Living Victoriously
In
Health and Wholeness
7 Truths for Living Above the Norm
By Denise L. Bowman
Copyright 2011 Denise L. Bowman
Cover design: Craig Heitzenrater Graphic Design
Smashwords Edition
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Unless otherwise indicated, Biblical quotations are taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright � 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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Acknowledgements
Have you ever wondered how you got to the place where you are? I have been considering this for a few years now. First and foremost, God brought me to this place – physically, emotionally and spiritually – through many twists and turns. I started off in one direction and had a few detours along the way.
God is my driver and I am along for the ride of my life! He sent Jesus to give me freedom to live life fully in His abundance. God sent the Holy Spirit to be my GPS. And the Bible for the road map to get where I need to be. To Him I give the glory for all He is doing and will do in my life.
God sent me to a family who loves Him. My family is my life support. They are the ones that lift me up and encourage me. They give me laughter and a few tears. My Mom, who passed away a couple of years ago, is my inspiration to do better. I want to live a life that would reflect her spirit and love for others. Her friends were abundant and their presence in her life gave her great joy. My Dad, who gives me the best example of God’s love, has been my biggest supporter to do this thing that God has called me to. To my sisters, I love you more than words can say. I am blessed to call you my sisters but also to call you my spiritual sisters as well. To my nephews, I am excited to see how God is working in your lives and I am inspired to do more because of you. To my brothers-in-law and nephews’ wives, I love you as my own flesh and blood and am so glad to call you my brothers and sisters as well. To the next generation, I pray for your spiritual relationship as well. You bring such joy into our family.
God placed me in a loving church community. It has been a wild ride these last few years, but my community has been so encouraging. They inspire me to do better with what I’ve been given. For my pastor and friend Bill, I thank you for your messages that have given me foundational truth to live on. For his wife Jenny, she is my friend, my sister in Christ and my editor. She has made me a better writer. God inspired me to write, but Jenny gave me the right words and direction (and punctuation help). To my many friends whom I am so thankful to call my sisters and brothers in Christ, I wouldn’t have taken this step if you hadn’t given me prayer support and your encouraging words. You are my “oaks of righteousness” for He has planted you in my life for this time.
For the ones who help me live out this life, I feel in awe of what God has done through you to make me into the person I am today. For my neighbor and friend – and you know who you are – who has been the one to prod me, watch over me and keep me accountable, I thank you more than I can ever express. God placed me in this community for this purpose and He knew I would need you to help me stay focused.
This is the time and the place for God to do His work. I am willing to be His instrument. Lead on!
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Table of Contents
The Preparation:
The Truths:
Chapter 4. First: Water, Water, Water
Chapter 5. Second: Whole Foods
Chapter 10. Seventh: Priorities
The Purpose:
Chapter 11. Living Victoriously
Appendix A: Pantry and Freezer Makeover
Appendix B: Health Food Store Items
Chapter 1
Being Transformed
“Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.” 2 Kings 5: 13-14
Transformation is a series of steps taken that will bring a desired outcome. We start life in one form – a small baby – and transform to an adult. A caterpillar will transform into a beautiful butterfly. If we have received the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, God desires for us to be transformed to look like Jesus. Transformation is a process. It’s one that happens over time. The caterpillar isn’t instantaneously transformed to a butterfly.
If sickness is a part of your life right now, would you take the steps necessary to bring healing? Sixty to seventy percent of disease can be prevented or cured with a change to a better lifestyle. I wrote this book based on the insight I have gained by experience and persevering to live according to God’s desire. We are not called to survive in this life but we are called to thrive in this life! I want to pass this information along to others so that they may learn what I have found to be a way to live a life worth living. I am by no means finished learning, but I want to pass along these things as the Lord leads me through this chapter of my life.
“So don't you see that we don't owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There's nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God's Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!” Romans 8:12-14(The Message)
“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” Proverbs 3: 7-8 (NIV)
I am going to share with you the things I have learned and will hopefully encourage you to seek changes in your life as well. In 2006, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, which is an autoimmune disease attacking my thyroid gland. Since that time, I have learned how to take steps to heal my body with a change in lifestyle and dietary habits. What you are about to read is based on many hours of reading and studying various books from a variety of authors; lectures I’ve heard and from my life experiences.
I am a graduate of the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and am a certified holistic health coach (not a nutritionist or certified dietician). The information in this book should not be seen as medical or nursing advice and is certainly not meant to take the place of your seeing licensed health care professionals. My mission is to educate, equip and encourage others to better health and wholeness. With this book, I hope to fulfill the mission that has been set before me; however, please consult with your healthcare practitioner to understand your limitations based on your current physical condition before making major changes in diet or exercise.
With any new approach or journey, general information is required before beginning the process. It’s like taking a drive, you need to know the direction to go so that you can arrive at your destination – you have to be going there to get there. I am going to show you the direction I took to reclaim my health. It might not have been as simple as taking a dip in the Jordan River, but it was as simple as changing some habits, finding the right focus and keeping my eye on the prize – to live victorious in true healing in body, mind and spirit.
