June 8, 2009

• Honoring the Lord with our bodies

  Honoring the Lord with our Body

  Remembering what our body is and who it belongs to

  1 Cor 6: 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. NIV

  Overcoming denial:    Whatever we do will show up –corruption results from fleshly behavior

  Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.9 And let us not be weary in well doing : for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. KJV

  About a week ago, I sent the following prayer request to the saints at ROL:

  . Having looked at the wonderful pictures Tasha and others have taken at the wedding (on Facebook), I am feeling repentant (AGAIN!!!) for my weight issues (seeing pictures of myself is a further wake up call!) ....I need God's help and ...even more...I need to be obedient when He does nudge me daily about what to and what not to do -- this is MY fault and mine alone that I am where I am.

  .  My doctor says my cholesterol is very  high (surprise , surprise) -- I love butter, cheese, sweets...uh....this may be somewhat related to # 3... ' ya think???

  Anyway...this is not really funny. I want to treat the temple of the Lord as I should and I am sorry I have not been.  But, "sorry" alone does nothing.   Please pray for me.

  Restoring hope although things seem impossible to us! Basilio preached yesterday that we should not be discouraged by what appears to be impossible!

  We cannot afford to resign ourselves to our current state. To resign is to give in to what we are deceived into thinking is inevitiable!  To resign is to say “uncle” to the devil! It is DEFEAT.

    Share the need with friends.

  James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.KJV

   Let them take your need to Jesus with  you!  Know He is able to help! He can forgive us from the sin that got us into trouble and he can heal from all problems.

  Luke 5: 18 Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."  21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, "Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" 22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . . ." He said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home."  25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, "We have seen remarkable things today." NIV

  When we resign ourselves to our bodies being weakened through our having overeaten and not properly cared for them,  sometimes we begin to weary of the Lord’s work too. Actually, this is no doubt the enemy’s plan!!

  1 Cor 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

  For many of us…even in the ministry…overeating IS our greatest “sin that so easily entangles”. We MUST “throw it off”. It is a warfare! Daily!!

  Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: NIV

  Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,KJV

  Heb 12:Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God's throne in heaven. 3 Think about all he endured when sinful people did such terrible things to him, so that you don't become weary and give up. 4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin. 5 And have you entirely forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you, his children? He said,"My child, don't ignore it when the Lord disciplines you,and don't be discouraged when he corrects you. 6. For the Lord disciplines those he loves,and he punishes those he accepts as his children."7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Whoever heard of a child who was never disciplined? 8 If God doesn't discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children after all. 9 Since we respect our earthly fathers who disciplined us, should we not all the more cheerfully submit to the discipline of our heavenly Father and live forever? NLT

  We must daily put our sin to the cross and die to it!

  Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily , and follow me.24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?KJV

  What we put in our bodies is more important than what we put into anything else!    I heard a  preacher say on TV that when he was putting premium gas in his car, God asked him why he was putting in the most expensive gas. The man said because he valued his car. God then asked him why he would take such trash into the temple of the Holy Spirit.  Oouch.

  That is the question, isn’t it? WHY?   Why do we do it?

  I once listed the pro’s and cons of eating or not eating too much or the wrong thing. Here is that list:

  Reasons to be victorious ,i.e., eat properly:

  Pleasing my Best Friend

  Being able to be His colaborer without huffing and puffing (e.g., through endless ailes of airport).

  Pleasing my husband.

  Pleasing all I love.

  Not being a reproach.

  Not having to buy a new, bigger wardrobe!!!!!!!

  Reasons to be eat improperly, to be rebellious regarding food…to SIN in this area

  The taste of that dairy queen pecan/hot fudge/caramel sundae sends a rush of pure pleasure through body and soul

  The times I am eating are like islands of rest in the midst of huge busyness:

  It became obvious once more that it was a simple question of whether I would give into fleshly , foolish desires  or Godly wisdom in my eating choices.

  Flesh vs Spirit...

  To have my mind set on fleshly desires is HOSTILE TO GOD

  Rom 8:5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. 9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. 12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation — but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba,  Father." 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. NIV

  Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

  1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. NIV

  Father, help me never again to give the enemy the opportunity to sarcastically laugh at my resolutions to overcome overeating. Help me to bring forth fruits of repentance each and every day.

  Help me not to partake of festivals, restaurants, events that are geared towards enticing gluttony.

  Ps 141: 4 Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil,to take part in wicked deeds
  with men who are evildoers;let me not eat of their delicacies. NIV

  Help to to go in and out of situations I am in without being caught up in demonic swirls intended to bring me down as Delilah did Samson!

  Dan 1: 8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. NIV

   

  Help me to walk in the new nature in me, the born again in Christ nature

  Eph 4:22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. NIV

  
  Lord, change my thinking about food. The sense of "entitlement" during the endless times of "this is a special event so dieting is not in order"!!!

  Help me to keep your face ever before me. When you smile and say , "yes". Great. If you as much as say, "Be CAREFUL!" Help me to faithfully respond with a circumspect walk!!!!

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