Participants: Chris Holland (Host), Dr. Neil Nedley
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC201520A
|
00:00 IIW-THE NUMBER 1 PROBLEM IN THE WORLD
00:04 IIW-THE NUMBER 1 PROBLEM IN THE WORLD 00:09 IIW-THE NUMBER 1 PROBLEM IN THE WORLD 00:14 IIW-THE NUMBER 1 PROBLEM IN THE WORLD 00:18 IIW-THE NUMBER 1 PROBLEM IN THE WORLD 00:23 IIW-THE NUMBER 1 PROBLEM IN THE WORLD 00:28 IIW-THE NUMBER 1 PROBLEM IN THE WORLD 00:33 IIW-THE NUMBER 1 PROBLEM IN THE WORLD 00:38 IIW-THE NUMBER 1 PROBLEM IN THE WORLD 01:31 >>Announcer: It has stood the test of time. 01:35 God's book, The Bible 01:38 Still relevant in today's complex world 01:44 It Is Written 01:46 Sharing messages of hope around the world! 01:58 CHRIS: Thank you so much for joining It Is Written. You know, I'm sure you've been intrigued 02:04 by the title of the program today, "The Number One Problem in the World," and we'll get to 02:10 that in just a moment. But I want to introduce to you a guest that ought to be familiar to 02:15 you, and that is Dr. Neil Nedley. Dr. Nedley, thank you so much for joining me today to 02:21 discuss the number one problem in the world. DR. NEDLEY: Well, it is the number one problem, 02:26 but I'm glad to be here again, Chris. CHRIS: And for those of you who have forgotten, Dr. 02:31 Nedley is a physician of 27 years in internal medicine with a speciality in mental disorders 02:39 and the hardoiagnose patient. Dr. Nedley is the president of Weimar Institute. 02:45 And Dr. Nedley, you still treat patients; in fact, you treat thousands of patients, help them 02:50 overcome mental disorders, depression, anxiety. But as the president of Weimar Institute, 02:57 what is Weimar Institute all about? DR. NEDLEY: Weimar Institute's motto is "Healing a 03:02 hurting world: physically, mentally, spiritually, socially." And it has a higher 03:09 education institution. That's what we primarily are. We have a college, but we also have a 03:15 health centre, the NEWSTART centre. Our students learn there, but patients come from 03:21 all over the world to reverse their diabetes, their heart disease, even cancers can be 03:26 treated there. And then we also have our depression and anxiety recovery program that's also 03:32 housed on the campus. CHRIS: You know, that means It Is Written and Weimar are really kindred 03:37 spirits because our message is, we want to bring hope and wholeness to people. And Dr. 03:43 Nedley, if someone wanted to learn more about Weimar Institute, the lifestyle program 03:50 NEWSTART, or the depression recovery program, where might they find more information about 03:55 that? DR. NEDLEY: NEWSTART.com will tell them about the lifestyle program for the 04:00 physical diseases. The mental, depression or anxiety, is simply depressionthewayout.com. 04:04 CHRIS: And then for Weimar Institute, if they want to learn more about the educational 04:10 institution? DR. NEDLEY: Weimar.edu. CHRIS: And Weimar is spelled.? DR. 04:14 NEDLEY: W. CHRIS: Excellent. So Dr. Nedley, I'm sure that people are 04:22 intrigued, wondering, the number one problem in the world today. Now, before we get there, who's 04:28 the most quoted researcher in the world today right now? DR. NEDLEY: William Baumeister. 04:34 CHRIS: William Baumeister. And why is he being quoted so much? DR. NEDLEY: Because he has done 04:41 research, willpower and self-control. CHRIS: Willpower and self-control. Okay, so what 04:50 is the leading cause of death today around the world? DR. NEDLEY: Lack of self-control. 04:55 CHRIS: Now, wait one second here. Lack of self-control. DR. NEDLEY: Yes. CHRIS: Okay. Now, 05:02 I've heard the number one cause for death is heart disease, cancer, these kinds of things. 05:12 What do you mean, self-control? How can that be the number one cause of death? The number one 05:15 problem in the world? How can a lack of self-control be that problem? DR. NEDLEY: Well, heart 05:17 disease is actually quoted as the number one cause of death in the world today, but we know how 05:23 to prevent heart disease and we know how to reverse heart disease through nutrition and 05:29 lifestyle measures. So if we know how to prevent the disease and know how to reverse the 05:34 disease, and it's still anywhere in the top ten causes of death, the problem is not the heart; 05:40 the problem is the mind, because we're not putting into practice what would benefit us. And so 05:47 actually, lack of self-control is