BY DR. DAVID O.

OYEDEPO

Bible Sense for Total Health

The Commission
"The hour has come to liberate the world from all oppressions of the devil,
through the preaching of the Word of Faith;
and I am sending you to undertake this task."

Introduction
And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy
water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. There shall nothing
cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.

Exodus 23:25-26

Right from the creation of the world, God's plan for man was total health. Man
was not programmed for sickness and disease, hence God did not make any
provision for his healing in the garden of Eden. Sickness and disease only
gained access to man after man fell.

Since the fall, however, God has in His mercy, made provisions for man to live
a very healthy life while on earth.

Jesus took away your sickness on the cross of Calvary.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are
healed.
Isaiah 53:5
So, as a child of God, total health is your heritage! Jesus was never sick, and as
the Father sent Him, so He has sent you (Jn. 20:21). You are not sent to see
sickness, and you will no more see it in your life, in Jesus' name.

What it takes to enjoy total health in life will be delivered to you in this book,
in the mighty name of Jesus.

1. Provisions For Health

Total health is your heritage, if you are born again. God has made certain
divine provisions for you to enjoy total health. For clarity, I have classified
these provisions under two divisions — The Spiritual and Covenant Provisions.

2. Spiritual Provisions
In this section, I will be discussing some vital spiritual provisions or
requirements for total health:

Faith

Faith is a key you must operate, if you must enjoy total health. The Bible in
Isaiah 53 gives us a prophetic insight into the messianic mission of Jesus Christ
for our health.

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
Isaiah 53:1

You cannot see the hand of the Lord, until you have believed His report. And
what does the report say? It says:

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with

grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we
esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows:
yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isaiah 53:3-4

From the original text, the word "grief" means "sickness," while "sorrow"
means "pain". By Jesus' griefs,

He bore our griefs and sickness, and by His sorrows, we can be free from
sorrows and pains.
Jesus paid the price for your health on the cross of Calvary. By hanging on the
tree, He became a curse for you and me, thereby crushing the effect of the
curses of the law, one of which is sickness (Gal. 3:13).

Deuteronomy 28:15-66 is a catalogue of the curses of the law. But you are free
from them, if you are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. That means you are
free from sicknesses and diseases. So, you are not permitted to be sick.

Though the price for your total health has been fully paid, faith is what grants
you access into that provision. It is only when you be lieve the report that you
will see the hand of the Lord.

Jesus said in Matthew 9:29, "According to your faith be it unto you." It is

according to your faith, not according to your cry.

Faith is so important in receiving God's provision for health, that the Bible
says, "Blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those
things which were told her from the Lord" (Lk. 1:45).

It is your faith that compels God's performance. Faith in the report of

redemption is your gateway to total health. Know that sickness has no spiritual
right over you. I see you begin to experience the hand of God upon your health,
in Jesus' name!

The Word Of God

My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not
depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life
unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
Proverbs 4:20-22

The Word of God is another spiritual provision for your health. You must give
it the right place in your life, because it carries inbuilt healing virtue, and
guarantees the flourishing of your health.

The Bible commands that you attend to the Words of God. The Word of God
should never depart from your eyes. You are also to meditate upon them and
"keep them in the midst of thine heart" because, "they are life unto those that
find them, and health to all their flesh."

Psalm 107:20 tells us how effective God's Word is:

He sent His Word, and healed them, and delivered them from their
destructions.

Also, Luke 5:17 says that as Jesus was teaching, the power of God was in His
Words, bringing healing to those who heard Him. Power was communicated
through the Words He was speaking.

The Word of God carries healing virtues for man's total health. So, every
attention given to it guarantees sound health.

A testimony that excites me a lot is that of Kenneth E. Hagin. He said he had

not felt even an headache for sixty years. This is because he spends quality time
in the Word daily. The Word of God is life unto him and health to his flesh.

