God's Word...Principle 1: Our bodies do NOT belong to us....

The very first principle to understand when it comes to our health as children of God, as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, is that our bodies do NOT belong to us; they belong to the Lord. He created us! He knit us! But now that we are children of God, we are His! Completely and gloriously His! We are stewards of HIS Temple. Our bodies are a precious gift from the Lord to be cared for with love.

But wow....there's a lot that comes with that. Until Jan 21, our church is participating in 21 days of prayer and fasting with Highlands Church at 6 am (Pray First app). Today is the first day I got up for it. Didn't go in to church, but I'm at home on the app. God is so faithful even when we are slow to join. The whole 21 days is about Matthew 6:33...seek ye first the Kingdom of God. This week is about seeking God's Kingdom. Today is about seeking His truth. The Highland's pastor said that seeking God's Kingdom is not about geography, but about governance. Whose policies are governing me? Mine? Or God's? John 8:31....is the governing policy of my life, including my health, abiding in God's Word? or is it abiding in the desires of my flesh? (We will get more into the battle between flesh, soul, and spirit regarding our health later. Stay tuned! It's fascinating and so freeing!!!) John 8:32 gives us the result of being His disciples and abiding in His Word...that we will know the truth and the truth will set us free.

Today's message from Pray First is to seek God's truth first. Pray first and seek God's truth first are the first two baby steps to Kingdom Health (yep! Stealing 7 baby steps pattern from Dave Ramsey! 🤷 Why not! It works!)

When it comes to our health, what a struggle it can be to truly live as stewards and not lord's of our bodies. It truly is a battle. (Galatians 5:16-17)

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 tells us that individually we are God's temple of His Holy Spirit, we have our bodies FROM God, and we are NOT our own. We are told we were bought at a price, so we ARE to glorify God in our bodies and in our spirit, which are God's. So not just our bodies, but our spirits too.

Ephesians 2:19-22 tells us that corporately, all of us together as the church, He is fitting us together, growing us into a HOLY temple in the Lord, in whom we are being built TOGETHER for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Maybe it's hard, but fathomable, to be reminded that individually we are only stewards of our bodies, but how often do we think about it being corporate...that all of us together are one... That each of our decisions about our health, our bodies, our souls, our spirits, affect not just me, each of us, but all of us in the church.

So as I heard today, I encourage you to just start (or restart, or continue on) your journey of health by praying first about this: that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, individually and corporately.

As you pray, ask God to show you HIS truth about your health...body, soul, and spirit. About your spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical health. Ask Him to help you to seek HIS truth for your health NO MATTER WHAT! To help you LET Him heal you and make you healthy so you can do more for Him! So you can live in the abundant life He has for you! So you can glorify HIM in your body, soul, and spirit. So you can ABIDE in Him and be a branch that can hold ALL the fruit He is waiting to produce in your life! So you can serve, seek, and disciple more souls for the growth of the Kingdom of Heaven! So you can REST in His yoke and live without fear! As you pray, ask Him to show you your sins against HIS body that you live in and are responsible to steward, then confess them.

The next step is to seek His truth... to keep learning the truth about your health! Stay tuned to Kingdom Health and wherever the Lord leads you as you pray! To quote Dr Seuss: "Oh the places you can go,! Oh the thinks you can think!" I'll provide some of my favorite resources about what God's word and His design say about our health as well, but for now ... Just pray and ask Him to convict you of the truth of this first principle! I know how hard it can be. Sometimes my first confession is "Lord, I confess that I don't want to pray about this or confess it because this (sin, emotion, lifestyle, etc.) feels good!" If that is your first confession, then AMEN! Just do it! 1 John 1:9 is one of my absolute favorite verses. 1 John 1:8 reminds us that if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. So that's a truth we need to seek, eh? BUT, 1 John 1:9 gives us the promise! "If we confess our sins, HE is faithful and just to forgive us our sins AND to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness." Oh what a beautiful promise. All we have to do is confess. What is confess? It's just agreeing that what you are doing is sin. You don't have to feel it, be sorry for it even (that conviction may come later), or want to confess it. But do it anyway, if for no other reason than that it's spiritual warfare against the enemy. It's a foot planted on the battleground for your health, for glorifying God in your body, and for the souls of all those whom God has for you to reach.

If you LET Him, God will lead you on your health journey in a way that fits you perfectly. It will be unique to you. Oswald Chambers says we ought to let God be as unique with others as He is with us. I love that. The reverse is also true (more on that later!). Yes, there are basic principles and policies that govern our health, but every person's journey is uniquely beautiful and personal.

Join me today in prayer for surrender to and conviction of this truth: that your body is, individually and corporately, the Lord's!! Oh how it is worth it!