the number one cause of heart disease. Eighty percent of 05:54 cancers could actually be prevented through nutrition and lifestyle and physical choice 06:00 things like giving up smoking. If we're not doing that, lack of self-control is a major cause of 06:05 death in regards to cancer. And the list goes on. CHRIS: Okay. So you've said some very 06:12 profound things, okay? The number one cause of death in the world today is a lack of 06:18 self-control. DR. NEDLEY: Mmhmm. CHRIS: And then you said, heart disease is actually not even 06:25 really a disease of the heart, but a disease of the mind. And I'm putting my words into your 06:31 words, but. DR. NEDLEY: No, it's true. When we know what to do about heart disease and we're 06:36 not doing it, it's a disease of the mind then. CHRIS: Okay. Now, this program is not about 06:40 necessarily nutrition, but just so we understand, you've done extensive research on this. 06:48 You've written a book Proof Positive, which is a guide to how to live life and avoid heart 06:54 disease and cancer and some of these things. But maybe in brief summary, you say, in heart 07:00 disease, we know what to do to prevent heart disease. What do we know what to do? DR. 07:04 NEDLEY: Well, for instance, plant-based diet, particularly if you have heart disease, 07:09 advanced coronary disease, you should be on a plant-based diet. That's the ideal program for 07:16 reversing coronary artery disease. CHRIS: Okay. So a plant-based diet, a vegetarian 07:21 diet. There's a lot of different terms that are used today. A planttrong diet. But when you 07:29 talk about a plantased diet, maybe kind of encompass that. What does that mean, a 07:32 plant-based diet? DR. NEDLEY: Well, you're eating plants, you know, fruits, 07:35 vegetables, and grains, and nuts as well, actually. Nuts help with heart disease, help prevent 07:42 it. CHRIS: Okay. So a lack of self-control, heart disease, is able to be reversed and 07:49 prevented by simply making the choice to live right, and you won't get heart disease. DR. 07:54 NEDLEY: That's right. CHRIS: You said cancer. What was the percentage again of the cancers 08:00 that could be prevented by simply modifying our lifestyle? DR. NEDLEY: Eighty percent, 08:04 according to Harvard. CHRIS: Eighty percent, according to Harvard University research, 08:09 could be prevented by simple lifestyle changes. So now, I'm starting to see this picture, 08:17 because you've named off some of the big ones: heart disease, cancer, and this lack of 08:22 self-control. Are there other diseases that are out there that are attributable to a lack of 08:28 self-control? DR. NEDLEY: Diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is simply. it's not 08:35 only a genetic disease. Genetics loads the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger. So if we get 08:40 on the appropriate lifestyle, even though we have the bad gene, we'll never have type 2 08:45 diabetes and we'll never have the complications of it. CHRIS: This is phenomenal. Any 08:51 other diseases? I'm starting to see this picture, Dr. Nedley, unfold, of this understanding 08:59 why a lack of self-control is the number one problem around the world. What other kinds of 09:06 things are we talking about that could be eliminated, essentially, if we practiced 09:10 self-control? DR. NEDLEY: Sexually transmitted diseases. They're in the top ten 09:15 causes of death. Lack of self-control is the number one cause of sexuallyransmitted 09:18 disease. CHRIS: Okay. What else? DR. NEDLEY: The number three cause of death in the world is 09:22 actually alcohol usage, so alcoholism is lack of self-control. CHRIS: Okay. 09:27 Anything else that. DR. NEDLEY: Murder, you know, homicide. Lack of self-control, 09:34 very often. CHRIS: And so when we start thinking about the list, and we start thinking 09:38 about all the various problems that exist in the world today, it seems pretty simple, and 09:46 maybe for some, too simplistic, but it really boils down to this one thing: a lack of 09:52 self-control. DR. NEDLEY: And then things that are not so much causes of death, but causes of a 09:57 lot of misery, you know. Rape, depression, unwanted pregnancy, adultery, divorce, unemployment, 10:09 financial failure. Those are often due to severe lack of self-control. CHRIS: And so you 10:16 start running down that list. You named off rape, a lack of self-control in an individual 10:20 who's forcing himself or forcing herself upon another individual. You've already mentioned 10:26 alcoholism, divorce. The individual making a choice that they no longer want to be 10:32 married. Adultery, someone making a choice to not be with the individual that they've 10:38 married, or practicing some type of illicit sexual behaviours. These are all choices. And now 10:45 we start seeing this picture, why a lack of self-control is the number one problem in the 10:50 world today. DR. NEDLEY: It is the number one problem. And Baumeister has hit it right. 