful heart is the only soil that the fruit of joy is ever going to grow out of. We will never be joyful until we are thankful. We will never rejoice until we are grateful.

Oh, we could have manufactured laughter from a joke somewhere, but that is not what we are talking about. A contentment within the heart can only come out of gratefulness and thankfulness because thanksgiving is the soil that the fruit of joy will grow.

So what do you need to maintain joy? Stay in touch with Yahweh. Have an intimate relationship with Him. The closer you are to His presence, the closer you are going to be to joy. The more thankful you are, the more He will inhabit your praises (Psalm 22) and the more joy you are going to have– just as Yahushua Himself.

Psalms 16:9 – Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.

10 – For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

11 – You will show me the path of life; In Your presence [is] fullness of joy; At Your right hand [are] pleasures forevermore.

His heart was glad. He rested in hope. He knew in Yahweh’s presence there was fullness of joy. He was able to endure, look at the joy set before Him, and that got Him through the hard times.

And so, we need to be on the lookout against things that cause us to lose our joy, to cause us to lose touch with Yahweh and His Spirit, the things that cause us to depart from Yahweh, the counterfeit substitutes that man creates to temporarily give him a semblance of joy and contentment. They are counterfeits.

It is not bad to laugh at a joke or something. I am not against that. In fact, a person who is happy might be more likely to crack a joke here and there. He is just a happy person.

But see, man has his substitutes and we have to be aware of that. His nicotine and other drugs try to calm him down. His alcohol, his television, his fantasy worlds, his computer games– all vain efforts to make him forget his sorrows.

These are vain substitutes that will not give us lasting, deep down contentment. Instead, they may very well enslave us. What we really need is Yahweh’s Spirit. And He is willing to dwell in a thankful heart. Scripture says:

Deuteronomy 28:47 – Because you did not serve YAHWEH your Elohim with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything,

48 – therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom YAHWEH will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you.

Who are Yahweh’s enemies? Satan the devil. A cruel messenger will be sent to us. If we are not thankful for what Yahweh has done for us, all right, the enemy is right there waiting in line, more than happy to be your ruler.

That is why Adam and Eve fell. They wanted Satan to be their ruler. They believed Satan’s words over Yahweh’s words.

See, this is in line with what physically happens to our bodies. Our natural immune system is physically affected by the condition of our heart– whether we are living in fear, whether we are living in faith, whether we are living in thanksgiving for the abundance of all things, or discontentment and depression.

You are not going to hear this in a doctor’s office. Because a doctor, he is just a mechanic, you know? He is trained to help you with the physical problem you are experiencing. He is not trained to help you receive the joy of Yahweh in your life.

He is only trained to help you manage the disease your body has and mechanically try to fix the symptoms you are experiencing. But Yahweh offers us the actual solution. If your body has a suppressed immune system as a result of a broken spirit and a bitter heart, it won’t fight disease and cancer and a whole host of other diseases and sicknesses.

As a result, you are sick. But if you have the joyful heart the Scriptures speak of, what happens?

Proverbs 17:22 – A merry heart does good, [like] medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.

The Hebrew literally reads: “A joyful heart, it (is) a good cure/healing.” It is a healing. That is the medicine you need. Actually, the word “like” is not in the Hebrew. It doesn’t say it is like medicine. It says it IS medicine. It IS the healing.

Actually, Hebrew does not have the word “is” in the language. It is always implied. It just says: “A joyful heart, it good cure/healing.” Our language uses the word “is,” but it is always implied in Hebrew.

So the joy of Yahweh is dwelling in us coming from His Spirit. And where the Spirit of Yahweh is, there is liberty and there is freedom. If there is anything robbing us of our joy, it can have an impact on our health.

It can stop us from producing the T-cells, the killer cells, the white blood cells, things that fight off cancers and viruses, and so on. But I don’t need medical science to prove it. I only needed to read Yahweh’s Word. He said it 3,000 years ago.

You know, we had an observance nine days ago called “Thanksgiving.” But, you know, thanksgiving is not a day. It is a lifestyle. Thanksgiving is something you should be practicing every day.

