Healthful Living

Relation of Health Reform to Spirituality

Control of the Will

143. Satan knows that he cannot overcome man unless he can control his will. He can do this by deceiving man so that he will co-operate with him in transgressing the laws of nature.—Unpublished Testimonies, January 11, 1897. HL 38.4

144. Anything that lessens the physical power enfeebles the mind and makes it less clear to discriminate between good and evil, between right and wrong.—Special Testimonies On Education, 35. HL 38.5

145. The principles of health reform, ... which are adopted by him who gives the word of God to others, will have a molding influence upon his work, and upon those with whom he labors. If his principles are wrong, he can and will misrepresent the truth to others; if he accepts the truth which appeals to reason rather than to perverted appetite, his influence for the right will be decided.—Special Testimonies, Series A 7:41. HL 38.6

Light Unheeded

146. One reason why we do not enjoy more of the blessing of the Lord is, we do not heed the light which he has been pleased to give us in regard to the laws of life and health.—The Review and Herald, May 8, 1883. HL 39.1

147. The lack of stability in regard to the principles of health reform is a true index of their character and their spiritual strength.—Testimonies for the Church 2:487. HL 39.2

148. It is not possible for us to glorify God while living in violation of the laws of life.—The Health Reformer, March 1, 1878. HL 39.3

149. All who profess to be followers of Jesus should feel that a duty rests upon them to preserve their bodies in the best condition of health, that their minds may be clear to comprehend heavenly things.—Testimonies for the Church 2:522. HL 39.4

The Influence of Habit

150. If our physical habits are not right, our mental and moral powers cannot be strong; for great sympathy exists between the physical and the moral.... Habits which lower the standard of physical health, enfeeble the mental and moral strength.—Testimonies for the Church 3:50, 51. HL 39.5

151. If you pursue a wrong course, and indulge in wrong habits of eating, and thereby weaken the intellectual powers, you will not place that high estimate upon salvation and eternal life which will inspire you to conform your life to the life of Christ; you will not make those earnest, self-sacrificing efforts for entire conformity to the will of God which his word requires, and which are necessary to give you a moral fitness for the finishing touch of immortality.—Testimonies for the Church 2:66. HL 39.6

152. In order to live a perfect life, we must live in harmony with those natural laws which govern our being.—Testimonies for the Church 3:163. HL 40.1

Effects upon the Mind

153. That which darkens the skin and makes it dingy, also clouds the spirits, and destroys the cheerfulness and peace of mind.... Every wrong habit which injures the health of the body, reacts in effect upon the mind.—The Health Reformer, February 1, 1877. HL 40.2

154. Those things which fret and derange the stomach will have a benumbing influence upon the finer feelings of the heart.—Testimonies for the Church 2:537. HL 40.3

155. The gloom and despondency supposed to be the result of obedience to God's moral law is often attributable to disregard of physical law. Those whose moral faculties are beclouded by disease are not the ones rightly to represent the Christian life, and show forth the joys of salvation or the beauties of holiness. They are too often in the fire of fanaticism, or the waters of cold indifference or stolid gloom.—Signs of the Times, June 15, 1882. HL 40.4

156. Unless they practise true temperance, they will not, they cannot, be susceptible to the sanctifying influence of the truth.—Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 117. HL 40.5

157. Eating, drinking, and dressing all have a direct bearing upon our spiritual advancement.—The Youth's Instructor, May 31, 1894. HL 40.6

Morals Corrupted

158. By indulging in a wrong course of action in eating and drinking, thousands upon thousands are ruining their health, and not only is their health ruined, but their morals are corrupted, because diseased blood flows through their veins.—Unpublished Testimonies, August 30, 1896. HL 40.7

159. Overeating prevents the free flow of thought and words, and that intensity of feeling which is so necessary in order to impress the truth upon the heart of the hearer.—Testimonies for the Church 3:310. HL 41.1

160. Excessive eating of even the best of food will produce a morbid condition of the moral feelings.... Wrong habits of eating and drinking lead to errors in thought and action. Indulgence of appetite strengthens the animal propensities, giving them the ascendency over the mental and spiritual powers.... Everything that conflicts with natural law creates a diseased condition of the soul.—The Review and Herald, January 25, 1881. HL 41.2

161. Irregularity in eating and drinking, and improper dressing, deprave the mind and corrupt the heart, and bring the noble attributes of the soul in slavery to the animal passions.—The Health Reformer, October 1, 1871. HL 41.3

