Chapter 7 - Behavior 4: Healthy Habits Recap

Chapter 7 - Behavior 4: Healthy Habits Recap

Healthy Habits

 But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive toand controlledand guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings anddesires of the flesh (of human nature without God) Galatians 5:16

"The more good habits you develop, the less bad habits you will have to fight" - JM

Leanne's blog brought questions to mind.  Do I really want to give up my bad habits?  Am I determined to change? Sometimes I think - maybe not so much.  I know change is necessary but it is difficult.  Am I just lazy or have I not turned it completely over to God?

Galatians 5:16 exhorts us to make a habit of walking by and living in the Spirit so we will not gratify our sinful cravings or carry out our selfish desires.  It is time for full commitment so we can be responsive to the control and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Your Body is God's House

You were bought with a price [purchased with a^[a]preciousness and paid for,^[b]made His own]. So then, honor God andbring glory to Him in your body.  1 Corinthians 6:20

Again, Melanie's blog raised questions. Am I gambling with my body or investing in it?  Since God paid such a high price for me, and if my body is His temple, shouldn't I strive to use it to honor Him? Does my body bring God glory?  How do I do that? What does that even look like?

The first step is spending time in His presence.  That is where we will learn how to honor and glorify Him.  That is how we will find our purpose, our special assignment - by spending time with Him, listening to Him, seeking His face.

Secondly, we need to carry out our purpose, our assignment.  We should do whatever it takes to live long enough to complete these tasks God has set before us.  We won't make it if we are fueling our bodies with junk or aren't doing the maintenance and repairs necessary for a long life.  We can retrain ourselves to enjoy healthy habits in all areas of our lives.

Seven Pillars of Good Health

So, how do we do it?

We all know these seven pillars, probably by heart.  Yet we still struggle with some of them.  For me, sleep and eating good quality food are the problems.  There are 2 statements that really stood out to me and I wanted to share them with you.

"It is very interesting...that God created us with the ability to shut off everything and sleep.  Our bodies go into a state of renewal and repair during our sleep..."

God made us to sleep! Do I think I know better than God what is best for my body?  Does my body function better when I deny it sleep? DUH!!!  If we get regular sleep & rest, we will enjoy the rest of our lives much more & I want that

"I need a healthy lifestyle not another diet"

Diets are not thought of as permanent changes most of the time.  Diets are something we do to lose weight, not be healthy, and usually require deprivation of some sort.  Not healthy!  We need to focus on being healthy instead of being skinny. (Ouch - guilty!)   The key is moderation, not denial,or deprivation.  We just need to make some decisions, get started and be determined so we can live a healthy, vibrant, energetic life.  Kara gave us some really good tips on how to begin.

De-Stress

Mary or Martha? Wish this was a harder call for me to make :(. I am definitely a Martha.  I have gotten better but sometimes a Martha like voice still plays in my head:/

How do we control stress?  How do we de-stress our lives? First we must realize that there are and always will be things we cannot change.  As Joyce states:  "Life probably won't change, so that means you will have to change how you approach and respond to life."  It is all about our reactions.  Again, Kelley's blog brought more questions to mind:  Do I want to be a laid back Mary or an uptight Martha? Am I making things more complicated than they need to be?  What causes me stress?  

Pay attention to what causes your stress levels to rise.  Develop healthy ways to react and respond.  Good choices will begin to repair any damage that has been done.  It is never to late to develop healthy habits.

thoughts

The psalmist asks

"Why am I discouraged?"

It is easy for us to become frustrated and discouraged in our journey to make new habits.  But Jesus understands how we feel.  He shares our frustration, our pain.  When we faces challenges and trials, we need to remember that our God is bigger than any "giants" we will ever face.  Each challenge, each trial is an opportunity  to see what God is capable of and just how big He really is.  Do we focus on Him in trying times?  Do we ask for help and expect a miracle?  God wants us to make strides toward victory but He loves us too much to make it easy.  He wants us to walk in faith, trusting Him to lead the way.  Sometimes God keeps us in the struggle so we can get to a place where we can experience His presence.  He uses our battles to show us how we respond.  In the stress of battle do we trust Him even more or do we turn away and try to do it ourselves?  During stressful times our thoughts can be lured away into a pit of frustration and discouragement.  But, we can overcome the stress if we seek God's face and cry out to Him.  Yes, indeed, our God is BIGGER

Father God, we so want to honor and glorify you with our bodies. Help us develop the healthy habits necessary to live long, productive lives so we may fulfill the special purpose You have for each of us.  Show us how to focus and lean on you in times of stress.  We know you are better able to handle each situation that we ever possible could.  Thank you for being Bigger and wanting better for each of us.  In the precious name of Jesus I pray, so be it!