[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Three (Free) Health Tips from the Bible

The cost of healthcare has been rising worldwide. People all over the world are feeling the pinch—and you’re probably one of them. Staying healthy is getting more and more expensive around the globe. According to the World Economic Forum website:

“In 2021 alone, global spending on health reached a staggering $9.8 trillion, accounting for 10.3% of global GDP…” (“Health spending takes up 10% of the global economy: How can tech help reduce costs and improve lives?”, August 5, 2024).

That’s outrageous—over 10% of the Gross Domestic Product worldwide is spent on healthcare. And it’s the most expensive in the United States. Out of all the countries around the world, Americans spend the most on healthcare. According to U.S. government data:

“U.S. health care spending grew 7.5 percent in 2023, reaching $4.9 trillion or $14,570 per person. As a share of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, health spending accounted for 17.6 percent” (“National health expenditure data,” CMS.gov, December 18, 2024).

It’s hard to fathom how it has gotten so expensive just to take care of our health. But what if I told you there are things you can do—at no cost—that can have an oversized impact on your health?

Is it too good to be true?

Ok, let me rephrase that. There is a cost. There is always a cost. But the costs I’m talking about are not dollars, pounds, or euros, but small changes in your life. They take a little bit of time and effort, and they come out of the pages of your Bible.

Jesus Christ Cares About Health and Healing

Jesus cared about people’s health when He was on this earth. He healed the sick from all sorts of very serious diseases. In fact, it was an important part of His ministry. Notice what He said in John 10:10, explaining this principle.

“… I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

God is offering to give us eternal life in His Family forever. That is and will always be the more important “life” that God is offering all of humanity. But we can also understand the last half of this statement as meaning our Savior desires that we have an abundant and blessed life now. And that certainly includes our health.

Some things, such as genetic or environmental factors, are beyond our control. The normal wear-and-tear of our bodies through the aging process is a part of life. At the same time, much of our health is affected by lifestyle choices we make, which can reap good consequences or bad.

Principle #1: Move More and Sit Less

So, what are some biblical principles of better health you can put into practice today?

The first is:

1. Move more and sit less.

We were created by our loving God. And God gave us physical bodies and expects us to take care of these bodies. Notice what the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:19:

Or 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.

How to Glorify God in Your Body

How does one glorify God in his body? Well, by simply taking care of it as best he can. And one aspect of that is understanding that God made our bodies to move. We need exercise.

Notice what the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:8.

For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

The emphasis of the Apostle Paul was on the spiritual lasting value of godliness. It lasts forever. But on the other hand, physical bodily exercise does profit—a little bit, for a little while.

This is especially worth noting in our modern world of sedentary desk jobs and the explosion of passive screen time. Simply put, most of us are sitting way too much and moving way too little.

Follow Jesus Christ in an Active Lifestyle

It’s interesting to note that during His lifetime, Jesus Christ walked all over Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, making trips back and forth to and from Jerusalem multiple times. In the booklet Biblical Principles of Health, evangelist and Tomorrow’s World writer Douglas Winnail writes:

“To journey across the hill country of Galilee, Jesus often walked…. Just to keep the Holy Days, Jesus may have walked in excess of 450 miles each year. When you consider that He may have walked a mile or more a day during the rest of the year, it is not hard to see that Jesus could easily have walked more than 1,000 miles every year. That is a lot of physical activity” (Biblical Principles of Health, August 2024, p. 30).

Of course, we aren’t living in first-century Judea. But think about it. Jesus was active physically. Maybe we can follow His example a little bit more in that aspect of His life, as the Apostle John wrote in 1 John 2:6.

He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Certainly, this is referring to His teachings and spiritual life. But all of us can afford to walk more and sit less. And maybe in those walks we can enjoy the chance to commune with God, to thank Him for the sunshine, the trees, and the fresh air. Maybe “walking with God” can be taken a little more literally. And it doesn’t cost a thing.

God Built Our Bodies to Stand Upright

The website of the government of the state of Victoria, Australia, sums up the importance of this active lifestyle this way:

“Humans are built to stand upright. Your heart and cardiovascular system work more effectively that way. Your bowel also functions more efficiently when you are upright…. Physical inactivity contributes to over three million preventable deaths worldwide each year (that’s six per cent of all deaths). It is the fourth leading cause of death due to non-communicable diseases” (“The dangers of sitting: why sitting is the new smoking,” Victoria State Department of Health, betterhealth.vic.gov.au, July 4, 2022.)

One example of the necessity of movement is the lymph system. Our lymph system is a network of organs, tissues, and vessels that aids in the transport of fluids throughout our body.