The Word has a physiological effect in your body. The Bible says:

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health,
even as thy soul prospereth.
3 John 2

The Word of God is what determines the prosperity of your soul. The health of
the soul is a function of the spiritual nutrition it is exposed to. So, the quality of
revelation you have determines the health of your soul, which invariably
determines the health of your body.

As far as God is concerned, you won't be healthier outside, than you are on
your inside. In Matthew 23:26, Jesus said, "Cleanse first that which is within
the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also." Simply put,
your body enjoys health to the same level that your soul prospers. The more
acquainted you are with the Word of God, the more light you infuse into
yourself. A healthy spirit guarantees a healthy body. And to keep your spirit
healthy, always feed it with the Word of God.

The Communion

The Communion or the Lord's Table is yet another spiritual provision for total
health. You can tap into divine health through the mystery of the Communion
Table, as it carries virtues of health.

Jesus said:
 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this
bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I
will give for the life of the world. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my
blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:51,54

He means to say, "I assure you total health if you eat My body and drink My
blood. You can enjoy every kind of strength and vitality you want. I will keep
you on your toes and you will be alive and agile."

The mystery of the Holy Communion ensures absolute health and longevity for
the believer. That is why Jesus said, "This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in
remembrance of me." (1 Cor. 11:25).

Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23-30 showed us his revelation about the Communion.

One remarkable thing he said about the Communion was about taking it
worthily.

For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to
himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and
sickly among you, and many sleep.
1 Corinthians 11:29-30

In order words, if you take the Communion worthily, and with an

understanding of what it carries, expect to be strong, healthy and to enjoy long
life. Those who take it unworthily are weak, sickly and even die. But as you
take it worthily, it services your body organs and system. The power in the
Communion is able to destroy any sickness that might be hiding in your body.

Smith Wigglesworth used to serve himself the Communion daily. As a result, at

the age of 87, he was still very strong and handsome. Everything about him was
still buoyant and radiant. Commentators agree that Wigglesworth did not die.
They are all of the opinion that he just stepped to the other side, because there
was no traceable sickness or disease found in his body!

Do you want a healthy life? Do you want increased longevity? The

Communion is what it takes to enjoy total health. As you constantly take the
body and blood of Jesus, total health and longevity shall be your portion, in
Jesus' name!

Prayer
Prayer is another spiritual provision for total health for the believer. Your
health and life as a believer, will be sustained and strengthened largely by your
prayer life. A wise man once said, "A prayerless Christian is a powerless
Christian." You are advised to always pray and not to faint (Lk. 18:1).

James 5:13 says, "Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray..." Prayer grants
you access to total health.

Also, James 4:2 says, "...Ye have not, because you ask not." That means your
heavenly Father is waiting for you to ask for total health, if you desire it. Do
you desire health? Then ask for it in prayer, and your desire shall be granted.

Hezekiah was sick unto death and God sent Isaiah to tell him he would die. But
Hezekiah didn't lose hope. Rather, he resorted to the weapon of prayer and
chased death away with it. Besides, God added 15 more years to his life (Isa.
38:1-6).

As Hezekiah did, you can also pray to establish your total health. All the
ailments you think are normal are abnormal. Is stomach-ache normal? Is
headache normal? If you don't stop sickness, it may stop you! As you turn to
God in prayer, total health and vitality shall be your portion!

The Anointing Oil

Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them
pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: ...And the Lord
shall raise him up...
James 5:14-15

The mystery of the anointing oil is another provision for total health. When a
sick man is anointed with oil, the result is that "the Lord shall raise him up." It
is not the oil, but the Lord that raises up from sickness.

The anointing oil is not merely a chemical product. It is the Spirit of God
mysteriously put in a bottle, and designed to inject the power of God into your
body. It is God's power for the destruction of sickness. The anointing is a yoke-
destroying weapon (Isa. 10:27).