10:55 He's told us that it's the number one problem as far as all of the diseases and distress in 11:03 our world today. If we could just fix that one thing, wow. CHRIS: And I'm moved by what 11:12 you're saying here, because what you're getting to, Dr. Nedley, is that a majority of the 11:16 problems of the world today could be fixed, reversed, prevented, by simply correcting 11:26 the mind and how we think. DR. NEDLEY: That's right. CHRIS: That is powerful, Dr. 11:33 Nedley. That is a powerful, powerful thing for us to grab, that many of the diseases of the 11:39 world today, many of the problems of the world today, really have little to do with 11:44 actual events and things themselves, but actually have to do with how a person thinks. DR. 11:50 NEDLEY: That's right. CHRIS: And we've talked about the frontal lobe and how, in previous 11:54 programs, how to increase frontal lobe. DR. NEDLEY: Mmhmm. CHRIS: So what is the real cause 12:00 of this disease, of this lack of self-control? DR. NEDLEY: Well, that's the millionollar 12:08 question. And actually, there are multiple things. And Baumeister goes into it and 12:16 others. There are multiple things that make our self-control worse, and also can 12:23 help our self-control. And by the way, everyone has selective self-control. That's the amazing 12:29 thing about it. CHRIS: Okay. DR. NEDLEY: You know, for instance, I'll just name a very famous 12:34 individual. You've probably even heard of him, in California. Arnold Schwarzenegger. 12:40 CHRIS: Okay, Arnold Schwarzenegger. DR. NEDLEY: Yeah, meticulous 12:42 self-control to build the muscles that he built. CHRIS: Yes. DR. NEDLEY: But yet, 12:47 in an area where it was more important for him to have self-control, when his maid was 12:53 cleaning the house, he lacked it, and he lost the love of his life due to not having 12:59 comprehensive self-control. So what the world is needing is not just selective self-control; 13:07 it's needing comprehensive self-control, and that will do amazing things. CHRIS: Okay, 13:12 you're using words that are important. Comprehensive, selective. "I have self-control 13:17 where I want to have self-control." DR. NEDLEY: That's right. CHRIS: And 13:20 comprehensive self-control is, "I have self-control in every aspect and area of my life." DR. 13:26 NEDLEY: Correct. CHRIS: You know, it reminds me a little bit of Paul, when Paul was writing 13:30 the book of Romans, in Romans chapter 7, verses 214, he writes about this dynamic 13:38 goingn. And let me read these words. Romans chapter 7:214: I find then a law, that evil is 13:47 present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to 13:54 the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my 14:00 mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O 14:07 wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? CHRIS: And so Paul is 14:13 talking about this wrestling, and in the previous verses, he talks about how he doesn't do 14:19 what he wants to do, and he does do what he doesn't want to do. And it's this self-control, 14:26 which is a major component of Christianity. DR. NEDLEY: And he calls himself "wretched". 14:33 CHRIS: Now, Dr. Nedley, what does it mean to be wretched? DR. NEDLEY: Well, it's mentioned one 14:39 other time in the Bible, and it's to the last church, that "you think you're in good shape, 14:45 but you don't know that you're wretched , miserable, poor, blind, and naked." CHRIS: Okay, 14:50 and then when you talk about this last church, you're talking about the last church of the 14:55 seven churches of the Book of Revelation, the church of Laodicea, is called "wretched". 15:00 And when we understand that word, to be wretched means. DR. NEDLEY: Lack of self-control. 