Body, Soul and Spirit

 After being plagued with a long bout of debilitating depression my precious friend made a lifetime decision; for the rest of her life she would commit to at least 30-mins of daily exercise! This along with lots of prayer, a steady diet of the Word and medical assistance led her out of that dark oppressive tunnel.

  "I pray that God, who gives peace, will make you completely holy. And may your spirit, soul, and body be kept healthy and faultless until our Lord Jesus Christ returns.  The one who chose you can be trusted, and he will do this. "
       1 Thessalonians 5:23-24


The word “completely” in this text is a word that means “whole, perfect, complete in all respects”.  God is not unconcerned with our bodies in fact He has a plan in place to fully redeem that which has been lost. Praise God! But in the meantime while we wait to be clothed with our immortal bodies we need to keep in mind how intricately connected our body, soul and spirit are. Sometimes we underestimate how much of an impact physical activity or a lack thereof can have on us. This is why getting appropriate exercise and eating healthy is vital to our overall well-being in Christ. We were designed for movement and when we don’t move enough we become sluggish and can experience a whole host of problems. I have often heard from the Lord most clearly during cardio-stimulating exercise and conversely I have had difficulty in perceiving His leading when I feel sluggish.  This alone is enough to motivate me to maintain a healthy amount of physical activity. If this is an area of struggle I encourage you, like my friend, to set a reasonable goal for daily exercise, memorize this passage to aid your soul in cooperating, and finally prayerfully rely on the Spirit to enable you to follow through.

The important thing is to get your body moving  and to stay moving for the glory of God!

Father we submit ourselves (body, soul and spirit) to be your living sacrifices. We acknowledge Your authority over our bodies and ask that You work in us to will and to do Your good pleasure. In the name of Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith! Amen

"because God is working in you to help you want to do and be able to do [both to will/desire and to work] what pleases him." Philippians 2:13 EXB

 



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