Smith Wigglesworth was a man of one book and one bottle the Bible and the
oil. As I said earlier, he died at 87 and never needed to use any form of
medicine. Friend, the anointing oil works!
Confession

By confession, you give expression to what you believe with your words. What
you believe is what you speak (2 Cor. 4:13). What you don't say, you never see.
What you are too big or too ashamed to confess, never expect to see it work in
your life.

When you confess, you say exactly what God says. So, if you believe in divine
health, go on and give it expression through your utterances. Talk health! Say it
loud and clear!

Your deliverance from sickness and disease is in your mouth. Jesus said, "For I
will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able
to gainsay nor resist" (Lk. 21:15).

I had a very interesting experience many years back. I was down physically,
and one of my uncles, out of concern, said, "Now that you are not healed, why
don't you go to the hospital?" I shouted at him, saying, "Who told you I am not
healed?" And as I was shouting it, the healing virtue of Jesus came into force in
my body, and I was made whole.

Friend, sound health is your heritage in Christ, and your confession is a

spiritual requirement for its manifestation.

3. Covenant Provisions
Having dealt with the spiritual provisions, we shall now be considering the
following covenant provisions for total health:

What You Eat

The first law of health has to do with what you eat.

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying,

Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou
eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Genesis 2:16-17

Mind what you eat, lest it eats you up. God told Adam, "Eat freely of every tree
of the garden, but don't eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil." But
when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit, their destiny
was dashed. They lost paradise and entered into the wilderness of sickness and
disease.

There are certain things that shouldn't be eaten. In 2 Kings 4, some sons of the
prophets went to look for vegetables for food. They gathered some wild gourds
also, which they used in cooking. But when they tasted the food, they
screamed, "O thou man of God, there is death in the pot."

Some of the things we call food are poisons. This, therefore, calls for caution.

In order to avoid eating things that are not helpful to your body, seek advice
from a dietician. Let him prescribe the necessary nutriments you need, based on
your age, job, sex and body constitution.

Note that no one is above counsel. I took time to seek advice from specialists
on what food is best suited for me at my age. That is why I am looking younger
everyday. Psalm 103:5 says, "Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so
that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's."

So, don't eat just every food you see! Not all kinds of food are good for your
consumption. Do you want your youth to be renewed like the eagle? Then
watch what you eat!

Some people consume a lot of sugar, thinking it is good for their health. When
you consult a specialist, you will discover that sugar is not good for you. I
discovered that vegetables are good for my body, so I eat a lot of them, and
fruits too. Please be guided by experts, so you can prolong your days on the
earth.

If you like good health and long life, then you should be prepared to do what it
takes to have them. I have a little book entitled, Bible Foods. It was a product
of research conducted to determine why people of the Bible days lived long.
The book focused on what they ate and the things their food contained. They
were mindful of what they ate, so they lived long. That shall be your experience
too, as you pay more attention to what you eat.

Diligence

Diligence is defined as careful and conscientious hard work. If God didn't see
anything good in being diligent, He wouldn't have given Adam the
responsibility of dressing and keeping the garden (Gen. 2:15).
Working or diligence is one of your guarantee for total health. When you stop
working, certain organs of your body will become inactive, causing you to start
ageing. Not only that, with time, the organs will break down. Ecclesiastes 10:18
says, "By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the
hands the house droppeth through."

Slothfulness is often the reason for physiological breakdowns in people's lives.

An idle man is poor, not only in finance, but also in health. The lives of our
covenant fathers (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) were characterised by diligence,
hence they lived long and in good health. Some people don't want to do hard
work. They do not understand, however, that they need to be diligent to
maintain their health.

But note that while being diligent, you need to guard against overworking
yourself. When you get to your limit, withdraw and take a break. This way, you
won't be a victim of breakdown. This caution ushers us into the next covenant
provision rest.

Rest

Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath
throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me
and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and
earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
Exodus 31:16-17

That is the Almighty and Omnipotent God speaking. He needed to rest to stay
refreshed. And He says rest is a perpetual covenant between Him and us
forever.

