Your Body is a Temple
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Our physical flesh is our earthly temple because the Holy Spirit lives in us and Christ lives in our hearts. We take care of our body and we overcome the sinful nature of our flesh. We take care of our earthly temple to keep it under control by Christ, but we give priority to our eternal soul. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)
Spiritual warfare is when our fleshly desire conflicts with the calling of the Holy Spirit. We keep our temple strong by surrendering to Christ because our flesh can carry us into sin. However, when God’s love and blessings satisfies our souls, it can satisfy our flesh. Our soul is our thoughts, personality, will, and emotions. Constant blessings from God will satisfy our soul and it can bring satisfaction to our flesh.
I have felt tired going to teach a Bible class, but the Spirit always gives me divine strength and motivation. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20) The Spirit gives divine power to our flesh that enables us to fulfill the Lord’s will.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) The fruit of the Spirit constantly feeds our soul, and when our soul is relaxed, our fleshly body is relaxed. God’s love in our spiritual hearts takes away Satan’s fear and fear can be toxic to our flesh. When we depend on Christ, we are content and relaxed in our soul which feeds into our flesh.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Romans 12:1 ESV) When we present our earthly temple, as a living sacrifice to the Lord, our flesh lives as it was created bringing us contentment and better health.
We must take care of our physical temple because it needs good healthy food, frequent exercise, and sufficient rest. We also take care of our flesh, when our soul is one with Christ and we are moving toward good health. Our thoughts and emotions can have major effects on our long-term health. The temple is temporary because we get old, but we pray for good health and for contentment and peace in soul. Christ took care of His flesh, but voluntarily sacrificed His flesh for our sins on the cross.
Today, realize your body is a temple, and keep the temple healthy through a Godly soul and healthy lifestyle. Remember, we minister to the world through our temple.
Prayer: Lord, help me to surrender my earthly temple to serve you and let my flesh be satisfied through the blessings you give my soul. Thank you for your love and blessings from Heaven. In Jesus’ name, Amen.