15:05 CHRIS: A lack of self-control. So what is it, then, to have self-control? What's a word that 15:13 might summarize what it means to have self-control? DR. NEDLEY: Well, to have 15:17 self-control, the way to get to self-control, is through self-sacrifice. CHRIS: Okay. DR. 15:27 NEDLEY: And it's actually a self-sacrificing love that will bring about comprehensive 15:35 self-control. That's not a love that we can manufacture; it's not romantic love. It's not even 15:41 brotherly love. It's not erotic love. As good as those loves might be in the appropriate time 15:48 and place, this is a love that humanity totally lacks, and it comes from the divine grace and 15:56 abundant love of God coming into our heart in response to our willingness to give up all on 16:05 the altar of sacrifice laid. CHRIS: Okay, well, you've laid out a lot of heavy material 16:10 there. And we're going to come back to this. But you have emphasized an important point. 16:16 We're going to have a little discussion here about self-control and whether 16:18 self-control is good or bad, and some studies that have been done on it. But you have emphasized 16:23 the point that we cannot have self-control without self-sacrificing love. DR. 16:31 NEDLEY: Mmhmm. CHRIS: And the only place that we can get that self-sacrificing love is from 16:34 outside of ourselves. We can't do it alone. This is not a "tighten up the bootstraps and 16:41 move forward". This is a spiritual war that's going on between making decisions for 16:49 right and making decisions for wrong. DR. NEDLEY: Mmhmm. CHRIS: Okay. And we've talked 16:53 about temperance before, and self-control. How does temperance play into 16:56 self-control? DR. NEDLEY: Temperance is moderation of the things that are healthy, 17:00 and abstinence from the things that are unhealthy. CHRIS: Okay. And so when we have 17:03 self-control, we will be a temperate individual. And that is a word that, as I understand, 17:10 is actually making a comeback. It's not been a word that we've used for a long time, but it's 17:15 making a comeback in the literature. More and more has been written about it. And a 17:19 self-controlled individual is going to be a temperate individual, meaning that they 17:25 abstain from the things that are harmful and they are moderate in the things that are good. DR. 17:30 NEDLEY: Exactly. CHRIS: And so if we put this, and we kind of boil this down very, very 17:34 simply, okay, garbanzo beans. Are garbanzo beans good for you? DR. NEDLEY: Absolutely. 17:40 CHRIS: They're very good for you. But do you want to eat two or three or four pounds of 17:45 garbanzo beans in one sitting? DR. NEDLEY: No. CHRIS: No. It's not going to be good for you 17:49 then. So although garbanzo beans are filled, and you probably could tell me all the nutrients 17:52 that are in a garbanzo bean, maybe name just a couple of them. DR. NEDLEY: Folate is one 17:56 of the good ones. You know, vitamin B9. CHRIS: Okay, so folate, B9, we need those things 18:02 to survive. DR. NEDLEY: Mmhmm. CHRIS: But if I eat four pounds of garbanzo beans, that is not 18:07 going to be helpful to me. DR. NEDLEY: Correct. CHRIS: Okay. Now, we also know, I mean, 18:12 inasmuch as we'd hate to admit it, we know that a Snickers bar is probably not real healthy for 18:17 us. DR. NEDLEY: That's right. CHRIS: And so we should probably abstain from eating too many 18:21 Snickers bars. DR. NEDLEY: Yeah, particularly if you have type 2 diabetes, or even type 1. 18:25 CHRIS: Okay. So we've kind of made this very, very practical. How can I tell if I have good 18:32 self-control? DR. NEDLEY: Well, there's actually tests that are done on it, and that's how. you 18:37 know, in order to study anything like it, like Baumeister does, you have to measure it. And so 18:42 he measures it through a test. You know, getting up in the morning is hard for me. If you 18:48 state that, that's low self-control. I eat healthy foods, that's high self-control. 18:52 I blurt out whatever is on my mind, that's low self-control. I don't keep secrets well, that's 18:58 low self-control. I work effectively towards long-term goals, that's high self-control. 