The fiery dart answer please! 

 MY BODY

Okay, okay, I know, wrong answer!  But allow me to explain.  As a Christian you should be familiar with the following verses from Scripture.

 ” Know ye not that ye are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” 

1Co 3:16ASV 

” Or know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God? and ye are not your own; “

1 Cor. 6:19 ASV

Well, then how do we explain Christians who have chosen a lifestyle that does not ensure health, nutrition, or the proper care of their bodies and/or minds? (I have to include mind here because we are just as lax about what we allow to enter our minds as we are about what we allow to enter our mouths!)  Well, I can’t give you a definitive answer to that one BUT I do believe I’ve hit upon something you’ll find thought provoking.

Ever thought about how a healthy body and mind enhances our relationship with God?  Probably not a thought we dwell on very much.  But let’s just think about it for a moment.  For instance, how would a healthy body affect what you do for God?  Ever considered the plain and simple fact that our bodies are the MAIN instrument God has given us to carry out His will in our lives?  Remember, we are the hands, feet, arms, and legs of Christ here on earth. If our bodies aren’t healthy, they hold us back in what we are able to do for God.

Now, let me clarify something here.  Many of us are suffering physically because we haven’t taken care of our bodies–God’s temple.  I’m only zeroing in on poor health that stems from poor choices; NOT physical issues people have to deal with because of unfortunate circumstances.  That’s another thing all together, which by the way God has control of, so keep your chin up! (Romans 8:28)

Consider this–if a Christian can be influenced to claim ownership of her body then who has the final say so in how she cares for it or what she does with it?  Yep, the owner of her body!

PICTURE THIS

IF, I get up in the morning and think, “I need to go workout today,” I should go ahead and duck because a volley of fiery darts will be fired my way.  Why?  Because they are aimed at my weakness–I DON”T LIKE WORKING OUT!  Unless something persuades me otherwise, I will likely conjure up all manner of excuses as to why I can’t go.  Because you see, those excuses or fiery darts are being fueled by an even bigger fiery dart: It’s my body and I get to say what I’m going to do with it. (Ah oh, that’ll spark some controversy!)

HOWEVER, if I get up in the morning and think, “I need to go workout today,” those fiery darts will be hurled at me just as fiercely.  Why?  Because they will still be aimed at my weakness, I DON”T LIKE WORKING OUT!  BUT if I raise my Shield of Faith in the Truth of 1 Corinthians 3:16, & 6:19, I will get myself down to the center and workout.  Why?  Because my body is God’s temple and He commands me to take care of it.

So, if I make choices that hurt God’s temple then I’m being disobedient and God has to deal with me about that or if I ignore God and continue to make self-centered choices, then my health will suffer (and by the way, so will my spiritual health)!  Talk about getting sidetracked from serving God effectively! Whew! Rather discouraging isn’t it?

Be careful folks, that’s just another sly ole fiery dart.  Remember what I said about focus earlier? (Most of the Beauty Lies Beyond our Focus – 11/1/11)  The fiery darts won’t allow you to focus on the benefits of taking proper care of God’s temple because that focus highlights all manner of blessings and benefits–having a stronger more effective witness for starters!  Therefore, be armed with the following my friends:

REMEMBER!

Take care of God’s temple and you’ll be blessed so you can serve God better!

Don’t take care of God’s temple and you’ll suffer and your service for God will be diminished!