I’LL ADMIT IT. SOMETIMES I (SUSAN) WISH MY LEGS WERE LONGER. AND there are a few other things I’d change about my body if I could. Maybe you can relate. It seems most of us struggle with dissatisfaction about our bodies and our appearance. But have you considered how God thinks about you and your body? Like David in the Old Testament, have you ever marveled at how God created you — and thanked him for such a gift? In considering his body, David skipped right over dissatisfaction and went straight to praise: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Psalm 139:13–14).
No matter how you feel about your body right now, we hope you will open yourself to the truth of David’s words, which is the truth about how God created you — wonderfully and with purpose. If more of us were like David and could see ourselves the way God sees us, our spontaneous response would be praise rather than dissatisfaction or disappointment or self-loathing. We would feel better about the way God created us, and we would take better care of ourselves.
As you enter this part of the Daniel Cure, we suggest you set aside any poor body images you might have. For the moment at least, hush the negative inner voices that keep telling you you’re too fat, or too short, or too plain looking. Instead, as much as possible, take a step back and try to see yourself the way God sees you — the way your Creator sees you. Remember, it is God who “saw all that he had made,” and declared that indeed “it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).
THE HUMAN BODY IS GOD’S MASTERPIECE
To better understand the masterpiece God made when he created the human body, allow us to take you on a mini-tour of just one of the amazing systems that keeps your body alive — the vascular system, composed of your blood vessels. Beneath your skin is an intricately designed and masterfully created symphony of biological instruments. These hollow tubes transport liquid life throughout your entire body. If you were to set all your blood vessels end to end, they would wrap around the earth more than twice!
You have three main types of blood vessels: arteries, veins, and capillaries.* All of these vessels work in concert with your heart and lungs to comprise the cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory systems. Arteries and veins are large vessels composed of smooth muscle, elastic tissue, fibrous tissue, and a thin layer of cells called endothelium that lines the interior surface of the blood vessels. As the heart beats and forcefully ejects blood, the blood passes directly into the arteries. The pulmonary circulation system first plays its essential role. The pulmonary arteries carry oxygen-depleted blood from the right side of the heart to the lungs to receive oxygen, and oxygen-rich blood is carried to the left side of the heart. This oxygen-rich blood is then pumped by the left side of the heart into the aorta — the largest artery in the body — for transport throughout the body. Veins, which do not contain as much muscle as arteries, carry oxygen-depleted blood back to the heart from body tissues.
Capillaries are very small vessels, smaller than a hair, and consist entirely of endothelium, which regulates blood flow into and out of tissues. This occurs through a rather complex series of events involving smooth muscle and two specialized chemicals: endothelin, which causes vessels to constrict, and nitric oxide, which causes the vessels to open.
Arteries and veins generally run parallel throughout the body and are connected through a web-like network of capillaries embedded in tissue. The strong left-ventricle muscle of the heart pumps blood into the aorta, which then passes it along into arteries of decreasing size, finally arriving at the capillaries. This is where tissues, such as your muscles, extract the precise amount of oxygen from the blood that they need to perform a given task. For example, your muscles need less oxygen while you’re at rest, much more when you’re active. As your blood passes through tissues, it loses oxygen and gains waste products such as carbon dioxide. Moving into your veins, this “venous,” or deoxygenated, blood returns to the right side of the heart, where it is pumped once more to the lungs, drops off carbon dioxide for removal from the body (which happens when you exhale), and is saturated with oxygen (when you inhale) before it returns to the left side of the heart to start the journey all over again. A single round trip takes about a minute.
This amazing process occurs continuously throughout life, with average-size adults pumping approximately five liters of blood throughout their bodies every minute of every day. And that’s in a resting state. With vigorous exercise, the heart has to work faster and the volume of blood can increase to between twenty and forty liters of blood per minute. So that’s about 1,900 gallons of blood per day while at rest, and about 300 gallons during a sixty-minute, moderate-intensity workout. The heart is an impressive pump.
