Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001280
00:00 [theme music]
00:07 It has stood the test of time. 00:12 God's book, the Bible. 00:17 Still relevant in today's complex world. 00:22 It Is Written, sharing hope around the globe. 00:36 JB: I'm John Bradshaw, and this is It Is Written. 00:39 Thanks for joining me. 00:41 The Bible speaks a lot about the heart. 00:45 Now really it uses the heart to represent the mind, 00:48 and the Bible often says things like, "You shall love the Lord 00:51 your God with all your heart." 00:53 That's Matthew 22:37. 00:54 "Create in me a clean heart, O God." 00:57 Psalm 51, verse 10. 00:58 And in Jeremiah 29, verse 13, "And you will see me 01:02 and find me when you search for me with all your heart." 01:08 But in the same time, your actual physical heart 01:11 is important to God as well. 01:12 The Bible says your body is the temple of the Holy 01:15 Spirit. 01:16 You were created to be God's dwelling place. 01:19 The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6, in verse 20, 01:22 "For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify 01:26 God in your body and in your spirit which are God's." 01:31 Glorify God in your body. 01:35 So let's talk about a massive physical challenge people 01:37 are having today. 01:38 Heart disease is the leading killer in the United States 01:41 and many other western countries and has been 01:44 for over 100 years. 01:46 Yet it doesn't need to be. 01:48 I went to Kettering, Ohio, to speak with cardiologist 01:51 Dr. Brian Schwartz. 01:52 Everyday, Dr. Schwartz works with patients who have heart 01:56 trouble. 01:57 As a Christian physician, he understands that God made 02:00 people, as David said in the Psalms, "fearfully 02:03 and wonderfully." 02:05 Together, Dr. Schwartz and I discussed heart disease: 02:08 what it is and what a person can do to not only avoid it, 02:12 but also to reverse it. 02:14 And we discussed the risk factors that lead to major 02:17 trouble in the temple. 02:21 [music] JB: Dr. Schwartz, let's start at the beginning. 02:26 Heart disease: that's a big term, almost a catchall 02:30 phrase. 02:31 What's heart disease? 02:32 BS: Well, first of all, the heart is the organ right in 02:34 the middle of our chest that pumps all the blood 02:37 to the rest of the body. 02:38 So, disease of the heart is a broad category that you 02:42 can lump anything that affects the heart under. 02:44 JB: Such as? 02:45 BS: Most commonly, it's coronary artery disease, 02:47 which is plaque buildup of the arteries that supply 02:50 the heart itself. 02:52 So, not only does the heart supply blood to all the rest 02:55 of the organs, but it actually has to pump blood 02:58 through the arteries to the heart muscle itself 03:00 to keep it going. 03:01 JB: And part of the problem is, you have these, let's say 03:03 an artery is around like, plaque buildup ends up 03:06 making the arteries smaller. 03:07 BS: Exactly. 03:09 So, plaque is made up of inflammation. 03:12 So there will be inflammatory blood cells, 03:14 like white blood cells, and cholesterol deposits. 03:17 Little fatty deposits that occur in the artery. 03:19 And it will take the artery and just gradually it will 03:22 narrow. 03:23 JB: And once it narrows, the blood's not getting through. 03:26 What happens? 03:27 BS: You'll start having symptoms that tell us your 03:29 heart's not getting enough blood. 03:31 The most classic symptom is to start getting 03:33 a pressure-like pain in your chest, almost like a squeezing 03:36 sensation. 03:37 Some people describe it as like an elephant 03:39 sitting on their chest. 03:40 JB: Is that angina? 03:41 BS: That's what's called angina. 03:43 JB: It's very common. 03:44 BS: One out of every two Americans over the age of 45 03:46 has some plaque buildup in their arteries. 03:48 JB: How many people are going to end up with a heart 03:51 disease issue, they're going to go and see the doctor 03:53 because of heart disease? 03:54 BS: Over 80 million Americans will have some 03:58 form of heart disease. 04:00 That can include blockages of the heart arteries, it can 04:03 include a weak heart that doesn't pump very well, 04:06 called congestive heart failure, and also 04:08 hypertension and stroke. 04:10 That also is related to the same process. 04:13 JB: Which makes heart disease this country's 04:15 number one killer, am I right? 04:17 BS: Heart disease has been the number one killer since 04:19 1900, and it hasn't changed. 