Think back to the very first time you humbled yourself. You acknowledged you were not wise enough to direct your own life and you put your life in Yahweh’s wise and trustworthy hands. You sought His mercy for going your own way and His forgiveness, and you find peace and contentment in knowing you are in good hands now.

And for me, and for all of us, I hope, it was a defining moment in our life, a time of rejoicing. Our sins were forgiven. A time of being thankful. Yahweh, in His mercy, called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

You know, when I first got baptized, I couldn’t get the smile off my face. That was Yahweh’s presence. But the root of all this is thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the soil where you are going to get the joy.

And twenty-six years ago I decided to put my life in Yahweh’s wise and trustworthy hands. He filled me with the peace, with the contentment I had sought for all my life. He set me free from fear, from worry, from depression, from guilt, from being unsettled in my soul. And so, thanksgiving hasn’t really been a day. It has been a way of life.

And look, my Savior created a new person twenty-six years ago, and He continues to do that. And for that, I will ever be praising and thanking Him. But I know I have had moments, moments where I have lost my peace, lost my connection. I got disconnected, not from the internet, but from Yahweh’s Spirit.

And what happens is you will just lose your thought process, your thanksgiving. You forget what Yahweh has done for you. You forget the misery of your former life. You become so accustomed to His presence being with you, you don’t even remember how bad it was when you weren’t with Him.

And you lose your thankfulness and you lose your joy, and pretty soon you start losing your health.

You know, thankfulness is really the root of everything if you really think about it.

You are born in this world. You are raised up. You are a child. You are looking around. At some point you are going to realize, hopefully– adulthood, childhood, somewhere– you are going to say, if you’ve had no religious training whatsoever, “How did we all get here? How did this all happen? If everything has a reason to it… how? why? where? what?”

And it is so incredibly complex (as you even learn, scientifically, everything is so incredibly complex). It couldn’t have just popped-up out of nowhere, you know, something coming out of nothing or dead matter producing living matter. And so, you begin to seek out: What is this all about? What are the answers to these questions?

And there is only one faith that has, first of all, experiential truth to it. But scientific, historical, archaeological– all these things that are supporting Scripture– no other faith can claim that. And it causes you to look to Yahweh, and you realize, “Hey, He made us. Thank You for making me!” Okay? Right? Thank You!

Or if you had kind of a rough childhood, here comes a Redeemer to come rescue you and save you and cleanse you and purify you and heal you. How about a “thank you” for that? And so, out of thanksgiving for His love toward us, we can say, “Praise Yahweh!” and we will turn our lives over to Him and we will realize we also have been part of the problem.

We have been sinners. We don’t even deserve to be alive right now. We only deserve to be burning in a lake of fire right now. That’s all we deserve. So, hey, if He is willing to save me and give me eternal life, in spite of the fact that I have not been a nice person, out of thanksgiving I am going to become a believer.

See how it is a baseline thing, you know, it is just a “we love Him because He loved us first” kind of a thing? But the problem is we forget and we start to lose our thanksgiving. And that is why Yahweh told Israel in Deuteronomy 6…

He says:

Deuteronomy 6:10 – So it shall be, when YAHWEH your Elohim brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build,

11 – houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant — when you have eaten and are full —

12 – [then] beware, lest you forget YAHWEH who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

We have the same susceptibility as well. We could forget Yahweh who brought us out of our own bondage of sin. Beware, lest you forget. When you forget, you lose your thankfulness.

Deuteronomy 8:11 – Beware that you do not forget YAHWEH your Elohim by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today,

12 – lest — [when] you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell [in them];

13 – and [when] your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied;

Deuteronomy 8:14 – when your heart is lifted up, and you forget YAHWEH your Elohim who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

Pride. How do we keep ourselves from forgetting Yahweh? It is easy to do if you are not focused on the heavenly things, and you are looking at all the things and all the blessings that He gives you, and rather than being thankful, the heart becomes lifted up. You start to lose it.

How do we stay spiritually strong in a generation where all this is just against us? It is like you have to keep paddling up current because you know back there is a waterfall and you don’t want to go down that way, and so you just have to keep paddling and paddling and paddling and paddling and fighting against the current.