Your body’s vascular system is just one of the many components of this mighty machine God created and entrusted to you. Every part of your body is intricately designed to work together so you can maintain good health every minute of every day. That’s the way God engineered the human body — as a stunning, amazing, powerful, and purposeful masterpiece!
I’VE EXPERIENCED REPEATED DIET FAILURE. WHY SHOULD THINGS BE DIFFERENT NOW?
If you’ve had disappointing experiences with previous diets, you might be wondering, “Why would the Daniel Cure plan work for me?” Well, beyond the distinctions between this eating plan (which makes no restrictions on the amount of food consumed) and the poorly designed plans so often followed, the most important reason is this: In the past, you may have tried to do things on your own — through your own power and your own ability. With the Daniel Cure, we encourage you to come to the Lord and ask for his guidance and strength as you embark on this journey. Allow God to become your personal trainer!
For many of us today, food has almost become an idol and takes priority in life. To overcome this attachment to food, we need the Lord’s help. In fact, we all need God’s help in everything we do, no matter how big or how small — this includes adopting a lifestyle approach to healthy eating. Just like all good earthly parents, our heavenly Father is here for us whenever we call, always wanting to be with us and to assist us. In response, we consistently demonstrate our love for God by being obedient to his Word (see John 14:15).
You might say, “Well, I don’t even believe in God. How does all of this apply to me?” Quite simply, it doesn’t. But it could. God loves you and he desires to have a personal and intimate relationship with you. It is our prayer that you will come to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. It’s not difficult, and it doesn’t require any special preparation. If you feel the tug of the Holy Spirit on your heart right now, simply surrender to him. Admit that you are a sinner. Ask for his forgiveness. Declare your repentance (a changing of your ways). Commit your life to following Christ from this day forward. Give yourself to him and allow him to live inside you, directing your path and shining his light for all to see. It’s the most important decision you will ever make.
In the coming chapters we’ll explore more about the body — and we’ll look at what happens when this amazing work of art is neglected or abused. Our hope is that you will be so captivated by God’s awesome gift to you that a new desire will rise up within you to give your body the very best care, complete with a new lifestyle aimed at optimizing your health.
YOU ARE MORE THAN A BODY
The body is a masterpiece, but it is just one part of the amazing composition that makes us human beings created in God’s image. Consider what these words from the apostle Paul reveal about how God created us: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23 NKJV, emphasis added).
So what does this mean? I sometimes explain Paul’s statement this way: “You are a spirit. You have a soul. You live in a body.” Let’s take a closer look at each one.
You Are a Spirit
God created human beings in his image, and God is a Spirit (see John 4:24; 2 Corinthians 3:17). It is the spirit within you that connects with the Spirit of God. When you accepted Christ into your life, your spirit was reborn: “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit” (John 3:6) And as a new creature in Christ, “you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). Born-again believers have a living spirit that is in Christ: “But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:17).
You Have a Soul
Your soul encompasses your will, intellect, emotions, and personality. The Greek word for soul is psyche, and it is most often translated as “life.” This part of our human nature is not immediately transformed when we are born again. If you were stubborn before you gave your life to Christ, you will still be stubborn after you give your life to Christ. However, as you submit yourself to the Spirit of God and learn from him, you will be transformed. The apostle Paul wrote, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2, emphasis added).
Our faith journey includes growing in the love and knowledge of Christ so we can be transformed. Then we become more in line and consistent with who we are in Christ.
You Live in a Body
The body is the physical container for the soul and spirit. God’s Word clearly establishes that caring for the body is critical to our well-being and our life with God. The apostle Paul affirmed this when he wrote, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20).
Spirit, soul, and body encompass the totality of the human experience. God designed all three parts of us to work together in harmony and health. As children of God, we are called to be the best we can be and bring glory to our Creator. And God miraculously equips us to do this: “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Peter 1:3–4).