04:20 JB: How do you know you might have heart disease? 04:22 There are risk factors. 04:24 I've heard this phrase "risk factors." 04:26 BS: Number one, that's not one of the standard risk 04:28 factors, is living in America.There are areas 04:31 in the whole world, like rural China and New Guinea 04:34 and Africa, where populations that hardly eat any meat 04:38 have zero incidence of heart disease. 04:41 JB: That's interesting. 04:42 BS: In fact, I'll tell you an interesting story. 04:44 I was on a mission trip about eight years ago now to 04:47 the country of Zambia. 04:48 And they have one big university hospital on 04:51 Zambia, and there's one cardiologist, one heart 04:53 doctor for the whole country. 04:56 And so, I was there giving some lectures at the medical 04:59 school, and I stopped there and talked to the heart 05:01 doctor, and I said, "So, by the way, when is the last 05:04 time that you've had a person come in to 05:06 this hospital with a heart attack?" 05:08 She had to stop and think a little bit, and she said, 05:10 "I think that was about two years ago." 05:12 Turns out it was an overweight American Aid 05:14 worker. 05:15 They just don't see heart disease in countries that do 05:17 not have our rich American diet. 05:20 JB: Which is really interest. 05:22 That means then, as we're watching this program 05:24 and listening to what you're saying, if I had heart 05:26 issues there's a very good chance--I'm not going to say 05:28 this is true for everybody--but there's 05:30 a very good chance that I don't have to be suffering 05:32 from the heart issues that I might be suffering with. 05:34 BS: Absolutely. 05:35 So, there are some genetic diseases and some bad things 05:38 that can happen. 05:39 You can get a virus that affects the heart or things 05:42 that you had no control over. 05:44 But for 90 percent of the diseases that I treat 05:46 every single day, we bring them on ourselves by the way 05:48 we live. 05:49 JB: Okay, what are the risk factors? 05:51 You mentioned one: living in America. 05:53 What are the others? 05:54 BS: Yeah. 05:55 Classically there are six risk factors. 05:57 Five of them, you can do something about. 05:59 JB: Which one can you not do anything about? 06:01 Is that genetics? 06:02 BS: Number one is genetics. 06:03 So, your family history, you were born with the genes 06:05 that you share with your brothers and sisters, 06:07 and you can't do anything about that. 06:09 So, if you have one or both parents who had a heart 06:11 attack or died of a heart attack before the age of 55, 06:13 that makes you at much higher risk. 06:15 JB: So, what should you do about that? 06:17 BS: Make sure you're getting regular screenings and treating 06:19 those other five risk factors. 06:20 JB: So, just don't ignore it. 06:21 Don't ignore it, and take good care of yourself. 06:23 BS: Exactly. 06:24 It's not all genetic. 06:25 Some of it is just the family traits that you've learned 06:27 growing up, when you saw rich eating of lots 06:30 of creamy, fatty foods. 06:32 You saw them smoking, you weren't very active. 06:35 Those are things we learned growing up. 06:37 But what obesity does, is it also makes you much more 06:39 likely to have high blood pressure. 06:41 Much more likely to have diabetes. 06:43 You're much more likely to be sedentary and not very 06:47 active, so obesity seems to be kind of at the root of a lot 06:50 of these other causes. 06:52 And by treating the obesity and getting your weight 06:55 down, you dramatically reduce your risk for heart 06:57 attack for anginal pains in the future. 07:00 JB: People can lose weight. 07:01 BS: We can control how much calories we put in through 07:04 what we eat, but also how many calories we burn by how 07:06 active we are. 07:07 And if you're addressing both of those things, 07:09 cutting out the fatty foods, especially foods like red 07:12 beets, and cheese and ice cream, and things that are 07:16 really rich in calories, and increasing activity, 07:19 oftentimes that will lead to a weight loss by doing those 07:22 simple things. 07:23 JB: Obesity. 07:24 BS: Yes. 07:25 JB: What's the next one? 07:26 BS: Well, hypertension is an elevation of the blood 07:28 pressure. 07:29 So, the heart is what generates the blood 07:31 pressure. 07:32 It's pumping the blood with every single squeeze into 07:35 those arteries. 07:36 And those arteries can be constricted because we're 07:38 stressed or because there's plaque buildup. 