In order to survive, you have to keep moving, because all you have to do to die is just be stagnant and do nothing and let the current carry you down. There are people paddling the other way. “Boy, this is fun. Let’s see what is up ahead.” They don’t realize it is a way of death.

You know, Yahweh gave us things in our lives to help us, to help us maintain a level of thanksgiving, to help us maintain a level of thanksgiving, which in turn enables us to have a level of joy, which in turn enables us to have healthy, long lives. He gave us things that we can do to help us in these areas.

Leviticus 23:39 – `Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of YAHWEH [for] seven days; on the first day [there shall be] a sabbath-[rest], and on the eighth day a sabbath-[rest].

40 – `And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before YAHWEH your Elohim for seven days.

Forget Thanksgiving with its turkey and football. How about this one, rejoicing seven days? Seven days you are going to find something to be thankful for, and you are going to rejoice seven days. A whole week!

In fact, everybody get together and we will add an extra eighth day on top of it and we will call it the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day. How about that?

Deuteronomy 16:13 – You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, when you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress.

14 – And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who [are] within your gates.

You shall rejoice. Everybody is going to come and rejoice. Your son, your daughter, male servant, female servant, Levite, stranger… Gentiles? Yes, Gentiles, too… the fatherless, the widow, who are within your gates. Bring the poor. They should not be neglected. Make sure you bring them.

Deuteronomy 16:15 – Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to YAHWEH your Elohim in the place which YAHWEH chooses, because YAHWEH your Elohim will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice.

Yahweh your Mighty One will bless you for the abundance of all things. He will give you things to rejoice about if you are willing to come and rejoice.

You know, the Feast of Tabernacles is a Thanksgiving Feast. People ask me if I keep Thanksgiving. “Oh, yeah, I kept Thanksgiving a couple of months ago, actually.” A Thanksgiving that was created by Yahweh rather than the ones created by former generations. Really, nothing in comparison.

I mean, it is not even five o’clock in the afternoon and they are already running to Wal-Mart for their doorbuster sales. I find it kind of odd that the day after Thanksgiving comes a day of, quite frankly, a lot of selfishness.

But Yahweh gave us holidays to observe and that is one of the many reasons why I believe observing Yahweh’s Torah is good for our health, and I dare say, necessary for our health. Yahweh knows exactly what we need.

Even man today recognizes the need for a vacation. That is why work places offer that, because we can get overwhelmed by life. And believe me, there is no better vacation to feed and give rest to our weary and hungry souls than Yahweh’s Feasts, I assure you.

For instance, the Feast of Tabernacles. We gather together. We are surrounded by people who love Yahweh, who have put their trust in Yahushua the Messiah for salvation. And we basically live a different world together for a week, a little slice of the Kingdom.

And we pray His Kingdom will come and His will will be done on earth. Well, guess what? That is what it is like for me. It is a beautiful time, indescribably peaceful, joyful, blessed when we get together and we connect to the body of Messiah.

And when we get together, we praise Him with music, we praise Him with the psalms. What are the psalms? It is a huge book of thanksgiving, right? and praise to Yahweh. That is what the psalms are. If you are feeling down, get out a book of Psalms and start reading them, and start thanking Yahweh for what He has done in your life.

And the Feasts are there periodically, every six months. They are there to keep you going, twice a year, at six month intervals. Or maybe seven. It depends on the year.

So we have what He has already given us– things in the Torah, in His Word– to help us keep a spirit of thanksgiving going.

And we can actually get together and get counsel, help resolve the issues in our hearts, really sit down and talk to people, and get ministered to and minister to others. Actually live together for a week, not just two hours in an afternoon. And start being thankful.

You know, I learned early on in my walk with Yahweh… I am very thankful for an elder by the name of George Kenney. He is no longer alive today, but he was an older gentleman when I met him in the early ’90s, and he told me a story about a man who went to a doctor.

And the doctor was actually a believer. And he says, “Doctor,” and he is an elderly man, and he said to the doctor, “Every part of my body aches. I mean, my shoulder, my elbow. Every part of my body. I am in pain all the time. I have this problem over here. I have this arthritis over here. I have this here and that there.”