“CP+R” is a private cardiac rehabilitation service based in London, England. On their website, they describe the function of the lymph system this way:

“… Skeletal muscle contractions compress on the lymphatic vessels and open the one-way valves, encouraging fluid containing waste and toxins to be removed… Poor lymph circulation results in inflammation or disease so it is imperative to make lifestyle changes to keep the lymph system healthy. Exercise is the answer” (“Exercise, lifestyle and the lymphatic system,” cpandr.co.uk, accessed January 7, 2025).

Resist a Sedentary Lifestyle

So does this mean you have to be a world-class athlete to be healthy? Of course not. In whatever way we can, we’ve just got to move. And age is not a limiting factor. No matter how old we are, we can experience the benefits of being more active. It doesn’t take a gym membership or fancy, expensive equipment. It just takes a little movement.

As Dr. Winnail further explains in Biblical Principles of Health:

“There are also benefits for senior citizens who begin to exercise or who remain physically active to the extent they are able. They can maintain muscle mass and bone density… reduce excess weight, manage stress and improve mood, and reduce the risk or effects of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Physically active seniors experience less depression and have less need for expensive medical care…. Regular physical activity even appears to slow the normal aging process. Even those confined to beds or wheelchairs feel better if they are involved in an exercise program” (Biblical Principles of Health, August 2024, pp. 27–28).

No matter your situation, whether you’re highly active already or are extremely limited in mobility, just do what you can to move. It’s free, but the rewards can be significant.

Principle #2: Think About What You Eat

The second biblical key to better health is:

2. Think about what you eat.

The Bible gives very specific guidelines on what to eat and what not to eat. To start this segment, let’s go to the example of Peter in the Book of Acts. While he was staying with a tanner who lived by the sea, he had a very confusing vision. We pick up the account in Acts 10:9.

Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean” (Acts 10:9–14).

When Peter said “unclean,” he was speaking of animals that God commanded not to eat. A list of them can be found in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14.

Biblical Clean Eating

What’s important to note here is, just like God created our bodies to move, He also created certain meats for us to eat and others not to eat. And as Dr. Douglas S. Winnail explains in the book Biblical Principles of Health, many of the animals on the forbidden list are often implicated in the transmittal of diseases to humans. Some of those are:

1. Tularemia (spread by rabbits and rodents)
2. Ebola virus (spread by bats and monkeys)
3. MERS (spread by bats and camels)
4. SARS
5. Swine flu
6. Covid-19 (#4–6 spread by bats, pigs, civets, other “exotic” meats)
7. Trichinosis (spread by pigs, bear, walrus, squirrels, rats, cats, rabbits, foxes, panthers, lions, horses)
8. Cholera
9. Typhoid
10. Hepatitis A
11. Norwalk virus
12. Salmonella
13. Paralytic shellfish poisoning (#8–13 all frequently linked to shellfish)

Certain animals were created by God to be the garbage collectors and the cleanup crew of the natural world.

Understanding Peter’s Vision in Acts 10

When we understand that meats deemed unclean by God actually do carry serious risks to human beings, doesn’t it make sense to avoid them?

So, back to Acts chapter 10. Peter was given a vision to kill and eat all sorts of unclean animals. Remember his reply? Let’s read it again in Acts 10:13.

And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again (Acts 10:13–16).

Now, what was the meaning of the vision? Peter answers the question himself, a little later in the account. The Roman centurion Cornelius called for Peter, and Peter traveled to Caesarea to meet him. Now, you have to understand—Cornelius was a Gentile. Up to that point, all those in the Church that Christ founded were circumcised Jews or had become Jewish proselytes. But Peter was about to have an experience [that] would change the Church forever. God was about to allow physically uncircumcised Gentiles into the Church.

Let’s pick it up when Peter meets Cornelius and those with him in Acts 10:27.

And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together. Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean” (Acts 10:27–28).

The purpose of the vision was to show Peter that non-Jews could be welcomed into the Church Christ founded, as long as they repented, accepted Jesus as their Savior, were baptized, and received God’s Spirit. The vision wasn’t about unclean meats at all. It was about the conversion of the Gentiles.

The Meaning of 1 Timothy 4

Another passage that is often misunderstood by many is found in 1 Timothy 4:1.

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth (1 Timothy 4:1–3).

First of all, God’s laws in Leviticus and Deuteronomy would never be called “doctrines of demons.” And also, in verse 3, notice that God created some foods to be received with thanksgiving. Which foods? Those called “clean” in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. Going on, in verse 4:

For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer (1 Timothy 4:4).