07:41 Or, they can be relaxed. 07:43 And as the plaque develops in the heart arteries, but 07:45 also throughout all the arteries in the body, those 07:48 tubes, those arteries that carry the blood, become very 07:50 stiff and very rigid, and they can't relax. 07:52 And then the blood pressure starts going up. 07:54 JB: What can I do about that, if I have high blood 07:57 pressure? 07:58 BS: So, if you have high blood pressure, again look 08:00 at the underlying causes. 08:01 It may be related to being overweight. 08:03 Exercise hps lower your blood pressure. 08:06 Dealing with stress in your life has a big effect. 08:09 It reduces the amount of adrenaline, or the circulating 08:13 catecholamines that cause those arteries to constrict. 08:16 So, stress can raise it. 08:18 And exercise actually has a calming effect, so it can 08:21 help reduce the stress by just doing exercise. 08:25 Some of the things we eat. 08:26 If you eat a lot of salt and you're sensitive to salt, 08:28 that's going to make your blood pressure go up. 08:31 And, there's some genetic predispositions 08:33 for that as well. 08:34 JB: Obesity, hypertension. 08:37 These are risk factors for heart disease. 08:39 BS: That's right. 08:40 Hyperlipidemia. 08:41 JB: Hyperlipidemia, that's high cholesterol. 08:43 BS: High cholesterol. 08:44 Believe it or not, even without eating cholesterol 08:46 your liver can synthesize cholesterol. 08:48 And there is a gene that can, or several genes 08:50 actually, that can synthesize cholesterol 08:53 and lead to high elevated levels of cholesterol 08:56 and triglycerides and these different fatty acids that can 08:59 be deposited in the arteries. 09:01 JB: So some of this can be genetic. 09:03 BS: It can still also be genetic. 09:05 So, there is a role for medications if you have a 09:07 very bad genetic problem. 09:10 But most of the cholesterol problems we see in America 09:12 are related to what we eat. 09:14 I say to my patients, that pretty much comes from 09:16 animal products. 09:18 Meats, cheese, dairy, especially red meats is 09:23 laden with saturated fat. 09:24 Saturated fat gets converted to bad cholesterol. 09:28 LDL cholesterol and other small particles. 09:31 Those then circulate through the bloodstream, and if there's 09:33 inflammation in the arteries, then those little fatty droplets 09:37 get deposited underneath the lining of the artery. 09:40 The artery is made up of three little layers, 09:42 and underneath the intima, the innermost layer, 09:45 you get these deposits of fat. 09:47 And they just start building up gradually as the vessel 09:50 gets tighter and tighter and tighter. 09:52 And generally that's a gradual process, but if you get 09:58 a big core of that cholesterol deposit--what we call 10:01 a lipid core--that can just suddenly rupture. 10:06 And when it ruptures, you get platelets building up 10:09 and that can lead to a heart attack. 10:11 It can just shut down the artery and boom! 10:13 It just closes suddenly, you get crushing pain in 10:15 the chest, and about half the time the first symptom 10:17 is just to have sudden cardiac death, where you just 10:19 collapse on the floor because your heart stops. 10:21 We know that not all fat is bad fat. 10:24 JB: Right. 10:25 I hear about this good cholesterol, bad 10:27 cholesterol; good fat, bad fat. 10:29 BS: Good fat, bad fat. 10:30 And it's not just the problem with cholesterol 10:32 that leads to the problem with atherosclerosis 10:34 or plaque buildup in the arteries, it's also 10:36 driven by inflammation. 10:37 So, certain viruses, some of the foods we eat, drive 10:41 the inflammatory process and that's what leads to these 10:44 fatty deposits. 10:45 So, the other thing I tell my patients is there is good 10:49 cholesterol and bad cholesterol. 10:51 Bad cholesterol is made in the liver; it circulates 10:53 in the bloodstream and it gets deposited in the arteries, 10:56 wherever there is inflammation. 10:58 Good cholesterol, on the other hand, called HDL, 11:01 gets made in the liver but it goes through the arteries 11:06 and it actually scavenges the fat back out of them 11:09 and gets deposited back in the liver where it can 11:11 be excreted. 11:12 So, you want as much good cholesterol as you can get, 11:14 and as little bad cholesterol as you can get. 11:16 JB: Where do you get good cholesterol? 