The Problem
One of the major problems facing the legislature of the United States of America is the so-called “Health Care Plan.” The major reason this issue cannot be solved is because they are not dealing with the real issue, Health, but rather with the issue of Sickness. It is a Sickness-Care plan.
The “Plan” is all about providing more doctor-visits, more prescriptions, more hospitalizations, more surgeries, more tests, and more medical diagnoses, more pain relief. This, you see, is about sickness. It indicates that we, as a nation are sick, and, as a nation, we are agreeing with that.
Obviously, all of these things will not make us healthy, but which will only possibly give us temporary relief, sometimes leading to even more pain and disability. We must, rather, deal with the problem of how to be healthy.
The Solution
For example, start with “Why are we so sick?” The major reasons are: inactivity, idleness, self-indulgence. This life-style leads to physical and moral decay; obesity, addictions and irresponsibility.
When God created Mankind, He gave them dominion, responsibility and accountability, over all Flesh, which included Man’s own Flesh, physical and moral accountability and responsibility for self-control and discipline. He ordained the sacrificial rituals to teach us that the Flesh must be sacrificed and be subordinate to the Spirit.
When Cain failed to present an appropriate sacrifice of flesh, God warned him: “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him,” Genesis 4:7. The imagery here of “sin lieth at the door,” is that of a wild carnivorous beast crouching at the door of your house, ready to spring on you. God warns Cain: “Thou shalt rule over him.” We are to rule over sin by sacrificing the Flesh.
How To Do It
Romans 12:1-2 puts this into proper perspective: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.”
Sacrificing the Flesh means controlling your appetites, for food, drink, sex, power, selfishness, etc. In case this is not perfectly clear, Galatians 5:16-21 describes it thoroughly:
Galatians 5:16 KJV – [This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (17) For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. (18) But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. (19) Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (20) Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, (21) Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
The definition of ‘revelings’ is: “Rebellion, over indulgence in eating or other pleasures.” These “works of the Flesh” clearly describe what is involved in a sacrifice of our Flesh. While it may seem to be depriving us unnecessarily, yet it is for the good, the well-being and the health of the whole person, including the Flesh.
To make this process even clearer, we have Colossians 2:12; 3:1-6: “Buried with Him, [Christ] in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead…. 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. (2) Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. (3) For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. (4) When Christ, [who is] our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (5) Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: (6) For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience.”
The word ‘mortify’ means to slay, kill, that is, to sacrifice.