Rest is a vital covenant provision for total health. After working so hard, you
need to rest, in order to be refreshed. Those who refuse to rest by themselves
are laid to rest by other men. That shall not be your portion, in Jesus' name!

One day, David Yonggi Cho, the pastor of the largest church in the world, was
asked, "How are you able to keep this high energy level?" His reply was, "After
lunch everyday, I take a nap, so I can break the long day."

Rest is important for maintaining good health. As you go about your work or
business, when you get to a point where you can't go any further, just stop and
take a rest. If not, your body might experience tissue breakdown, which will
eventually culminate in sickness.
One day, my driver and I were returning from a trip. After we passed Jos, I
noticed he had veered off the road. I asked him if he was sleeping, and he said
he wasn't. I collected the car key from him and told him to sit at the back seat.
Five minutes later, a man who just told me he wasn't sleeping started snoring!

He was tired and needed some rest. If I hadn't taken over the steering from him,
he would have crashed the car somewhere on the highway, due to tiredness.
This is an example of how defenceless your body becomes when you have
overdriven it. When you have overdriven yourself, you need rest.

From the Scripture we quoted earlier, we discover that rest is a perpetual

covenant between God and His children. Nothing can cancel covenant. The
prayer of elders and the prophetic utterance of your pastor can't cancel it,
because God says, "My covenant will I not break..."

Don't say because it had been prophetically declared that nobody will die this
year, then you start working for 24 hours without rest. Watch it, for you might
be courting death! As you obey the covenant of rest, good health and longevity
shall be your experience, in Jesus' name!

Joy

Another covenant provision for total health is joy. Most physical breakdowns
are traceable to emotional breakdowns. Proverbs 17:22 says:

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

This proves that a merry heart has medicinal virtues which give medicinal
values to the body.

The Bible again says, "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice"
(Phil. 4:4). Also, 1 Thessalonians 5:16 says, "Rejoice evermore." That is, it is
your responsibility to be joyful. Joy is not endowed or given; rather, you have
to consciously generate it. You don't know what you are missing when you are
not rejoicing. If you are not joyful, you miss a nice countenance and good
health.

The joy of the Lord is one of the mysteries for your strength (Neh.8:10). Joy
strengthens and revitalizes the body system. It is joy on your inside that
invigorates your body.
Some people are fond of brooding over their past. Your past is irreparable, so
don't let it destroy you. If you are tied to the apron strings of the past, you will
never have a colourful future.

Note that life without challenges is life without meaning. The present
challenges you are facing are normal. Remember that every champion is a
product of challenges. Don't let the challenges of the day steal your excitement.
Face life with a sense of mission, and don't bow to any challenge, no matter its
magnitude, for they are joy killers.

For you to remain joyful and excited, you must break every connection with the
negative past. Have a colourful picture of your future, and begin to celebrate it
with joy. Somebody once asked me, "Do you ever have problems?" I said,
"Maybe it came and I didn't know." To retain my joy, I don't brood over
problems or hold on to the past.

Joy constitutes a form of immunity against sickness and disease. It destroys

every attack of sickness by releasing strength into your system.

The Bible records that Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit (Lk. 10:21). He maintained
His joy all through His stay on the earth, so He enjoyed sound health. You need
joy! As long as you are joyful, you are sure to have total health.

Love

We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the
brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer

hath eternal life abiding in him.
1 John 3:14-15

Another covenant requirement for total health is love. The life of God does not
flow where hatred exists; it only flows where love reigns. Hatred afflicts the
body.

...Lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be
defiled;
Hebrews 12:15

Bitterness troubles the body. It is an emotional poison that dries up the body.
The life of an unforgiving person is characterised by sickness. This is because
anyone who harbours bitterness is unknowingly harbouring poison. Not only
that, it defiles one's destiny and health. That is why you must steer clear of
bitterness, hatred, bickering and rancour.