162. If those who profess to be Christians desire to solve the questions so perplexing to them,—why their minds are so dull, why their religious aspirations are so feeble,—they need not, in many instances, go farther than the table; here is cause enough, if there were no other.—Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 83. HL 41.4

163. A religious life can be more successfully gained and maintained if flesh meats are discarded; for a meat diet stimulates into intense activity lustful propensities, and enfeebles the spiritual and moral nature.—Unpublished Testimonies, November 5, 1896. HL 41.5

164. Children reared in a healthful way are much more easily controlled than those who are indulged in eating everything their appetite craves, and at all times. They are usually cheerful, contented, and healthy. Even the most stubborn, passionate, and wayward have become submissive, patient, and possessed of self-control by persistently following up this order of diet, united with a firm but kind management in regard to other matters.—The Health Reformer, May 1, 1877. HL 42.1

A Living Sacrifice

165. The Lord requires a living sacrifice of mind, soul, body, and strength. All that we have and are is to be given him, that we may answer the purpose of our creation.—Unpublished Testimonies, August 25, 1897. HL 42.2

166. True sanctification is not merely a theory, an emotion, or a form of words, but a living, active principle, entering into the every-day life. It requires that our habits of eating, drinking, and dressing be such as to secure the preservation of physical, mental, and moral health, that we may present to the Lord our bodies, not an offering corrupted by wrong habits, but a “living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.”—The Review and Herald, January 25, 1881. HL 42.3

167. It should ever be kept prominent that the great object to be attained through this channel is not only health, but perfection and the spirit of holiness, which cannot be attained with diseased bodies and minds. This object cannot be secured by working merely from the worldling's standpoint.—Testimonies for the Church 1:554. HL 42.4

168. A diseased body causes a disordered brain, and hinders the work of sanctifying grace upon the mind and heart.—The Health Reformer, September 1, 1871. HL 42.5

169. If man will cherish the light that God in mercy gives him upon health reform, he may be sanctified through the truth, and fitted for immortality.—Testimonies for the Church 3:162. HL 43.1

170. If Christians ... obey the laws which govern health and life, they will have the blessing of physical and mental vigor. They will have moral power to engage in the warfare against Satan; and in the name of him who conquered appetite in their behalf, they may be more than conquerors on their own account.—Testimonies for the Church 4:35, 36. HL 43.2

171. The character and efficiency of the work depend largely on the physical condition of the workers.... Many a sermon has received a dark shadow from the minister's indigestion. Health is an inestimable blessing, and one which is more closely allied to conscience and religion than many realize.—Gospel Workers, 175. HL 43.3

172. In order to render to God perfect service, we must have a clear conception of his will. This will require us to use only healthful food, prepared in a simple manner, that the fine nerves of the brain be not injured, making it impossible for us to discern the value of the atonement, and the priceless worth of the cleansing blood of Christ.—The Review and Herald, March 18, 1880. HL 43.4

God's Plan—The Kingdom Within

173. God's way is to give man something that he has not, to make him something that he is not. Man's way is to get an easy place, and indulge appetite and selfish ambition. God's plan is to set man at work in reformatory lines, then he will learn by experience how long he has tampered with fleshly appetites, and ministered to his own temperament, bringing weakness upon himself. God's way is to work in power. He gives grace if the sick man realizes that he needs it. God proposes to purify and refine the defiled soul, then he will implant in the heart his own righteousness and peace and health, and man will become complete in him. This is the kingdom of God within you. Day by day men are revealing whether the kingdom of God is within them. If Christ rules in their hearts, they are gaining strength of principle, with power and ability to stand as faithful sentinels, true reformers. Then, like Daniel, they make impressions upon other hearts that will never be effaced, and their influence will be carried to all parts of the world.—Unpublished Testimonies, October 12, 1896. HL 43.5

Our Duty to Others

174. It is the duty of those who have received light upon this important subject to manifest a greater interest for those who are still suffering for want of knowledge. Those who are looking for the soon appearing of their Saviour should be the last to manifest a lack of interest in this great work of reform.... This (2 Corinthians 7:1) is our work as Christians, to cleanse our robes of character from every spot. The spirit must be in harmony with the Spirit of Christ; the habits must be in conformity to his will, in obedience to his requirements.—The Review and Herald, July 29, 1884. HL 44.1