Some will take this verse to mean any and all creatures are good for eating if they are prayed over—even if they are snails, rats, or [octopi]. But is that what it says? No. It says it “is sanctified by the word of God.” What was the “word of God” Paul referred to? The Hebrew Scriptures, including the dietary laws.

So what do we see?

1. Move more and sit less.
2. Think about what you eat.

Principle #3: Connect with God in Prayer

In the remaining segment, let’s consider one more fundamental, biblical principle to better health.

And that is:

3. Stay connected to God through prayer.

When my wife was in college, she took a microbiology class. The teacher, when talking about the explosion of antibiotic-resistant diseases, made quite a remarkable statement. He said, “We may soon get to the point where we will have to go back to praying by the bedside of the sick.”

Now think about that. He recognized the potential for—because of the overuse of antibiotics—diseases that had grown resistant to any medicine. And he recognized the danger of that kind of world.

We are entering a time of unprecedented disease and epidemics. COVID was just a shot across the bow.

End-time prophecies tell us in the end-times before Christ’s return, there will be great suffering because of runaway, virulent diseases. Now is the time for us to begin to look to our Father, and our Savior, to take care of our health. And notice, God provides for healing, through anointing and prayer in James 5:13.

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? 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 prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up… (James 5:13–15).

Prayer and anointing by ministers of Christ by the bedside of the sick is not a last-resort, no-other-options kind of thing. For real Christians, it should be a way of life. It should be our first response, not an afterthought.

Struggling? Remember Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh

Now God doesn’t always heal immediately, even after heartfelt and sincere prayer. But even then, when it seems like God isn’t answering our prayers, we need to maintain contact with God.

Paul experienced this. He had a “thorn in the side,” which he earnestly prayed God to take away. Notice the account in 2 Corinthians 12:7.

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me (2 Corinthians 12:7–8).

What was God’s response? Notice, going on:

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

God did not heal Paul but gave him strength and encouragement to endure the affliction he suffered under. He helped him to understand infirmities are not always punishments from God, but oftentimes just trials to teach us valuable lessons. Notice Paul’s response.

Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:9–10).

Learn to Trust God for the Strength You Need

Paul came to understand his purpose for being. He came to fathom that God was training him for a higher purpose. He was teaching him to not depend on his own power, but rather look to God’s strength to sustain him day by day.

Prayer and communication with our Creator is not just a quaint, sentimental feeling from a bygone era. It’s the way to stay strong and healthy in the modern world today. Notice this comment from Dr. Winnail on page 49 of the study guide we’re offering today.

“Studying 4,500 adults, the Harvard School of Public Health found that people deal better with aging if they have purpose in their lives. They found that people living with a purpose maintained more muscle strength, could walk faster, engaged in healthier behaviors, slept better, felt better, and lived longer than individuals who had little or no purpose in their lives. The study revealed that people who kept a more positive and purposeful mental perspective obtained physiological advantages that contributed to better health” (p. 49).

To those familiar with the Bible, this doesn’t come as a surprise. Almost 2,000 years ago, the Apostle Paul wrote, in Philippians 4:6,

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6–7).

In a world of cynicism, doubt, and negativity, we need that peace and sense of purpose more than ever. It doesn’t cost a thing to spend time in prayer to God. And the benefits to our physical health even, our healing, and even our mental outlook, can be enormous.

How to Be Happy and Healthy

In today’s program, we discussed several biblical principles for better health:

1. Move more and sit less.
2. Think about what you eat.
3. Stay connected to God through prayer.

Health matters to us all. When we feel good, everything seems to work better. We’re able to take care of our tasks and our work better; we enjoy our interactions with our friends and loved ones better; life is just more enjoyable.

But on the contrary, when we don’t feel good—when our joints ache, or our head hurts or we’re suffering from a serious malady—life is a lot harder.

We often take good health for granted early in life. Strength and vitality of youth can seem like it’s going to last forever. And before we know it, the years have fled by, and the ravages of time does its work, and we suffer the results of aging and all the health problems related to it. David said this in Psalm 90:10.

The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow…. So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:10–12).

David asks God to “teach us to number our days, to gain a heart of wisdom.” And truly, as we live we should seek for wisdom to understand the meaning of life, why we’re here, and what we should be doing to obey and please Him.

Think about it. We have at our fingertips access to the greatest advice in the universe on how to be healthy and happy. And it doesn’t cost a thing, except a little bit of our time and focus. But it’s worth it.

Thank you for watching. If you found this video helpful, check out more of our content or hit subscribe to stay connected.

And if you want a free study guide related to this topic, just click the link in the description.

See you next time.