And the doctor knew he was a believer, and they sometimes would get to talking into the biblical stuff. And so, the doctor says to him, “Does your pinky hurt?” He says, “Well, no.” “Well, I tell you what. Here is my prescription. I want you to thank Yahweh for your pinky not hurting. Every day. ‘Oh, thank You, Father, for a pinky that doesn’t hurt.’ ”

So he went home, and he just started doing that. “Thank You, Father, I have a pinky. This pinky is still going. It doesn’t hurt. It is fully functional. No pain whatsoever.” Pretty soon his wrist pain went away. “All right! Thank You, Yahweh! My wrist is doing better, and I thought I had arthritis or something there, but it’s gone.”

And pretty soon his elbow started feeling better. And you get the picture. Then his shoulder. Pretty soon his entire body was healed. That is the testimony I received from Brother George Kenney.

Thanksgiving does have an impact on health. Because what happened to his body? Instead of being depressed, instead of being angry and bitter and feeling down, he began to be thankful. His body, in turn, responded with a higher functioning immune system to take care of these medical problems that he was facing. And that is the blessing of the festivals.

Scripture says:

Nehemiah 8:9 – And Nehemiah, who [was] the governor, Ezra the priest [and] scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, This day [is] holy to YAHWEH your Elohim; do not mourn nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.

They were sorrowful for their sins. Well, guess what? When sinners repent, there is joy in the presence of Yahweh, right? So tap into the joy!

Nehemiah 8:10 – Then he said to them, Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for [this] day [is] holy to our YAHWEH. Do not sorrow, for the joy of YAHWEH is your strength.

What a beautiful, beautiful word right there. The joy of Yahweh is your strength. A holy day to Yahweh. Don’t be sorrowful. Be joyful. Be thankful.

Nehemiah 8:11 – So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, Be still, for the day [is] holy; do not be grieved.

12 – And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them.

They started blessing others. They sent portions and rejoiced greatly, because “they understood the words that were declared to them.”

Do you realize the blessing of understanding Yahweh’s Word? For you to understand His word, do you realize how blessed you are? Do you realize how many people there are in this world today? 7 billion people. How many truly understand the words of the Creator of the universe?

If you want to stay joyful, stay in touch with Yahweh, because in His presence is fullness of joy. At His right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalms 16:11 – You will show me the path of life; In Your presence [is] fullness of joy; At Your right hand [are] pleasures forevermore.

I know how it is, though. Life just starts happening. All these things that stress us out– problems at work, problems here, problems there. Oh, we have the Feast Days to help us give us that break, you know. We have that two weeks out of the year, but what about the rest of the year? Yahweh tells us. He tells us.

Exodus 20:8 – Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 – Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

How about a weekly occurrence of thanksgiving?

Exodus 20:10 – but the seventh day [is] the Sabbath of YAHWEH your Elohim. [In it] you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who [is] within your gates.

11 – For [in] six days YAHWEH made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that [is] in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore YAHWEH blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

When did He do this? When He created the heavens and the earth He blessed the Sabbath day and He hallowed it.

How do you keep the Sabbath day? Focusing on Him. Scripture says: If you turn away your foot from (or as a result of) the Sabbath…

Isaiah 58:13 – If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, [From] doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy [day] of YAHWEH honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking [your own] words,

Or “words, words,” “dabar, debarim” in Hebrew.

Isaiah 58:14 – Then you shall delight yourself in YAHWEH; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of YAHWEH has spoken.

Wouldn’t that be nice to delight yourself in Yahweh and rejoice?

What is the heritage of Jacob your father? It is the promised land. Eternal life. You are going to delight yourself in Yahweh when you keep His day the way He wants you to keep it.

The Sabbath is a day to set aside your own things, to focus on the spiritual things, and He promises if you keep it you will delight yourself in Him.

What do the Scriptures say?

Psalms 37:4 – Delight yourself also in YAHWEH, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

The same Hebrew word.

Psalms 37:11 – But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

When we begin to keep Yahweh’s day holy, this is an important step in sanctification.

Everyone is always complaining they don’t have enough time to devote to spiritual matters. But you know, if we keep the Sabbath the way Yahweh intended, as a day to draw near to Him in prayer, as a day to study His Word, as a day of fellowship, as a day of rest for this body that needs it, it will impact our health. It will. In a good way.

