Father forgive me. Forgive me for all the "garbage" I put in my "tank." Forgive me for how I have complained about my health problems, lack of energy, and aches and pains, when often these things are a direct result of what I choose to put into my body. Forgive me for not conditioning my body the way it ought to be conditioned. My body is the temple of Your Spirit; I should treat it with dignity. Forgive me for not having the right motivation. Forgive me for not offering my body as a living sacrifice to You.
You say if I confess my sins, You are faithful to forgive and cleanse me. Today is a new day. May I experience a fresh start as I dedicate myself to glorify You with my body. I belong to You, inside and out. I matter to You, my spirit and my body. Teach me to live in a way that gives glory to You. Amen.
~Bill Hybels "Getting a Grip"
Meditate on this prayer for a bit. . .
Did you catch that? We are His. Our bodies were created in His image for His plan and purpose. These cells, tissues and organs all came from our Father, our Creator. We exist because He cared. We exist because He desired to shine through us. His Holy Spirit dwells within; but, if we refuse to activate the Holy Spirit, nourish our physical beings, feed our spirit with Truth and follow Him, we are denying our Maker. We continue choosing destruction for our bodies and diminish our functioning. Slowly, we fade away from the original intention for our being - to serve Him fully.
My son will build a huge creation from his Lego's and stand so proud next to it. If I were to slowly pick at his creation, one piece at a time, it would eventually crumble. With each section, each piece, I destroy, the stability weakens. As it crumbles and appears as a pile of broken pieces and my son would be disheartened for he worked hard. Well, the same goes for our bodies and decisions we make daily to remain healthy. With each bad habit, decision or disrespectful comment we make, we destroy our stable bodies. God looks at His creation in sadness as we destroy ourselves with gluttony, starvation, lack of exercise, over exercise, laziness, lack of sleep, etc.
How else could we understand what balance looks like than to seek the Maker Himself? Ask God what your meal plan, exercise plan and habits ought to be each day. Yours will be different than the person next to you. God does not like to bake, therefore did not use cookie cutters to create His children. Our bodies reflect His creativity and must receive the proper amount of "fuel" to function. Fear not, He does not expect perfection. I want to stress this because our health could become an obsession, which is not healthy either. Moderation is the key. Some days will be a very healthy day and others will be so-so; but EVERY day should be given to God for direction. He wants you to enjoy the "junky" food from time to time, but in moderation. He wants you to relax from time to time, but in moderation.
Take care of yourselves so He may use you completely. I know when I starved my body and over exercised, I remained unstable. As I fed myself with proper nutrients and followed His meal plan, I was able to serve Him with full potential. You can do it! Reach to Him for strength every day, with every decision. Seek your Maker and honor Him with your bodies.
"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."
(1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
God, thank you for another day. Thank You for healing me inside and out. Continue to show me where I fall short and out of balance. I give my meal plan to You daily. Complete my itinerary for the ways I should go and food I should eat. You know just how I am to function for You are my Maker. Thank You for caring so much to provide life to me. May I honor Your temple daily. I love You.
Keep praying harder than the devil can work.
Sheree Craig
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