Love one another, for love is of God (1 Jn. 4:7). As you do so, the life of God
will begin to flow in you, and you will enjoy total health.

Medical Attention

So far, I have told you what you must do to enjoy total health. However, in case
you are sick, God has made a provision to help you out. This provision is
medicare.

Medicare is an emergency tool to keep you alive or to rescue you, so you can
enjoy all your benefits in the covenant. The personnel involved are doctors,
nurses and midwives. Note that it is God that cures,

they are only caring agents. A combination of the cure and care ministry is
what certifies total health.

In Luke 10:30-37, Jesus narrated the parable of the good Samaritan. When a
priest and a Levite saw the wounded man, they passed by him, without
rendering any help. But the Samaritan had compassion on him, and took him to
a caring centre.

He gave the host two pence to take care of the wounded man, with a further
promise to pay whatever extra amount was spent in nursing him back to health.
Jesus ended the parable by saying, "Go, and do thou likewise."

That is an approval for medicare ministry. Going to the hospital is not a sin; but
only the sick go there. If you have eaten certain things that have ruptured your
body, the doctors, with the knowledge they have acquired, can help restore you
to a state of sound health.

The doctor is not your enemy, and God is not against medicare either! For
instance, if your pregnant wife is due for delivery, you don't keep her in your
room and start speaking in tongues, waiting for her to deliver there! What you
should do is to move her to a hospital, where she would be adequately attended
to by qualified doctors and midwives. That way, she will deliver her baby
safely.
A young man was brought to me almost dead. He had been coughing for a long
time. I prayed for him and sent him straight to the clinic. The next time I saw
him, life had been restored to him. He would have died on his knees praying.

Let me stress that God is not an enemy of medical science. It is an instrument

in His hands to salvage the lives of covenant people when they are sick. Jesus,
the Son of God, is the Great Physician. He is the Lord that healeth thee. He is
Jehovah Rapha. Yet, He said in that parable, "Go, and do thou likewise." So,
when you need medical attention, go for it without hesitation or a feeling of
guilt.

Physical Exercises

For bodily exercise profiteth little...

1 Timothy 4:8

Some people think that physical exercise is not important, and so are
nonchalant about it. Physical exercise is one of God's design for your total
health.

The Bible says, "Bodily exercise profiteth little..." That means there is some
form of profit in it, so endeavour to catch the "little" profit it carries. A wise
man is quoted as saying, "From little, the greatest often grows."

No matter what you do for a living, you need to exercise yourself. Don't adopt a
regimented pattern of moving from your room to the car, from the car to the
office and back home everyday. You must make out time to ensure that your
body, as well as your brain is in good shape.

So, take a walk and exercise your hands,legs and whole body. This will
enhance your circulatory system. I also engage in physical exercises to
maintain physical fitness. That way, I do not miss the little profit physical
exercise offers.

Do you know that the renowned servant of God, T. L. Osborn, still engages in
exercises? He still jogs twice every week, at his age. This is responsible for his
physical fitness.

Do you want your body to be in good shape too? Do you want to enhance your
physical fitness? Do you want to stay alive and enjoy total health? Then engage
in physical exercises.
It is the dawning of a new day for you! Every sickness and disease will lose
total grip on your life! You are entering into your season of total health right
now! When you are 100 years, you will move about like a 40-year-old!

A Final Word
You have through this book encountered Bible sense secrets for total health and
longevity. Total health is your heritage, and it is the will of God for you (3 John
2).

God, through Bible Sense For Total Health, has opened your eyes to the
spiritual and covenant requirements, so that your health and long life would
really be satisfying, and not be filled with sickness and sorrow. Your
responsibility now is an absolute obedience in following these divine
provisions.

I welcome you to the realm of total health and longevity. As you practise what
is written in this book,

your health won't fail, in Jesus' name!

Make the following declarations:

Total health is my heritage!

God said it! I believe it! And it is settled!