11:18 BS: So, good cholesterol comes from two things: your 11:20 body can make it; exercise helps stimulate it; but also 11:23 plant-based fats are high in good cholesterol, as well 11:26 as some fish supplements. 11:28 JB: What are plant-based fats? 11:31 Such as, I'm thinking of avocado, am I right? 11:33 BS: Yeah, avocado is higher. 11:34 Almonds, walnuts are very high sources. 11:39 Flax seed is very high. 11:40 And we call these omega 3 fatty acids, and they actually 11:44 lead to HLA, which is a type of fatty acid that's the helpful 11:49 type of fat. 11:50 JB: Not only is that good for you, but it draws the bad 11:52 cholesterol out. 11:53 BS: Absolutely. 11:54 It can help reduce and offset the effects 11:56 of the bad cholesterol. 11:57 JB: Oh, I like that. 12:00 [music] JB: In my discussion with cardiologist Dr. Brian 12:06 Schwartz, what can you do to get your heart right, 12:09 and get your heart right? 12:11 We'll find out more in just a moment. 12:16 >: In Matthew 4:4, the Word of God says, "It is written, 12:19 man shall not live by bread alone but by every word 12:23 that proceeds from the mouth of God." 12:25 "Every Word" is a one-minute, Bible-based 12:28 daily devotional, presented by Pastor John Bradshaw 12:31 and designed especially for busy people like you. 12:34 Look for "Every Word" on selected networks, 12:37 or watch it online every day on our website. 12:39 ItIsWritten.com. 12:41 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 12:43 Watch "Every Word." 12:45 You'll be glad you did. 12:46 Here's a sample. 12:50 [music] 12:57 JB: Go to any major bookstore, and you'll find 12:59 plenty of books on the subject of raising children. 13:01 And some of those books might even contain some 13:03 useful advice. 13:05 But probably the best thing you can do for a child 13:07 is mentioned in 2 Timothy 3, verse 15. 13:10 Paul says to the young church leader, Timothy, 13:12 "From childhood you have known the holy Scriptures, 13:15 which are able to make you wise for salvation through 13:17 faith, which is in Christ Jesus." 13:20 When a mind is young, you want to put the very best 13:23 into it. 13:24 And the best you can put into a mind is God's Word. 13:27 You can give your kids advice, and model the best 13:29 and most virtuous behavior, but the best thing for a child 13:32 is to be connected to God, and to know the Word of God. 13:36 If there are children in your life, do the very best 13:38 for them and encourage them to know God's Word 13:41 for themselves. 13:42 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written. 13:46 Let's live today by every word. 13:49 JB: This is It Is Written. 13:51 I'm John Bradshaw, and today, my discussion 13:53 is with cardiologist Dr. Brian Schwartz. 13:56 I went to Kettering, Ohio, to find out from Dr. Schwartz 13:59 what the risk factors are for heart disease. 14:03 We also talked about the risk factors in terms of our heart, 14:07 spiritually speaking. 14:08 How can we be well physically and well 14:11 spiritually, as well? 14:12 It's important, because the Bible says the body is 14:15 the temple of the Holy Spirit. 14:17 Here's more of my conversation with Dr. Schwartz. 14:25 What's the next risk factor for heart disease, 14:27 after Hyperlipidemia? 14:28 BS: I think we talked about obesity, hypertension, 14:31 Hyperlipidemia, the next one I think would be stress. 14:35 JB: What can we do about stress? 14:37 BS: Well, we live in a very high-charged world. 14:39 There's no way you're going to avoid stress completely, 14:41 and in fact, it's probably not healthy to have no 14:43 stress whatsoever in your life. 14:45 It's how we deal with the stress that's the problem. 14:48 Sometimes we just hold it inside, and you can just feel 14:51 like the stress is internalized and you can't get rid of it. 14:56 That's the kind of stress that leads to the high 14:58 levels of the adrenaline circulating through your 15:01 bloodstream. 15:02 That causes the blood vessels to constrict. 15:04 It just makes you feel tired and worn out. 15:06 So, one of the best things to do, I tell my patients 15:09 it would be helpful to be in a support group. 15:11 Encourage them, that could be at church, it could 15:15 be at a community activity, around family, things like that 15:19 help relieve stress. 15:20 Exercise helps relieve stress. 15:22 It actually helps release all those adrenaline stores, 15:25 so you get this big surge, but then after you exercise, 15:28 you get more of a relaxing effect. 15:30 And so, it can be very beneficial to exercise. 