My Body is a Temple?

Kevin15 Comments

I was in my late twenties and I was not well. My immune system was shot. I was on antibiotics more than I was not. Not only was I sleeping 12 to 14 hours a day but was suffering from frequent migraines. I could not seem to stick to any workout. There was no energy to do much of anything but the bare minimum. I was depressed and failing. It took a serious conversation with my wife to realize that something was not right. What do I always fo when I am in trouble? pray! James 5:13 “Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray…”

The next day I made an appointment with my doctor. She agreed that I should not be experiencing these health problems at such a young age so we began running tests. Over the next weeks I had been poked and prodded in a variety of uncomfortable ways. One doctor decided that I could have a brain tumor and should see a neurologist. Of course the neurologist was backlogged with patients and so for weeks I agonized over the possibilities. The day came for my exam. Thankfully, not the normal poking and prodding but he did do some of his own strange tests. After wading through my records from other doctors offices he concluded … The foods I was eating were making me sick. No tumor! This neurologist figured out what others, including myself, never considered! He changed my diet radically. Within a few days I was feeling better. Within a week I was exercising again. Within 2 months I had lost 45 pounds! It made me wonder how this could happen and did the Bible have anything to say about it.

In this case I cannot really blame anyone but myself. My parents tried valiantly to get me to eat things that were good for me. In fact, I learned to like vegetables quite a bit. What I did was what many young adults do when they get on their own. Overindulge! Proverbs 23:2 “Put a knife to your throat if you are a man of great appetite.” Pretty serious statement but I have to admit my overindulging was killing me. I had convinced myself that I could eat whatever I desired as long as I had something healthy along with it plus didn’t smoke, do drugs or drink heavily. How dumb was I?! I could eat 4 big macs, large fry and a soda and be proud that I had eaten fruits and vegetables earlier that day. I now realized I needed forgiveness for something. Gluttony!

1 Corinthians 6:19 “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” I considered how people ought to treat a temple of God. Respect it. Clean it up. Air it out. Keep it pristine. This seemed complicated but I vowed that I would do better and learn how to care for this temple God gave me. I think everyone should do likewise.

  1. If you have not been keeping the temple pristine then begin by asking God for forgiveness and request His intervention to do just that. If you think you do it well then congratulations as according to the Mayo Clinic only about 13% do this well.
  2. Make a plan to do better. It will be different for everyone. No fad diets! If your plan is overly aggressive then you are likely to fail. It must be a change in lifestyle.
  3. Share what you are doing. Maybe even get input from a doctor or nutritionist. Your best bet is to get someone to take the journey with you.

This is what I discovered. I have reaped the benefits for sure. Playing soccer with my kids is a memory I will carry with me forever. It would have been impossible in the old beat up temple. I hope to do this with my grandkids one day. People around me noticed the difference. Isn’t that positive testimony in itself? I never stop learning how to take care of myself and it changes as my life changes. The trick is to adapt to whatever place in life you are. There is a great deal of information available to help you and the Bible is one of the best places to start. If you don’t believe me then read Daniel. Daniel learned how to thrive in a toxic environment just by making some faithful decisions. I also consider Deuteronomy 11:13 “…love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul.” I want to reflect this verse in my life. Was I really doing this to the best of my ability when my body was falling apart because of my poor choices? Taking care of the temple is a testament to what God can do. It will overflow into the people around you.

My prayer is that you will faithfully take care of the temple God has provided you and that others would benefit from your good choices.

15 thoughts on “My Body is a Temple?”

  3. It is telling that science found the solution to your health issues and save for the anecdotes your god and your religion including prayers played absolutely no part in your recovery.

    Here’s fervently wishing you remain healthy and recognise the futility of relying on the supernatural.

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    • Thank you! Science was super helpful. In that you are correct. There is much more to that story but the point is that if I had applied Biblical principles earlier my suffering would have been unnecessary.

      Btw … do you know much about monarch butterflies?

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      • Sorry don’t know much about Monarchs. Google is your friend.

        Biblical principles could also kill you, which is why they should generally be avoided …. excuse the pun … like the plague.
        Furthermore, in what way does prayer ever help in any situation?
        Seriously, with all due respect, in this day and age the lunacy of polishing off several Big Macs at a sitting should be self-evident.

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      • Agreed … I was a nitwit back then. Foolishness indeed but people keep on nonetheless. But my experience proves that properly applied Bible study and prayer can change lives for good. Prayer works. I have experienced it in me and in others. I just saw a statistic that in the USA 6 of 10 doctors pray for their patients individually. Why would they do that?

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      • There is no evidence whatsoever that prayer works. In fact, the largest study on intercessory prayer was carried out by the Templeton Foundation for hospital patients a few years back and it demonstrated that no positive outcomes were recorded. In fact, when some patients were aware that they were being prayed for they exhibited a negative reaction.
        Some doctors pray for the same reason you do. They are indoctrinated. So what? If prayer worked why bother performing surgery?
        Your experience proves that you believe the bible. It does not in an y way demonstrate the veracity of its text.
        If you haven’t done already, perhaps you need to actually read the bible cover to cover?

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      • That particular study was canned by the people who wrote it. The studies are all over the place. Not sure how to interpret them. CS Lewis declared it impossible to measure.

        I have read the Bible 3 times cover to cover and study it almost daily. I am no scholar but I have only found 1 thing that I cannot wrap my head around. That 1 thing does not discount the massive amount of truth it contains.

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      • The Templeton Study was the most comprehensive to date and it utterly failed in its objective.
        What else is there to say?
        If it (the efficacy of prayer) is impossible to measure then how on earth can one claim that it works?
        That is simply ridiculous.

        That 1 thing does not discount the massive amount of truth it contains

        Let’s test this shall we?
        Give me an example of a foundational story from the bible that is historical/ factual and provide evidence to support any assertion you make..

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      • I agree. The study looks bad. You would think it would be easier. I have some ideas about that but I will leave it to much smarter people than myself. All I can tell you for now is that I have personally witnessed it work.

        I love this test! I had actually thought of doing an apologetics series but I dismissed it as it deviates from my original theme. What are your tough questions? I will attempt to blog about it. Others can weigh in.

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      • Unsupported personal testimony is worthless. There are hundreds of people who have claimed they were abducted by aliens.
        Would you accept their testimony?

        Start with evidence of the Exodus.

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      • If over half the entire population claimed to be abducted by aliens daily you would weigh it differently.

        I will try with Exodus. I am no historian and I already know this one is problematic.

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      • Billions beleive in a resurected bible character called Jesus of Nazareth.
        I donpt beleive any one who makes such a claim for one second. Why not? Because there is absolutely no evidence for this claim.

        I look forward to your evidence for the Exodus. Without trying to sound in any way condescending I recommend that you fully understand what we are talking about when we say evidence.

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