When it comes to sickness, there is a question that causes the principle of truth to open up before our eyes. Do flies cause garbage or does garbage cause flies? Of course the answer is that garbage causes flies. Here is a deep and profound principle underlying both the disease process and the hold sin has upon us.

Let me illustrate how this principle relates to the disease process. Bacteria and viruses are opportunists. They search for food to sustain themselves, just as we do. The key is that they only feed on things that are dead or dying. They do not feed upon healthy substances such as healthy cells in the body, but they will have a feeding frenzy if there are sick or diseased cells in the body.

Most of us have grown up with the theory that bacteria cause disease. We are taught that anyone can catch a cold if a bacteria or a virus just happens to catch us off guard. But this is not so. Yes, a bacteria can find its way down the throat of a healthy person but when it finds nothing to feed upon, when it has no reason to be in the body because there is nothing to feed upon, it is promptly destroyed or expelled by the immune system. But if you are an individual who has the wrong diet and lifestyle, you have created a wonderful restaurant for infectious disease to eat at.

God never designed us to be feeding stations for bad bacteria. But when we disobey the health laws that God set up to for our benefit, we create a place where those laws work against us.

On the spiritual side, when we hold onto thoughts that we should not be holding onto, we create a toxic, spiritual environment conducive to the presence of sin. It is feeding your mind with substances that will give evil something to feed upon.

Just like the bad bacteria, Satan cannot just enter a life and wreak havoc with that life unless he has a reason to be there. It is the wrong kind of thinking and acting that creates the perfect habitat for the enemy of Christ to dwell in. We prepare ourselves for this soul-destroying guest through the inappropriate use of our five senses. Our senses are the only avenues through which Satan can destroy us. Interestingly, our five senses are also what God uses to seal us for eternity with Him.

Our five senses are very much involved in our food choices as well. If it smells good we want to try it; if it tastes good we want more of it; if it has a wonderful chewy texture we desire it; if we see that it looks tempting we get hungry for it; if it has a nice sizzle on the pan we become interested in it. But our five senses should never be consulted without input from our marvelous, God-given thinking apparatus. We need to ask if I eat this, what kind of flesh will it make; how will it affect my health; will it make healthy cells sick, or make sick cells healthy? Will I be creating an environment for bad bacteria to live in or will they find me inappropriate for their dining habits?

It is the same principle for our spiritual life. What kind of a mind will I develop by reading this book or article? What kind of thoughts will enter my mind if I watch this movie? What kind of emotions will be stirred by listening to this particular music? What will happen to my cognitive processes by eating stimulating foods and beverages?

When we look at the whole picture, our choices, both mental and physical, will seal us for life or death. Certain foods not only create diseased cells but they also create diseased brain. If the body is sick so is the brain. They cannot be separated from each other without death. This illustrates the fact that diet is a salvational issue. If we restrict our brain’s function through what we have eaten, we have restricted our ability to comprehend spiritual matters.

Jesus said, “the prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me” (John 14:30). There was no sin in Christ’s life that Satan could use to gain access to Him. There was nothing for Satan to feed upon. This is the condition that Christ’s followers are to be in when He returns. Their sins have gone beforehand and have been blotted out. They cannot be brought to mind by themselves or the devil.

When we treat our bodies right by following the laws of health, our bodies are cleansed from disease, so that when bad bacteria come to us, they have nothing to feed upon! God’s original plan for our diet is the best for keeping our bodies in a sinless state. The apostle Paul said “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” (Romans 12:1).

Enjoy the five wonderful senses that God has given us but do not detach them from the brain before use; otherwise, sin will have something to feed upon.