By John Thiel, Let This Mind Be in You Conference, Study 4, mp3

We are exploring the mind of Jesus. Let this mind be in you. We know in theory we are to have the mind of Christ but when it comes to the mind of Christ in living reality we are all confused. We think we know as intellectually we have accepted the fact but in the frontal lobe it takes some time to get it right as there are so many voices. When we have given the Lord the right to rule in our mind, the monarch of our mind, a battle goes on. We hear so many different voices and we are to discern which voice we are going to listen to. As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.

A little child has not developed his brain enough to prevent itself from falling over or making some silly remarks or being expressive of an impulse which is childish but it is nonetheless a perfect child. We need to explore the mind of Christ in regards to healthy thinking. To identify what is healthy thinking in contrast to unhealthy thinking. As he thinketh in his heart so is he. You want to be healthy, perfectly healthy? As you think in your heart that is how healthy you will be. Is this scripturally true in regards to health?

Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

A merry heart is continually under the medicine of health. A mind that is a broken mental condition affects the bones.

There is a physiological truth–truth that we need to consider–in the scripture, “A merry [rejoicing] heart doeth good like a medicine.” Proverbs 17:22. {Ed 197.3}

This statement is pregnant of vast medical realities. Only as it gives birth can you really understand it as its medical realities. A broken spirit drieth the bones. What are bones responsible for in regards to your health? They manufacture red and white blood cells in their bone marrow especially the long bones. If a broken spirit drieth the bones and the life of the flesh and the life of the flesh is in the blood thereof, what happens if your bones dry? So does your life in every respect because every function of your organism is dependent on white and red blood cells and if they are in short supply and the content of oxygen is not fully there you are a sick case brain and body included. We have some very important in the spirit of prophecy which I know from all my years in Adventism that this subject is hardly enlarged. It is glibly put off the lips but it needs careful attention paid to it. We are informed by the Holy Spirit of this reality that Proverbs announces.

The relation that exists between the mind and the body is very intimate. When one is affected, the other sympathizes. The condition of the mind affects the health to a far greater degree than many realize. Many of the diseases from which men suffer are the result of mental depression. Grief, anxiety, discontent, remorse, guilt, distrust, all tend to break down the life forces and to invite decay and death. {MH 241.1}

Meditate on these exercises of your being. Grief, anxiety, are you ever anxious? How often and how long? Can you find difficulty going to sleep at night as you are anxious? Are you discontent with your home life? In the home there is a wellspring of disaster or health.

Courage, hope, faith, sympathy, love, promote health and prolong life. A contented mind, a cheerful spirit, is health to the body and strength to the soul. “A merry [rejoicing] heart doeth good like a medicine.” Proverbs 17:22. {MH 241.3}

The influence of the mind on the body, as well as of the body on the mind, should be emphasized. The electric power of the brain, promoted by mental activity, vitalizes the whole system, and is thus an invaluable aid in resisting disease. This should be made plain. The power of the will and the importance of self-control, both in the preservation and in the recovery of health, the depressing and even ruinous effect of anger, discontent, selfishness, or impurity, and, on the other hand, the marvelous life-giving power to be found in cheerfulness, unselfishness, gratitude, should also be shown. {Ed 197.2}

How many times have you gone into a study on this nature and this should be dealt with? Ministers should study physiology and hygiene and help the members in reference to their spiritual wellbeing. Doctrinal presentations of God’s word have their place but are not the single important work of ministry. They are important but they must be applied in health and hygiene and physiology and the practises of life.

Sickness of the mind prevails everywhere. {5T 443.4}

What does prevail mean? Dominates. What dominates everywhere? Do you like that thought about yourself? You are sick in the mind. It is a reality.

Nine tenths of the diseases from which men suffer have their foundation here. {5T 443.4}

How many? 90% of all the diseases we suffer foundation in the prevailing condition of the mind.

Perhaps some living home trouble is, like a canker, eating to the very soul and weakening the life forces. Remorse for sin sometimes undermines the constitution and unbalances the mind. {5T 443.4}

Aren’t we meant to have remorse for sin? Momentarily, don’t hang on to it for too long, release it in Jesus Christ. If you retain it, it will unbalance your mind and undermine your constitution. Some people have a strong and some people have a strong constitution. What is the cause of it? What you do with your mind.

There are erroneous doctrines also, as that of an eternally burning hell and the endless torment of the wicked, {5T 443.4}

We are not affected by that erroneous doctrine are we? We are free of that aren’t we?