I’m not saying it MIGHT impact our health. I’m saying it WILL impact our health in a positive way. It will reduce your stress level because you have one day to take a break every week.

He even wanted the slaves to take a break once a week.

It will give your body the rest it needs every week to rebuild, to rejuvenate. It will help you to focus on the spiritual things, to give you time to pray and draw near to Yahweh and seek His face, and therefore be closer to the presence of joy, to behold who we are in Him.

And if we happen to get spiritually weak at any point during our lives, we have a habit of keeping this day holy where we can reconnect, draw near to Yahweh again and receive the blessing that comes from that.

I cannot tell you, so many times in my life work got me down, Sabbath came, and picked me right back up again… or life got me down, Sabbath day came, picked me right back up again. And as I have kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath has kept me.

I don’t mean keep me. I mean it is Yahweh keeping me through the Sabbath. And I am not saying Sabbath keeping and Feast keeping alone will in and of themselves cause a person to be healed of every disease that comes their way.

I am saying Yahweh has already set in place for us the kind of environment and lifestyle that fosters spiritual growth and our relationship with Him. It fosters it. And the Feast and Sabbath days are days of thanksgiving and days of praise and days of rest and rejuvenation. And if we are not keeping them, we are missing out. We are missing out.

Look, Yahweh sanctified the Sabbath day on the seventh day of creation. He didn’t make it just for the Jews. There were no Jews back then. He made it a Holy Day. So important it was, He kept it Himself as an example for us.

And we are created in His image, and for that reason alone, we ought to rest on that seventh day just as He did if we walk in His image.

But we see here it can have a positive impact on our health. It is not the cure all. It is not the answer to everything. It is simply a lifestyle that fosters good health. And we need every bit of that we can get, right?

It is the kind of lifestyle that Yahweh placed Adam and Eve in, a kind of environment He placed them in, the kind of environment He placed Israel in, the kind of environment Messiah Himself grew up in and His apostles lived in, the kind of environment the entire world will live in one day when Yahushua returns.

Isaiah 66:22 – For as the new heavens and the new earth Which I will make shall remain before Me, says YAHWEH, So shall your descendants and your name remain.

23 – And it shall come to pass [That] from one New Moon to another, And from one Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship before Me, says YAHWEH.

We need to worship Him. We need to give Him thanks. Any attempt to live outside the lifestyle he placed and gave to us will inevitably have a negative impact on our health. And that is just one way already.

I am not saying the mere observance of the Sabbath day will cause everyone to instantly be healthy. I am saying it fosters an environment in which we are continually reminded to come to Him, to draw near to His presence, to focus on the spiritual things so that we will attend and pay attention to the joy that is set before us…

So that we will have an attitude of gratitude and thanksgiving as we participate in this twice-a-year huge spiritual rejuvenation, this once-a-week, twenty-four hour period, one-seventh of our life, completely devoted to the spiritual. We need that. Things will just not be right without it.

Are we listening? If this is bumping into your theology, maybe you need to take a second look into your theology, because what I am saying here really agrees with Scripture. Yahweh wants us to glorify Him with our body and with our spirit.

1Corinthians 6:20 – For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify Elohim in your body and in your spirit, which are Elohim’s.

If our spirit is broken and our body is therefore diseased, as the result of a broken spirit from a wounded heart that won’t let go of bitterness, there is no glory in that.

And so, I am going to be talking more about how to resolve bitterness, how to resolve fear and anxiety, how to come to a place of healing.

Because think about that for a moment. If our immune system is working properly, our body will fight off disease. And if we are delivered from sin, we are, biblically, a step closer to life. Because sin is the reason why we have disease on the earth to begin with.

And so, as we resolve these sin matters, we are far more likely to be healed. And we see so medically, scientifically, which is only demonstrated by what Yahweh our Father has been teaching us all along. Are we willing to listen?

We will continue our examination into the Word of Yahweh in future segments, and I am going to share some more areas where we can find spiritual roots to disease, also, because this is an important topic and we need to grasp it. And we need to come to a place where we really see what Scripture actually does teach as keys to health.

So until then, my brothers and sisters, may Yahweh bless you, and may Yahweh truly have mercy on us all.