15:33 JB: Scientifically, are we more stressed today as a society 15:36 than we were 50-60 years ago? 15:37 BS: We know that 50 years ago, we didn't have the high 15:42 divorce rates; we had more likely a family structure; 15:46 very likely the father went to work, the mother stayed 15:48 at home with the children. 15:49 Now, both parents are out working, and she's still got 15:51 to come back and do the same things at home. 15:53 We just live in a supercharged environment. 15:56 In order to make those bills, you might have to be 15:58 holding down 2, 3, 4 jobs instead of one job. 16:01 And there's no security that you're going to keep 16:03 your job anymore. 16:04 It could be here today and gone tomorrow. 16:06 So, very stressful. 16:07 JB: Now, spiritually speaking bout stress, 16:09 God has some treatments for stress, doesn't He? 16:13 I'm thinking in the Bible, Jesus said, "Come to me all 16:16 ye that labor and are heavy laden; I will give you rest." 16:18 BS: Yes. 16:19 JB: As a Christian physician, talk a little bit 16:23 about God's prescription for stress. 16:25 What God offers us, how faith in God helps. 16:28 BS: Yes. 16:29 Absolutely. 16:29 I think it makes a huge difference to have faith 16:31 in God, and in fact as a physician, I offer to pray 16:35 with every one of my patients that comes to my office, 16:37 because I think that's very, very important. 16:39 And as a result of addressing that spiritual need 16:43 and praying that God will bless my patients, that 16:46 He'll be there to help them make change, I've had many 16:48 patients come in to my office and say it's because 16:51 you prayed for me that I was able to give up smoking. 16:53 It's because you prayed for me that I was able 16:55 to start exercising. 16:56 That I was able to cut out most of the meat in my diet. 17:00 So, they've been able to make powerful changes 17:02 because of the power of prayer. 17:04 Just being part of a spiritual community helps with stress. 17:08 And I believe that taking time to rest. 17:10 The Bible encourage us to take a day off every week to 17:13 rest. 17:14 I also tell my patients I won't ask them to do anything 17:16 I don't do myself, and so, I exercise regularly. 17:21 I ran a marathon two years ago, and I still run about 17:24 20 miles a week, spread out over three or four days 17:27 a week. 17:28 I'm a vegetarian. 17:29 I don't eat any meat in my diet. 17:31 I don't drink; I don't smoke. 17:33 I try to take time spiritually to be reenergized 17:36 with time with God every day. 17:39 And I take off one day a week to rest. 17:41 JB: Now, we've still got a couple of risk factors 17:43 left to go. 17:44 We've talked about four, must be I think two more. 17:46 What are they? 17:47 BS: So, smoking and sedentary lifestyle. 17:50 JB: What is it about smoking that's so bad? 17:53 BS: It increases our cancer risk, but specifically 17:56 in talking about heart disease, what I deal with every day, 17:58 it's one of the top leading risk factors. 18:02 Not only, if you have high blood pressure plus you smoke, 18:05 you don't just double your risk, it has a huge multiplying 18:08 effect. 18:09 So, it's really toxic to the arteries. 18:11 So, I mentioned that it's not just the cholesterol 18:14 circulating through our arteries that's a problem. 18:17 Those arteries have to become inflamed. 18:19 And nicotine and the hazards that come through cigarette 18:24 smoke inflames the arteries. 18:27 Even smoking one cigarette can increase your risk 18:29 for a heart attack in the following days after 18:32 doing that. 18:33 Even being around secondhand smoke increases your risk 18:35 for a heart attack for nearly 40 percent. 18:37 So, smoking is a huge risk for developing 18:41 atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. 18:43 And nicotine in tobacco is very addictive. 18:45 In some studies it shows that it's actually more 18:47 addictive than cocaine, so it makes it very difficult 18:54 once you've become addicted to break that habit. 18:56 JB: What's the best way to break the habit? 18:58 What are the best ways? 18:59 BS: Unfortunately, if you ask your average doctor how 19:02 effective are you at getting your patients to quit 19:05 smoking, the answer would be not very effective. 19:08 Historically the success rates are probably about 30 19:11 percent. 19:12 Now, I see a lot of patients who have already had a heart 19:14 attack, and you would think that once they've had a heart 19:17 attack that's going to motivate change. 