When we accept our new life in Christ and our godly nature, we want to submit to the Lord and follow his ways. We submit our will to his will and we develop the deep and abiding trust children have for their Father.
FREE WILL AND TRUST
When God created human beings, he gave us free will — the freedom to make our own choices. Why? In part because God created us in his image and he has free will. One of the significant choices free will enables us to make has to do with trust — especially when we face difficulties and temptations. Three stories in the Bible demonstrate what our choices reveal about whom or what we trust most.
• Adam and Eve. God gave Adam and Eve everything they needed, denying them only one thing: “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:16–17 NKJV). Nevertheless, when they were tempted, they listened to the deceiving words of the serpent. Adam and Eve had free will and chose to trust the enemy rather than God.
• The Israelites in the Exodus. God delivered his people from slavery in Egypt and told them he would give them the Promised Land (see Deuteronomy 1:8). But in spite of God’s demonstrated goodness and faithfulness, the people allowed their difficult circumstances to overwhelm their trust. They repeatedly doubted God, tested him, disobeyed him, and ultimately chose to worship an idol instead of him (see Acts 7:39–43). As a result, God caused them to wander for forty years and an entire generation died in the wilderness, never reaching the Promised Land. The Israelites had free will and chose to trust an idol rather than God.
• Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. On the night he was betrayed, Jesus was “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38). Knowing he would soon be arrested and crucified, he went with his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. With his face to the ground, he cried out, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). Even in the face of death, he submitted himself to God. Jesus had free will and he chose to trust God.
God created you with a free will. Just like Adam and Eve, the Israelites, and Jesus, you have full control to choose what you will do and what you won’t do. Will you trust God and follow his ways? Will you align your thoughts, emotions, personality, and actions with the way, the truth, and the life of Jesus?
Just as God didn’t impose his will on Adam and Eve in the garden, or on the Israelites in the wilderness, or on Jesus at Gethsemane, God doesn’t impose his will on us. We have free will, and with free will comes the responsibility to choose. The root word in responsibility is “respond.” We can choose how we respond to the temptations and difficult circumstances we face. However, it’s important to note that having choices does not mean we have control of the outcome once we make a choice.
Think about it. If Adam and Eve could have foreseen the consequences of eating the forbidden fruit, perhaps they would have chosen differently. But it’s also true that their decision wasn’t based on the consequences — God had told them they would die. That’s a pretty steep consequence. Ultimately, their choice was motivated by a lack of trust in God. They did not trust that God knew what was best for them. They didn’t believe God when he warned them.
This remains true for us today! Too often, our choices demonstrate a lack of trust that God knows what is best for us. And yet we know that trust is what God calls us to do. He truly does know what is best for us, and he wants us to have the blessed life that Jesus died to give us. As children of his, as heirs to his kingdom, he’s given us promises, power, and authority. And he’s given us the free choice to be like Adam and Eve who placed their trust in the enemy, like the Israelites who placed their trust in idols, or like Jesus who placed his trust in God. The choice is ours — who is the one we will trust?
YOUR BODY IS GOD’S TEMPLE
As followers of Jesus, most of us are familiar with this teaching from the apostle Paul: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16 NKJV). To better understand what it really means that we are the dwelling place for God, it’s helpful to know something about the tabernacle, which was the first structure God designed to fulfill his desire to dwell with his people.
The tabernacle was a portable sanctuary where the Israelites worshiped God during their forty years in the wilderness. God so wanted to be with his people that he gave Moses precise instructions about the purpose, construction, and furnishings for the tabernacle (see Exodus 25:40). When the tabernacle was completed, God took up residence there: “Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:34 NKJV).
God appointed Moses’ brother Aaron as the first high priest and caretaker of his dwelling place. As high priest, Aaron was the only one who could enter the Holy of Holies — the inner sanctuary — and he could enter only once a year on the Day of Atonement (Exodus 30:10; Hebrews 9:6–7).
Aaron took his assignment very seriously and fulfilled his duties with the utmost care and precision. After all, this was a holy place, the very dwelling place of God, the Most High.
