I’ve had a dream in my heart since the day I received Christ as my Savior: I’ve always known that the Lord implanted this dream within me. And now, after years of growing and seeking and learning and repenting, it’s time for the dream to become a realization. It’s as though God has brought me to a precipice where I can see the dream, the land of fulfilled promise…….however, I have been kept from stepping into it.
But God has not kept me back; it’s I that am holding myself back. I have had very little concern for my physical well-being and I now find myself with little energy and on the verge of losing some of my mobility if I don’t quickly change my lifestyle.
This is much like coming to the point of having a child yet having no energy to deliver it. I have gone through the labor and the stretch marks and the emotional ups and downs of the pregnancy of the dream, but because I have not tended to this physical body I am teetering on the verge of having too little strength to deliver the baby.
Over the years, I put too little effort into taking care of my body while focusing immensely on seeking God and studying His word: I should have done both. While our minds and spirits should be focused on God, our bodies must also be brought into line with His perfect will or we will come to the point of exhaustion when it’s time to carry out His plans in the physical realm.
The physical care (not obsession) of our bodies must be seen as a spiritual activity if we are to serve God for the long haul on this earth. If we are to live our lives with strength and zeal, physically carrying out His spiritual purposes, we must responsibly care for our bodies or we will be wrecked vessels; without the stamina to fulfill our God-given purposes.
Exercise and good nutrition may seem unimportant when we are focused on seeking and serving God, however, both contribute to controlling weight (affecting stamina and combating a multitude of diseases and physical complications), improving mental and emotional well being, increasing energy and promoting good sleep (Mayo Clinic:Healthy Lifestyle).
Perhaps some of you have been like I was: constantly praying that I’d feel and look better, but doing little on my own to help make that happen. But know that God has put much power in each of our spirits to make these things happen and we must use that power to act in self control and determination while also educating ourselves on how to best care for these physical vessels of service!
Make a change now: don’t get to the point of birthing the purposes of God but having too little strength to deliver the baby! Don't let your emotional concerns be tended to by food instead of by the Spirit of God. Be willing to say 'no' to the drive-thrus of the world which offer an opportunity to drain both your pocketbook and body. Don't allow the enemy's plans for your demise to supercede God's plans to bring about His purposes in your life for His glory!
DISCLAIMER: this is not an explanation as to why anyone is sick. This is the story of what happened to 1 person, and the conviction the Lord gave her to do her part in taking care of herself. This is not a promotion of any health product or a proclamation of guilt on any person for having a disease or sickness. This is an encouragement to be responsible [without obsessing] in caring for the vessels He’s given each of us to carry out His work on this earth.
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