Passion & PurposeSample

Essential #4: A Healthy Body

You cannot reach your full potential, fulfill the purpose God has for your life, or even make a good effort toward pursuing these, when you’re not right physically. Yet no factor seems to be more overlooked when it comes to your God-given potential.

A healthy body is critical to the preparation and execution of the various activities and ministry opportunities the Lord gives you. You need a healthy body to fulfill your eternal destiny and achieve God’s best for you.

We tend to think of ourselves as having body, soul, and spirit. Our bodies relate to other people and the world around us. Our souls relate to our personhood. And our spirits relate to God. When your body, soul, and spirit are strong and fully committed to the Lord, you can take dominion over certain aspects of the physical, emotional, and spiritual realms.

Good health is absolutely necessary for the following:

• Mental focus
• Enthusiasm
• Clear thinking
• Motivation
• Perseverance to complete a task
• Quick response in times of danger, emergency, or crisis

The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, also made it clear that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. You live in your body, but you’re more than flesh and bone. The inner self—soul and spirit—lives on after the physical body dies. While believers live on this earth as His creations, our bodies are simultaneously indwelled by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16). You’re not only a vessel for your soul and spirit but also for the Spirit’s presence and power. In this way, your physical self is a holy entity, devoted to worship. Your body is a temple of God’s presence. Paul’s ringing message throughout all of his writings is this: I am in Christ, and Christ is in me.

Paul also mentions that given that the Holy Spirit has made you His temple on earth, you are to “glorify God” in your body and your spirit. You should treat your physical body with the same respect you have for your eternal spirit. According to Paul, each of us has a responsibility as a Christian to make certain that behaviors associated with our physical bodies bring honor to God. 

What you do with your body is an act of praise to God. Therefore, anything you do to hurt or damage your body will prevent or limit you from fully honoring the Lord, making yourself freely available for service to Him, fulfilling your purpose, and reaching your full potential.