19:19 JB: You'd think. 19:20 BS: To some degree that helps, but the honest truth. 19:23 What we talked about when we talked about the spiritual 19:25 side, the thing that I've seen make the biggest 19:28 difference is when I specifically pray for my patient 19:31 to ask the Lord to give them the desire to take away 19:35 that urge to smoke and to help them develop the willpower 19:38 to be able to overcome that habit. 19:40 That makes more difference than anything. 19:42 I have more patients say to me, it's because you prayed 19:44 with me that I was able to stop smoking. 19:46 People who have tried the nicotine gum and have tried 19:48 the patch and have tried other things to try to quit. 19:50 We see a real strength in the power of prayer. 19:55 JB: I'm reminded of some Bible verses. 19:57 "With God all things are possible. 19:59 BS: That's right. 20:00 JB: "It is God who works in you both to will and to do 20:02 for his good pleasure." 20:03 So trust in God, must be a great help. 20:05 BS: Absolutely. 20:07 It helps bring about change. 20:09 Patients literally sense that it gives them 20:12 an increased desire, and they find within them 20:15 the capacity to make the changes that they weren't able to make 20:18 as a result of prayer. 20:21 [music] 20:25 JB: It Is Written is dedicated to sharing 20:27 the gospel around the world. 20:28 To discover more about It Is Written, I invite you 20:31 to visit our website, ItIsWritten.com, and brose 20:34 the dozens of pages that describe what we do and how 20:37 we do it. 20:38 Let's get to know each other better. 20:40 Visit our website, ItIsWritten.com, today. 20:45 JB: One more risk factor, what is that? 20:47 BS: Sedentary lifestyle. 20:48 JB: Oh, okay. 20:49 BS: In a recent survey, 40 percent of all Americans 20:52 admit that they do absolutely zero physical exercise. 20:56 JB: Forty percent. 20:57 BS: If you don't exercise, you're more likely 20:59 to be obese. 21:00 If you're obese, you're more likely to have diabetes 21:02 and hypertension. 21:03 If you're under stress, you're more likely to smoke. 21:05 If you're under stress, you're more likely to feed 21:07 that stress by eating to help you just feel relaxed. 21:09 And they're all interrelated to lifestyle. 21:13 In the "Lancet," one of the prestigious 21:15 British medical journals, they suggested that lack 21:18 of exercise if one of the number one leading 21:21 causes of death worldwide. 21:22 JB: Let's talk about diabetes as a risk factor 21:25 for heart disease as well. 21:26 BS: It used to be a disease of adults. 21:30 Now it's becoming very commonly diagnosed 21:32 in children. 21:34 Diabetes is a problem with our body's ability 21:36 to handle extra glucose, extra sugar. 21:41 Typically we think of it as coming from just eating too 21:44 much sweets, but it's really a problem with being able 21:47 to handle too many calories, regardless of the source. 21:51 As people gain weight, it's a sign that they're eating 21:54 more calories than they need. 21:56 The body can't handle that, and so that gets released 21:59 to the bloodstream as extra levels of glucose, extra 22:02 sugar circulating through the bloodstream. 22:05 And then that gets deposited as fat and it becomes 22:07 a vicious cycle. 22:08 Too many calories converted to fat get bigger. 22:11 The bigger we get, the less the body can handle the glucose, 22:14 and that leads to diabetes. 22:15 JB: What do we do about heart disease? 22:18 We've talked about this as we go along a little bit, 22:20 but if we were going to start listing some 22:22 treatments, some self-treatments, what 22:24 a person can do to avoid it, where would we begin? 22:27 BS: Probably to get a checkup with your physician. 22:29 It's good to know your numbers; you need to know what 22:31 your blood pressure is. 22:33 And ideally the blood pressure should be 22:37 less than 130/80. 22:38 You need to know what your cholesterol numbers are. 22:40 You want that total cholesterol to be below, 22:44 ideally below 200. 22:45 You want your triglycerides to be as low as possible 22:48 but definitely below 150. 22:51 You want that bad cholesterol, the LDL 22:53 cholesterol, to be below 100. 22:55 And you want that good cholesterol to be as high 22:57 as possible: in a male, at least above 45 and in 23:00 a female we like to see it up above 60. 