…that by giving exaggerated and distorted views of the character of God, have produced the same result upon sensitive minds. {5T 443.4}

Is that a danger for us? To give an exaggerated and distorted view of the character of God.

Infidels have made the most of these unfortunate cases, attributing insanity to religion; but this is a gross libel and one which they will not be pleased to meet by and by. The religion of Christ, so far from being the cause of insanity, is one of its most effectual remedies; for it is a potent soother of the nerves. {5T 443.4}

There are many religions in Christianity today that aren’t the religion of Christ. Follow the counsel of God’s word carefully as this is life important. What percentage of disease comes from the mind? 90%. How much attention of yours should be occupied here and how much is it? How much is your mind is focused upon food and the chemistry of input and other factors of that nature. How much focus in comparison of that 90% is exposed to that subject of food and the chemistries of your body that you inflict upon the food? Sr White talks about the true fast. The only reason that I am a health reformer is because we are in the day of fasting. Through all my understanding that I gained through the study of physiology I learnt you can be very healthy eating meat in moderation. You can be very healthy drinking a little alcohol in moderation. You can be very healthy doing all sorts of things in moderation. Therefore I only followed what the Bible said in regards to clean meats. That’s all I followed but when I was told that eating flesh is a sin, I said hang on, where is that written and it was in Isaiah 22 when the Lord calls for fasting, then to eat flesh is a sin but not before. Many people read this as health reform and miss the last line.

The True Fast

The true fasting which should be recommended to all, is abstinence from every stimulating kind of food, and the proper use of wholesome, simple food, which God has provided in abundance. Men need to think less about what they shall eat and drink of temporal food, and much more in regard to the food from heaven, that will give tone and vitality to the whole religious experience. {CD 188.3}

This is born our in the Bible.

Revelation 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

The kingdom of God is not food and drink. Have you got it? I don’t want to sit at the table with any of you and hear you talk about food again as the kingdom of heaven is what I occupy with. I want to talk about the kingdom of heaven and not this or that food isn’t right, I want to talk about the kingdom of heaven.

Mark 7:18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, [it] cannot defile him;

7:19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?

What is he saying? If you are thinking about a certain food not doing you any good, he is saying don’t worry about it. It goes in through the belly and out through the draft, what are you worrying about? Jesus is correct here in every respect and I believe him over any naturopath. I am troubled at heart with the imbalance of health reform infiltrating health reformers. I have taught health reform according to the sop not naturopath and people have taken my version of health reform and taking it into naturopath and I never intended to promote that. I have always adopted health reform in regards to what Jesus said. Jesus said are you also without understanding? Wisdom.

Mark 7:20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.

7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

7:22    Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

7:23    All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Have you got that principle clear in your mind? The body under Gods direction knows how to how distinguish the impurities and the nutritional value you put into your body. It segregates the impurities from nutrition and casts out the toxins via the lungs, kidneys, bowels and liver. If you do not go to bed at 9pm on a regular basis but 12 midnight you will wake up in the morning with heaps of toxins not removed as it is from 9pm to 12pm that the liver throws out the toxins. That is why is good to get up in the morning and have a good drink. All the impurities that do not defile the body are going to be thrown out the draft whether it is the bowels, kidneys of lungs. When we did nursing the digestive system was external to the body. In the mouth and out is not inside till it goes into the system when it is absorb into the blood stream and then god has created that anything that is impure will be thrown out. That which impairs this normal function, the function of purifying the impurities into your mouth, those impurities will remain in the body if there is a depression of their activities. If the activities of the liver, kidney, lungs or bowels are impaired then there will be a toxication of your system. Another one is if you eat profusely a lot of toxins and overload the system but if you eat health reform simple abundance of what God has created for food we don’t have to think about.

The relation that exists between the mind and the body is very intimate. When one is affected, the other sympathizes. The condition of the mind affects the health to a far greater degree than many realize. Many of the diseases from which men suffer are the result of mental depression. Grief, anxiety, discontent, remorse, guilt, distrust, all tend to break down the life forces and to invite decay and death. {MH 241.1}

Why? Because your vital organs are affected by these mental exercises and depress and prevent the body from throwing out decaying toxins. Bitterness and stress affects what? Have you heard of the term liverish? What does that mean? You are embittered because the liver suffers under bitter anxiety, oh this person makes me annoyed and the liver can’t function properly.

