The Way We Treat Our Bodies

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple are you. ---1 Corinthians 3:16,17

Isn’t it amazing that when we get sick, we think it is some bug, or hereditary, or just back “luck” that our bodies aren’t functioning right? We have one body and one life. It is our responsibility to take care of that body in several different ways. Remember, it is designed by the Great Creator to live 120 years. But it seems that we sabotage our own lives by the way we take care of ourselves.

I have a wonderful little car that likes to run on gasoline…not water, not diesel, and not oil. For the engine to run, it can only take gas. When I give it the proper fuel, it runs like a dream. If I put sand in the gas tank it will choke up and refuse to run.

Today, I want to address how we FUEL our bodies. I know in today’s world we are so busy that we don’t take time to prepare good, healthy meals for us or our families. Quick-serve meals have become the norm. But our bodies are not created to eat food out of boxes! Those boxes contain preservatives, more salt in one box than we need in a day and a lot of carbohydrates. The same for the drive-by meals.

When we don’t fuel our bodies with proper nutrition like fresh fruits, vegetables and continue to eat manufactured foods, our engine and all the parts begin to fail. For example, our day is full of activity and stress, which comes from all areas in life. Stress does a great deal of harm to our body and if we live under constant stress we end up with stress-related diseases. That may include allergies, asthma, skin diseases, fibromyalgia, all kinds of heart issues, hernias, reflux disease, IBS, TMJ, ulcerative colitis, viruses and on and on.

We need to understand that when we get proper nutrition, our bodies can handle stress much better. Diet doesn’t eliminate stress, but when we have the right vitamins, minerals and immune system built up because we are fueling our bodies correctly, then we handle stress better.

That is just one area. What about obesity? Something has gone terribly wrong with our diets. Over 50% of the American people are obese and just under that, morbidly obese. We are fueling our body with way too many carbohydrates that turn into sugar that our body cannot absorb. Our pancreas goes bonkers and all that sugar is surging through our body looking for somewhere to go. Thus, we end up fat, with sugar diabetes and heart issues.

Look at our children! Most children today are overweight and are already struggling with health issues that they shouldn’t be dealing with until they are in their 40’s and 50’s. Did God do that? Did the devil? No we do it to ourselves.

So what is the problem? First, our minds need to be renewed with an understanding that we MUST take care of ourselves. Second, we need to look at how we are fueling not only our body but our children’s bodies. Third, acknowledge that God can help you change your lifestyle when you ask Him. If your life is full of stress, seek God’s face to find out how to reduce that stress. If you have a problem with time management and priorities then God will help you correct those areas, but you must call out to Him and He will direct your thoughts and move you toward correcting bad habits.

The important thing to know is that God wants you to finish your course. It is the devil that wants you to get so sick and distracted with medical issues that you don’t. So let’s go to battle with the devil and thumb your nose at his tactics. Start shopping in the grocery for fresh foods and set aside time to prepare a good healthy meal for you and your family.

Confession: My body is the temple of God and it is my responsibility to take care of it. When I fuel my body correctly, it will run like a fine engine. When I don’t fuel my body, I will be open for negative consequences. I choose life so I can finish my course with God, God’s way.