Take a moment to imagine yourself in Aaron’s place. Picture yourself getting dressed in the priestly vestments, using meticulous care because you know you will soon step into God’s dwelling place on earth. As you enter the outer court and approach the altar, you know that the Lord is very near, residing behind the curtain, above the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies, the most sacred place of all.
Can you picture it?
If you are a follower of Christ, this most sacred place of all — the place where God dwells — is you. Your body is the holy of holies. Now read what the Scriptures have to say about you: “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20 NKJV).
How does this truth impact you? Do you really believe it — that God lives in you?
Does your body matter? Yes! Your body matters because it was God who made it — just for you! And it matters because you are not your own. Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, offered himself as the sacrifice for your redemption (see Hebrews 9:11–15). You are a masterpiece of God’s design, a priceless treasure in the eyes of the Creator who made and redeemed you for his holy service. Plus, your body is the home of the living God.
If we fail to grasp this truth — that we are God’s holy temple — we will continue to mistreat our bodies. Can you imagine Aaron tossing garbage into the Holy of Holies? Or allowing the curtains surrounding the outer court to be defiled with graffiti? Unthinkable! Yet when it comes to physical health, many Christians treat their bodies more like a garbage dump than the temple of the Most High. Instead of eating with great care, they fill their stomachs with the poorest quality foods — foods empty of nutrients and loaded with calories, sugar, fat, and chemicals. And consider this sad fact: Most dog food has a higher nutritional value than the diet consumed by the average American. The same is true for rodent chow fed to lab rats. This is insane!
CREATE AND MAINTAIN A HEALTH FILE FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS
It’s often easier and more interesting to track your health when you know your starting point. We suggest that you maintain a simple health file for you and for each member of your family. The file should include the most important physical measures, which are typically part of routine physical exams. This includes your body weight, waist and hip circumference, resting heart rate, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugar. You might also include other measures that you or your physician feel are important. Doing so will allow you to review your results regularly (annually) and quickly. You can then work with your physician and other health-care professionals to determine what, if any, course of action is needed to improve your results. For your convenience, we have created a template health file that you can download and use. You can find it on our site at www.DanielCure.com, as well as in the appendix “The Daniel Cure Health File” on page 274.
As a result of our poor dietary choices, we are a nation afflicted with a host of preventable diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Many of us walk around tired and suffer from poor quality of sleep. Most men, women, and children don’t move their bodies enough. We are discouraged, stressed, and maintain a generally poor outlook on life. As a result of all the poor choices, you could say that many of us are “existing” rather than “living.” With the Daniel Cure approach, you can take control of your life. (See “I’ve Experienced Repeated Diet Failure. Why Should Things Be Different Now?” on page 35.)
As children of God and heirs to the mighty throne, we don’t have to settle for just existing. We can clean the temple in which God dwells and rededicate ourselves to caring for it. In the name of Jesus, we can boldly proclaim, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). Take a stand for the glorious and healthy life God wants you to have. Accept God’s invitation to take responsibility for your choices. Focus your efforts on improving your health through the Daniel Fast and the Daniel Cure lifestyle principles. A healthier life of service and vitality awaits.
Let’s get started.
TURN YOUR THOUGHTS INTO ACTIONS
1Take a few minutes to reflect on the goodness of your body — the fine detail God put into creating you. Write down four to six things you are grateful for. Then express your thanks to God for the masterpiece that you are. Thank him that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Be specific. For example, “Father, I thank you that you give me the breath to run three miles each day. I thank you for my strong heart and the way it pumps life-giving blood to all my body parts. I thank you that my stomach works just as you designed it to operate. I thank you that you designed my body to be strong and capable of helping others.”
2Assess your health by establishing a baseline. Make an appointment for a routine physical and follow the guidelines in “Create and Maintain a Health File for You and Your Family Members” on page 40.
* Included in the category of arteries are the much smaller arterioles; included in the category of veins are the much smaller venules.