Heart-sickness makes many dyspeptics; for mental trouble has a paralyzing influence upon the digestive organs.–T., V. III, p. 184. {HL 233.2}

Those beautiful organs that are meant to clean you out by bitterness and dyspeptic, that creates a depression, a paralysing influence on those organs so they can’t function as they should so the system is full of impurities so now we have to have cleanses. Why do we have to have cleanses? Only because you are head sick as the body will cleanse itself. It is far gentler to let the body do it by you putting your life and mind into order rather than going into horse cures. That is what people do to themselves. Naturopathy comes from paganism predominantly. When the independents came up with the salt water treatment I thought what? A person who has been on drugs goes there and nearly gets killed as all the drugs accumulated in the system come back and they have a hard time. A once in a blue moon fast isn’t wrong, such as a grape or a vegetable juice fast.

The condition of the mind affects the health of the physical system. If the mind is free and happy, from a consciousness of rightdoing and a sense of satisfaction in causing happiness to others, it creates a cheerfulness that will react upon the whole system, causing a freer circulation of the blood and a toning up of the entire body. The blessing of God is a healing power, and those who are abundant in benefiting others will realize that wondrous blessing in both heart and life. {CH 28.2}

The mind must be free and happy. Where does freedom and happiness come from? From consciousness of right doing. Do you notice what I’m doing? I could stand here and be your teacher but I’m reading from the Lord. Don’t equate what I’m reading as though I’m teaching you.

Every woman about to become a mother, whatever may be her surroundings, should encourage constantly a happy, cheerful, contented disposition, knowing that for all her efforts in this direction she will be repaid tenfold in the physical, as well as the moral, character of her offspring. {AH 258.4}

Do you know of any hospitals solely for men? Do you know of any hospitals solely for women? Women have a terrible legacy in health especially for their female organs.

She can, by habit, accustom herself to cheerful thinking, and thus encourage a happy state of mind and cast a cheerful reflection of her own happiness of spirit upon her family and those with whom she associates. And in a very great degree will her physical health be improved. A force will be imparted to the lifesprings, the blood will not move sluggishly, as would be the case if she were to yield to despondency and gloom. Her mental and moral health are invigorated by the buoyancy of her spirits. The power of the will can resist impressions of the mind and will prove a grand soother of the nerves. Children who are robbed of that vitality which they should have inherited of their parents should have the utmost care. By close attention to the laws of their being a much better condition of things can be established. {AH 258.4}

I guarantee the majority of women who have hysterectomy have come from executive jobs because the burning effect of stress of executive jobs destroy their female organs. It is the depression, the mind activity that does the destruction. The blood moves sluggishly when you are in despondency and gloom. Healthy thinking needs to be your ruling force, let this mind be in you.

When the gospel is received in its purity and power, it is a cure for the maladies that originated in sin. The Sun of Righteousness arises, “with healing in His wings.” Malachi 4:2. Not all this world bestows can heal a broken heart, or impart peace of mind, or remove care, or banish disease. Fame, genius, talent–all are powerless to gladden the sorrowful heart or to restore the wasted life. The life of God in the soul is man’s only hope. {MH 115.2}

Everything else will take care of itself.

The love which Christ diffuses through the whole being is a vitalizing power. Every vital part–the brain, the heart, the nerves–it touches with healing. By it the highest energies of the being are roused to activity. It frees the soul from the guilt and sorrow, the anxiety and care, that crush the life forces. With it come serenity and composure. It implants in the soul, joy that nothing earthly can destroy,–joy in the Holy Spirit,–health-giving, life-giving joy. {MH 115.3}

If you focus on the things that are dangerous to you on this earth, you are on the wrong foot. There is nothing in this earth that can destroy the joy of the soul when the gospel and the love of Jesus Christ has been implanted. Nothing. I cannot pride myself that I’m a healthy 60 years old for any other reason than that I practise what I’m showing you here. The young people know that I can run around like them. Why? Because my mind is buoyant. Everything that I have wanted to live for fell down around my ears. My family, my church, my job. I was told we didn’t even know that was happening to you. Why? Because of what I’m preaching to you here. It is not my idea, I got it from the Lord. The mind and nerves gain tone and strength by the exercise of the will. The power of the will in many cases will prove a potent soother of the nerves. Let this mind be in you. Let the monarch of your will submit to the monarch of the universe within.

Amen.