I didn’t start out with a purpose to transform my life (but God did); it was a process that began with baby steps. Change can be a dirty word to most and when it’s forced upon you, it can be hard to deal with both physically and mentally. Change doesn’t come easy but it does come with some discipline and action. Health issues brought me to a line in the sand, a point of decision, and I had two real options. One option was to go the conventional way with medication to treat the symptoms, and the other was to go a more natural route to find the cause. I chose the natural route. I believed this was a decision that would bring me to a more natural state of being for my body as well as my mind and my spirit.
When a baby is born, the baby’s body is in the most natural state. Everything in the body is new and in most cases is running smoothly. The nutrients the baby needs come from a natural source in the form of the mother’s milk. The mother provides the baby everything needed during that time as all the systems develop and grow.
The complex body was designed with the simplest of needs. God provided everything we need: air to breathe, water to hydrate and food to nourish. These elements – combined with physical activity and spiritual nourishment – provide a healthy body. Give the body (physical and spiritual) what it needs, and it will provide a life worth living. Feed the body junk and the body will be destroyed. Giving the body what it needs will bring energy and healing.
With this book, I am going to introduce you to the simple and most natural form of nourishment. We need to renew and refresh the body, the mind and the spirit. The goal is to put the right things in and take the wrong things out to bring about wholeness and wellness. The line in the sand was a point in my life that I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I found it was time for a change and to find the abundant life that God had intended for me to live. “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10 (NLT)
I will not only focus on the physical body, but the whole body – mind, body and spirit. The body has 3 parts and each part is required to be healthy in order to live fully as we are intended. Jeremiah 29:13 says “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Things to Consider:
What does transformation mean to you?
What are you currently doing that you know you shouldn’t be doing?
What would your life look like if you had an abundance of energy?
Journeying toward Victory:
1. Start with prayer. Ask God to help you transform to His desire for your life. You already know God’s desire for you – to be healthy and whole so that you will have a life fully committed to His purpose. Ask God to bring healing to whatever area in your life that is not working as it should – whether it is physically, financially, spiritually or mentally. My life was transformed when I started asking God for a hunger and thirst for Him.
2. God has already won the victory – believe it in your heart and in your mind. And start living in that full victory. I believed God would answer my prayer and I started reading the Word with an expectation of hearing a word directly into my circumstance. I lived with a new confidence inspired by God.
3. In your area that needs transformation, make one change today. Change one thing that you know is not beneficial to you. I started with a simple prayer and a dedication to reading scripture daily. Beginning my journey with prayer and scripture transformed my thoughts and changed my whole outlook. I became healthier in my mind, in my body and in my spirit.
Chapter 2
Renew the Mind
“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
“For lack of discipline they will die, led astray by their own great folly.” Proverbs 25:3
The process of transformation requires discipline. Habits are patterns that are formed into pathways into the brain. These pathways are like well traveled roads. When the paths are used often, the path will be more easily accessible. Once a pattern is set, the brain will naturally follow that pattern until the pattern is broken. Having the right mindset to be able to go further than what the body desires requires spiritual help. The body will crave the things that it’s addicted to. Food addiction is just as big a challenge to conquer as any other addiction.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7
Preparing the mind with prayer is the first step to be transformed. Another important step is to ask God for strength to stay the course as Philippians 4:13 states: “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” And finally, recognize my body as His holy temple. I will acknowledge to Him there are things I want to eliminate that do not honor Him. I want to seek His healing touch and believe in the power of Jesus’ name. I realize what God has provided is good and pleasing to Him and I give thanks to Him for His provision.
“For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.” 1 Timothy 4:4-5
I like to begin each day with a prayer to help stay the course for the day. When temptations come, I ask for strength to say “no” as well as continue looking for His guidance on what needs to be done to prepare the mind and body for His service.
Toxicity can come in all forms. From toxins breathed in during a jog by a highway, to the pesticide use of the farmers, to negative thoughts. In order to prepare for a new way of thinking and a new way in living, one must capture the thoughts and make sure the mind is getting positive reinforcement. Watching television can cause temptation to be at the forefront of the mind as commercials are not the best incentive to stay the course. One thought does not lead to temptation, but dwelling on one thought does. James 1:14-16 (NLT) says “Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.”
It’s important to make a plan beforehand to know how to respond to negative messages, not only through the media, but also from family and friends. Sometimes the ones closest to us are the ones that don’t offer support. Finding friends who encourage is especially beneficial to staying the course. Finding an accountability partner will help as well and will make the process more enjoyable.
“We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” II Corinthians 10:5b
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” Thessalonians 5:11
Soon after my Mom passed away, I started going through her stuff and started getting rid of it. With my family’s blessings, I sold or gave away many of the items throughout the house. And then I would come to my house and see all my stuff lying around. One January I decided it was time to de-clutter my house as well. I am usually not a pack rack. I tend to keep things of sentimental value, but there are times when I just don’t know what to do with something, so I will set it aside. I had been doing a lot of “setting things aside” for over a year, and it had gotten out of control. I was busy and didn’t have time to go through stuff and dispose of things. So that January I decided it was time to clean. I gave away, threw away and put away items. I decided to give away stuff I had stopped using or no longer wore. I realized that I have way too much stuff. Why was I hoarding stuff when others have nothing?