Making 2021 your best year yet! Part 3…. our physical health
Personal health has always been important to God. He gave us our bodies as a gift. A house for our spirits to dwell in that can determine the length and quality of days that we have.
Much of the dietary regulations handed to the nation of Israel were to keep the people healthy as they wandered through the wilderness for 38 years.
Men from age 20 on up were all part of the Hebrew militia and were required to be ready to serve at any time to defend their nation. Priest were allowed to retire at age 50 but regular men were still supposed to be ready for battle as long as they were healthy to do so regardless of their age.
Caleb is a great example. One of the two Israelite spies who God allowed to live because they trusted in the Lord. When they entered the promised land this was his discussion with Joshua leader of the Israelites
Joshua 14:10-12
Now, as you can see, the LORD has kept me alive and well as he promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise—even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old. 11 I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. 12 So give me the hill country that the LORD promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the LORD is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the LORD said.”
Can you imagine being able to say that today? We can only hope but it shows us that God doesn’t take our physical health lightly and as many know it impacts what we can do for the Lord and His kingdom.
If we remain physically healthy, we are in less pain, have less worries, and are able to just up and do what the Lord needs us to do without worry…it is much the same with every kind of health included emotional, spiritual, and financial health…all of this health makes us more useful in the kingdom
I shared this verse with you last week. John mini-prayer…I think it furthers my point
3 John 1:2
Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.
We are gifted with one body to keep us through this life however long the Lord has gifted us.
God has a warning to us through Paul about even getting wrong teaching that with wrong teaching the whole temple we as the people of God can be damaged
1 Corinthians 3: 16,17
Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 17 God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
If you read the context of this verse you will see that Paul is specifically talking about the temple corporate and I think in many ways that has happen to the church where we have focused on spiritual care, some emotional and mental care but very little challenge to the integrity of the physical body God has given us..
Later in that letter he does hold us accountable individually for our physical well being
1 Corinthians 6:19,20
Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
What does it mean to honor God with your Body?
Practical ways
- Keep your body moving – regular body movement is essential to being able to function and cause all parts of our body to function (blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, so many things can be helped by movement
- Drink plenty of water – dehydration makes us feel sluggish, fluish many in the US are constantly dehydrated, our thoughts cloud up and focus disappears
- Eat nutritious food – there are many ways to balance what you eat and it doesn’t mean cutting out everything that is good it simply means keeping things in their proper perspective as much as I love chik-fil-a I can’t eat there every day or every week for that matter…more fruits and veggies, more water…good news your brain needs fats too
- Control stress – get plenty of rest, both sleep and have fun basically finding time to recharge and make it happen
- Get proper medical care – an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure…see your doctor at least annually and your dentist as well and then follow through (colonoscopy)
- Avoid things that will damage the body – There are many things that are allowed and beneficial when they are in balance, that can be detrimental to our health if we let them get out of balance. Some examples include; electronics, food, TV, coffee, social media, work, exercise, Netflix, etc. Enjoying a cup of coffee, a sweet tea or an episode on Netflix is not a problem, but too much of these things can hurt you in the long run
Then a more spiritual outlook
1. Be a Good Steward
Though our culture is obsessed with health and fitness, it’s not always for the right reasons. True health is not about looking good on the outside but treating our bodies with the respect and care they deserve, so they function at optimum performance. What we eat, how much we sleep and how often we exercise all have an effect on our body’s overall function.
God blessed us with bodies to house our souls. In order to do God’s kingdom work, we need our bodies to function. Outside of circumstances we can’t control (such as illnesses and accidents), we should be good stewards of the bodies God has given us, not taking our health for granted. Healthy eating, exercise and the right amount of sleep equip us to accomplish whatever He has called us to do in this stage of life.
2. Remember Your Value
The media tells us that confidence is about how much clothing we’re willing to take off. This is a lie.
Real confidence cannot come from something external. Since real confidence is an inner assurance, a boldness based on objective truth, showing off a great body isn’t confidence at all. That attitude is completely dependent on something that will not last, and a truly confident person needs nothing external to be bold and individual.
Our bodies have value in God’s eyes. In the beginning, men and women were naked and not ashamed about it, because the world was perfect. But when sin entered the world, shame entered with it. God gave a covering to Adam and Eve to deflect the shame. Stylishly covering our bodies is not a lack of confidence; it shows we are giving our bodies the same glory and valuethat God gives them. Don’t cheapen the beauty God gave you by advertising it for the world to see. Remember your value, remember that you are God’s temple and give His Spirit an honorable house in which to live.
3. Bless Others
Finally, our bodies are meant to bless others. Our hands and feet are tools of the Spirit of God! By honoring our bodies physically and spiritually, we are equipped to bless the people God puts in our path. These things bring Him glory by pointing to His work in our lives.
It doesn’t matter what your body looks like. You are a temple of God, bringing His love and truth into a world that desperately needs it. By living out that truth, we can all point back to our Creator, bringing Him glory for His design.
We have to be a people of peace and of strength not to show off to the world but so that we might be able to accomplish all the Kingdom work God has planned for us.
Here is the passage of scripture that challenged me to start working out again to be able to accomplish all that God had planned for me
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
Our physical health is not a one size fits all thing, Azalyn has products that help certain people, Rachel Hall has other stuff, trim healthy momma has helped Morgan, Paige and others, Lori Carlson has done something different, Dan Ceiply, Billy Constantine, Billy Cappalonga, Larry Steinhoff all do different things everyone can work with something and Kelli and Jessi have our Revelation wellness program that can help as well. The object is to start now and do something that will make you better in 2021
Our bodies are a gift and how we run with them, the endurance of this life has much to do with our emotional/mental, spiritual and physical health.
We will have many challenges this year, but we will overcome if we are ready and healthy enough to accept all of God’s challenges so we can win