Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT, “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, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” Our bodies are a temple and the enemy will try to destroy our temple if we are not careful. If he can negatively impact our temple then he can keep us from all God has planned for us. His attempts are working in many cases, just look at the numbers.
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases showed the following stats from a 2009-2010 study: 68.8% of Americans over 20 were considered to be overweight (Body Mass Index of 25 – 29.9%) and 35.7% were considered to be obese (Body Mass Index of over 30%).
This is why two of the top New Years resolutions for Americans are to lose weight and be more active. But what do these statistics mean? Does this mean we don’t care about ourselves or our bodies? I believe the answer in most cases is Yes we do care about our bodies. If I took a poll of people in America who are considered overweight I believe the vast majority will say they don’t want to be overweight. I don’t think anyone strives to be unfit, that’s not a resolution on anyone’s list.
The truth is we were made to have bodies that enable us to function and do God’s will. We were created in God’s image. Genesis 1:27 NLT, “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
So what happened to cause us to lose focus on the temple we’ve been blessed with? Why do we have to resolve every year to take better care of our bodies? The enemy happened, he has used our health issues and bad habits to keep us from becoming who God wants us to be. The enemy is always looking for a way to move us away from the plan God has for our lives. If you take a look at the side effects of being overweight you will see why it’s such a powerful weapon for the enemy.
There are the physical side effects of being overweight such as having a higher risk for health issues like diabetes or heart attack. Even more dangerous in my opinion are the psychological effects of being overweight. These range from low self esteem and anxiety , to depression and eating disorders. There is also a loss of energy which leads to a loss of joy for life.
Do you see how powerful a tool this is for the enemy? If he can get us to not like ourselves then he can move us further away from God. He may even get us to start blaming God for the shape we are in. How do we fight against that? How do we fix it so losing weight and exercising more are removed from our New Years resolution list? Here are three steps I propose.
First, understand this, God Loves You!!! Regardless of your physical appearance our Heavenly Father absolutely loves you. You have to get that in your heart, mind and spirit and truly believe and hold onto that. 1 John 4:10 NLT, “This is real love – not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” Don’t let the enemy deceive you into thinking otherwise. Win the battle in your spirit first before you try to attack the physical aspects.
Second, you have to develop the fight in you to change the course of your life. God did not make us to be timid and afraid. He did not make us to sit back and let the enemy have his way with us. You were made to be more and God did not place a timid, weak and scared spirit in side of you. He placed the Holy Spirit inside of you who is ready to fight this battle for you if you will only release His power. If the enemy is using your weight and fitness issues against you, realize what he’s doing and tell him this will no longer work.
Third, you have to take physical action and get moving. You will have to put in the work to get the results you want. I believe having those accountability partners with you who will get on you but also love you at the same time is also crucial to being successful here. You need that type of support system around you. I truly believe if you can get those first two steps I talked about taken care of you will have a much better chance of being successful at this third step. So many times we fail at this because our minds and spirits aren’t where they should be. If we get them right we will be much more engaged and enthusiastic about getting to the gym and watching what we eat.
My friends, I know this is a difficult journey for many. I also know that our God prepares us for these tough battles. My favorite verse says it all, Philippians 4:13 NLT, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
Understand you are not doing this for society, you are not doing this for family, you are not even doing this for yourself, you are doing this for God and the temple He gave you. He wants to bless you in so many ways. John 10:10 NLT, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
Truth in Love! ~ Chuck