23:02 In fact, if people already have heart disease, 23:07 if we can treat those risk factors, and we can get that 23:10 LDL cholesterol all the way down below 70, by diet, 23:13 exercise and even medications, and get that good 23:15 cholesterol up above 45, we now have scientific 23:18 evidence that you can start reversing that plaque. 23:21 You can actually open up the arteries 23:24 and your body can actually naturally start sucking 23:26 the cholesterol deposits, the calcium and all the things 23:29 that make up that plaque out of the artery 23:31 and actually gradually restore that vessel. 23:34 JB: So, in some cases heart disease can be reversed. 23:36 BS: Absolutely. 23:39 [music] 23:43 JB: And heart disease is about as serious as it gets. 23:45 But related to this, there's something else. 23:48 Now, let me ask you: how is it with your heart today? 23:52 If you're having heart challenges physically, 23:55 you're now better equipped to do something about that. 23:58 But what if you're having heart challenges 24:00 spiritually? 24:02 There are risk factors for your spiritual life, too. 24:04 There's an enemy who wants you to have a spiritual 24:07 heart attack. 24:08 But there's a way that you can stay spiritually well, 24:11 and that's by staying close to God; by staying connected 24:15 to Him. 24:16 Proverbs 23 verse 26 says, "My son, give me your heart, 24:21 and let your eyes observe my ways." 24:24 Have you done that? 24:26 Given God your heart? 24:27 I want to encourage you to do that. 24:29 You know, there are a lot of frustrated people who know 24:32 that honestly they've been holding back, and they've 24:35 not been giving all to God. 24:38 You can't go through life ignoring the risk factors 24:41 and expecting to get away with it. 24:43 In the same way, it's vital to follow the pathway to 24:45 good spiritual health, and that pathway is the pathway 24:50 of surrender to Jesus. 24:52 And with that in mind, I'd like to offer you 24:54 a special book. 24:55 It's a book I wrote, and it's called "Confidence 24:58 in Chaos." 24:59 And this is a book that will help you navigate life's 25:02 challenging pathways and lead you to that place 25:05 in the heart of God that you can safely call 25:07 your spiritual home. 25:09 In order to get this book, call right now. 25:12 The number is 1-800-253-3000, and simply ask for 25:17 "Confidence in Chaos." 25:19 You can write to It Is Written at Box O, Thousand Oaks, CA 25:24 91359, and we'll mail a copy to your address 25:28 in North America. 25:29 This is a resource you'll appreciate. 25:32 It's yours free. 25:34 All you need to do is call right now 1-800-253-3000, 25:38 or write to the address on your screen. 25:41 There's no cost, and there's no catch. 25:45 Simply call now and ask for "Confidence in Chaos," 25:49 and remember, It Is Written is a faith ministry made 25:54 possible by people like you. 25:56 If you're blessed by this program, I want to ask you 25:59 to be gracious enough to help us through 26:01 your financial support. 26:03 We don't place a lot of emphasis on that at It Is 26:05 Written, but that's not to suggest it isn't needed 26:08 or appreciated. 26:09 Your continued financial support makes it possible 26:12 for It Is Written to continue sharing the Word 26:14 of God with the world. 26:19 Thank you so much for your prayers and your support. 26:23 And I'd like to pray with you. 26:25 Let's pray together. 26:26 Our Father in heaven, I think You that in a world 26:30 that is full of risk factors, that there is a way 26:33 to safety, and that way is Jesus, our Savior 26:35 and our Friend. 26:37 Now I know that many of us, we're dealing with heart 26:39 issues, physically, literally, and I pray that 26:42 You as the Great Physician would come close and that 26:45 all of us who are dealing with a heart problem, 26:47 because our heart, the Bible says, is desperately wicked 26:50 and deceitful above all things. 26:53 Lord, come into our lives; make our hearts right 26:56 with You. 26:57 We offer them to You now and ask You to be in our life, 27:02 what we want You to be, and more importantly, what You 27:06 want us to be. 27:08 We thank You today, we praise You, we love You, 27:11 and we want to love You more. 27:12 Make that happen, please. 27:15 In Jesus' name we pray. 27:18 Amen. 27:20 [music] 27:44 JB: Thanks for joining me today. 27:45 I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time. 27:47 Until then, remember, It Is Written: 27:50 "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word 27:55 that proceeds from the mouth of God." |
Revised 2015-02-05