19:04 So those are part of the questions. you know, there's actually many more questions 19:08 than that. where you can actually measure your self-control. And then he's done 19:13 studies to find out that people with high self-control make better relationship partners, 19:19 they have better personality adjustments, they have much less disorders as far as mental 19:26 disorders are concerned. CHRIS: Sure. DR. NEDLEY: They actually spend money rightly, 19:32 they save well, they actually have better academic performance, they actually take 19:39 more responsibility when they do mess up instead of denial and shame and defensiveness. And so 19:47 he's linked the good life. the psychological good life is linked intricately to having 19:54 high self-control scores. CHRIS: Okay. So these things demonstrate whether we have good 20:01 self-control. Studies have been done. So let me ask you this, then, Dr. Nedley: What are the 20:07 benefits of having self-control? And right off the bat, somebody's saying, "Well, I 20:11 mean, if I have self-control, I can help avoid heart disease and all of these other things." But 20:15 what are some of the other benefits of having good self-control? DR. NEDLEY: You 20:18 actually are more accommodating, you're actually a very good person to be around. Actually, 20:25 people enjoy being around people with high self-control. They actually have a lot of benefits. 20:30 And they've also looked at the drawbacks. CHRIS: Okay, so what are the drawbacks, then? DR. 20:37 NEDLEY: The drawbacks: none whatsoever. They've looked at the highest selfontrol scores 20:44 to see if some sort of negative patterns can be found. There's no negative patterns whatsoever. 20:49 And so they state that there's absolutely no downside to high self-control and there's only 20:56 benefits. CHRIS: Only benefits to self-control, no downside to self-control. That's an amazing 21:01 thing. You know, as a doctor, you're well aware, there's a lot of prescription medication that 21:06 are helpful to people who have illness, but with every good medication, what comes along 21:13 with it? DR. NEDLEY: Side effects. CHRIS: Side effects that are negative. DR. 21:16 NEDLEY: That's right. CHRIS: Having self-control, the "medicine", and I put that in 21:22 quotation marks, the "medicine" that will help solve the number one problem in the world today. 21:25 And there's no side effects. DR. NEDLEY: That's right. CHRIS: No downside. DR. NEDLEY: No 21:30 downside whatsoever. CHRIS: You know, it reminds me of a Bible verse in Proverbs chapter 16 in 21:35 verse 32 that says: He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his 21:44 spirit, than he who takes a city. DR. NEDLEY: That's right. CHRIS: To rule the spirit, to 21:50 rule over yourself, have self-control. DR. NEDLEY: That's right, you're managing your 21:54 emotions. CHRIS: You're managing your emotions. Okay. So Dr. Nedley, how do I develop 22:00 self-control? What are some practical steps? DR. NEDLEY: Enhancing the frontal 22:04 lobe of your brain is a practical step. So getting on a program, good nutrition, good 22:09 exercise, can improve your circulation to the willpower portion of your brain. Having 22:16 what's called "bright lines" in your life. That's a term that Baumeister coined. A bright line 22:21 is zero tolerance, abstinence, never partaking, no matter what the situation. And he says, if 22:28 it comes from a commandment of God, it's an especially bright line. So you know, the Ten 22:33 Commandments would be bright lines that actually enhance self-control. He's even done a 22:38 study on atheists after they quote the Ten Commandments, and their self-control goes up. And 22:44 so he's very much into bright lines. Actually, having worthy goals helps towards 22:51 self-control. As important as all those things are, however, the failsafe method of 22:57 developing self-control is to put all on the altar of sacrifice laid. In other words, 23:06 if you're having a problem with self-control, you have to realize, there's selfishness in 23:10 there somewhere. And so be willing to self-sacrifice, that opens your heart and mind up to 23:19 a power that's outside of you, the love of God, and that self-sacrificing love will give 23:27 you comprehensive self-control. And the more you exhibit that self-sacrificing love to others, 23:36 the more of that love you will get. And so that means you're kind, you have pleasant words, 23:44 you are exhibiting an empathetic love to others around you, which goes right along with 23:51 self-control. CHRIS: Those are some phenomenal things, Dr. Nedley. You talked about some 23:58 practical steps. Good nutrition, exercise, getting your frontal lobe in good health, having 24:04 bright lines. But then you summarized it and said, "But the failsafe way, even without those 24:12 other things." Now, we