Faith, exercise, diet, and nutrition are the foundation of a healthy lifestyle; but wholeness is achieved from the inside out—spirit, soul, mind, and body.
SPIRIT
The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life. ~ Job 33:4 ~
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you are spirit, and they are life. ~ John 6:63 ~
It is the Spirit that gives life. No matter what you do to the outer body, it is of no value if you have no connection to the living God. Connection to God is through His son, Jesus.
And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. ~ 1 John 5:11-12 ~
SOUL
And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. ~ Genesis 2:7 ~
God created man from the dust of the ground. He became a living soul after God breathed the breath of life into him. Even though God’s Spirit gives us life, the soul is determined to have its way. We have to allow the Spirit of God to tame the soul, or it will dominate us. The Spirit of God reflects God’s personality, and the Soul reflects ours. Until we submit to His Spirit, we will not see the poor condition of our soul.
MIND
And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; ~ Ephesians 4:23 ~
Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:7 ~
Every new attitude, behavior, or habit begins in the mind. When you are “born again,” you are a new creature, and the Holy Spirit gives you power to overcome temptation, sin and the challenges of life.
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: ~ Romans 1:8 ~
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: ~ John 1:12 ~
When you are “saved” by God’s grace, your old life is history and your new life is in Jesus Christ. Your mind is renewed as you submit to His Spirit and turn away from worldly ideas, values, and a sinful or compromising lifestyle. When you invite Jesus Christ to be Lord of your life, he transforms you into the likeness and image of God that you were created to be.
And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. ~ Romans 12:2 ~
BODY
What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. ~ 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ~
Your body is a gift from God. When you invite Jesus Christ into your heart, He comes to live inside of you. You become his flesh and blood dwelling place. What a great privilege!
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him. ~ John 14:23 ~
Realizing that our body is the temple of God gives us a deeper understanding of how important our body is to God and how important the care of it should be to us.
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice…
~ 1 Samuel 15:22
God does not delight in sacrifices, but in obedience. When you present your body to Him as a living sacrifice by fasting and praying to be closer to him; or staying healthy and fit to appear as a credible ambassador or representative of the living God; or when you do anything else with your body that honors him—even pleasing your spouse—God is honored and considers it your reasonable service.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
~ Romans 12:1 ~
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
~ 1 Corinthians 10:31 ~
God has given us plants, fruits, grains, vegetables, and meat to eat.
And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. ~ Genesis 1:29 ~
Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. ~ Genesis 9:3 ~
God has not withheld anything from us. He doesn’t want our gifts to become a stumbling block to our faith or health. Nor does God want our belly to become our God. There are physical and spiritual consequences for gluttony and greed.
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: ~ Daniel 1:8 ~
God has given us wisdom. He wants us to abstain from anything that dishonors or does not glorify Him. Abstaining from lust and greed is a good thing. Just because we can eat anything that we want does not mean that we should. In addition, often we don’t realize how some of our habits have become vices or strongholds in our lives, not to mention the effect our behavior may have on others.
All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.~ 1 Corinthians 6:12 ~
There is much to consider when we talk about “wholeness,” and in order to have it, “sacrifices” may need to be made, but they don’t have to be painful. A desire and willingness to change make your journey a lot easier. You see, your success has a lot to do with your attitude and the condition of your spirit, soul, mind, and body.
I am here to help you with healthy tips, sound advice, delicious and nutritious recipes, words of wisdom, and mega doses of love.
#ThePropheticScribe
