Spiritual Discipline: Taking Care of Your Body

Originally published February 21, 2019.

When you hear the words spiritual discipline, you probably don’t associate that with your eating or working out habits. As Christians, we can become so focused on our mental and spiritual health that we forget about our calling to take care of our bodies. But our bodies are a temple for the Holy Spirit! So shouldn’t we work hard to make sure that our bodies are in good condition (1 Cor 6:19)?

We are whole beings, so I believe we need to make sure that we practice healthy habits in more than just our spiritual life. I think we need to become more mindful of what we are putting into our bodies and how it is either taking care of or destroying the body God gave us.

Food is not a bad thing, it can be used to celebrate and bring people together! We just have to be cautious of falling into gluttonous behavior, or letting our God be our stomach (Phil 3:19). Once we recognize the sanctity of our own bodies, we begin to realize how important it is to care for the body.

Just being mindful of our call to take care of our bodies is a great place to start!

Some things to think about:

• Adam and Eve’s temptation came in the form of food (Gen 3:6)

• Jesus was tempted with food - are we not any less susceptible (Mat 4:4)?

• How can you offer your body as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1)?

• More and more studies are showing the link between the diet and our mental well-being. Studies are even showing that specific diets can help, and even prevent, things like depression - maybe the problem you are praying goes away could actually be helped by some dietary changes.

Action steps

• Count to 5 before you grab more food. In those 5 seconds, ask yourself, "Is this pleasing and honoring to God? Or am I trying to ‘fill’ something that only He can fill?"

• Try a food log- write down the times when you feel the most energized and the times when you feel drained. Think about what you ate before you experienced those emotions.

• Remember the power you have in the Holy Spirit! You can overcome any temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13).

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