want to do those other things because we want to help our body physically 24:16 be ready to have self-control. The failsafe way of finding self-control is to lay ourselves 24:23 on the altar of sacrifice, which means we open our hearts fully to the love of God, let the love 24:30 of God enter into our lives, let his strength enter into our lives, and find that 24:38 self-control, and we will have comprehensive self-control as we exhibit that same type of love 24:45 to others around us. DR. NEDLEY: It's transformative. I've seen scores of individuals 24:50 transformed through that simple concept. CHRIS: Dr. Nedley, this is profound. It is a simple 25:00 solution to the world's number one problem. Thank you so much for helping us come to this 25:07 conclusion. And as we're out of time, Dr. Nedley, could you have prayer for us, that we might 25:13 find self-control and overcoming that number one problem in the world? DR. NEDLEY: I'd be glad 25:18 to, Chris. Father in heaven, we thank You that You are willing to give us the power. We know 25:28 that we need a power outside of us, because all of us, with our human nature, are going to only 25:34 have selective self-control. And we'll sabotage ourselves in so many ways. But we thank You that 25:41 You are willing to share Your love with us. And so I pray that each one viewing now would 25:51 actually make the choice to put all on the altar of sacrifice laid, to open their heart and 25:58 mind to Your self-sacrificing, agapé love that can transform them and transform the world. We 26:06 thank You for that love, and may we now live it in our life, in Jesus' name, amen. CHRIS: Amen. 26:36 >>Bev: Hi, everyone. If you're not using quinoa on a regular basis, you are missing out on 26:41 the significant nutritional benefits this super food has to offer. For one thing, it's a 26:46 complete protein, which means it contains all of the essential amino acids that our bodies 26:52 cannot create. That's unusual for a plant food. Quinoa was used by the Inca civilization as 26:58 a staple food in their daily diet, and with good reason. It boasts more protein than rice, 27:04 millet, or wheat, and it's gluten-free with a healthy complement of minerals such as 27:09 manganese, magnesium, iron, and copper. Today, I'm sharing my own recipe, Bev's Quinoa Salad 27:15 with Tahini Lime Dressing. Here are the ingredients: one cup of cooked quinoa; one carrot, 27:22 grated; half a cup of shredded kale; a quarter cup of currants; a quarter cup of pumpkin seeds; 27:29 and you can put a quarter teaspoon of salt. That's optional. I usually don't. This 27:33 is a high-octane kind of salad. You're going to get great nutrition from the quinoa, the 27:38 carrot, the kale, and the pumpkin seeds. And the currants add a nice little hint of tart 27:43 sweetness. And then for the dressing, I just use the juice of a lime, two teaspoons of 27:49 tahini, a teaspoon of almond butter, water to thin it out, and a half teaspoon of 27:55 sweetener, and a little sprinkling of chili pepper seeds and a few dashes maybe of 28:00 Herbamare or some other kind of spices. You mix the salad ingredients together, then mix 28:05 the dressing, and pour it over. So let me show you. I've got the quinoa right here. I'm going to 28:10 add in some shredded carrots. I'm going to add in the wonderful kale. And this has 28:15 wonderful colour to it, this whole salad. And then I've already got the currants and the 28:20 pumpkin seeds mixed. That's all you've got to do. Those ingredients, and then you'd just 28:27 pour the dressing on top of it, mix it together, and you've got a spectacular, good-for-you kind 28:37 of salad. And let me show you how gorgeous it is. The beautiful colours. And it's so 28:46 fresh. Much of the ingredients is raw. There you go. Beautiful salad. Enjoy it in good health 28:57 and I'll see you next time. 29:07 CHRIS: Friend, there is true comprehensive self-control found in Jesus. I'd like to offer you 29:14 a free copy of today's program. Here's the information you need to receive that offer. 29:45 CHRIS: Thank you, Dr. Nedley, so much for joining us today. DR. NEDLEY: It's been great being 29:48 here. CHRIS: And thank you for watching. Please join us again next week. Until then, remember, 29:53 it is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from 30:00 the mouth of God." 30:04 $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ |
Revised 2016-02-04