Day 9 - Vision (Physical Health + Healing)
>>Daily Theme | Vision (Physical Health + Healing)
>>Memory Scripture | Psalms 86:11-12
>>Read | Romans 6:1-14
>>Devotional Reading |
When God made man on the sixth day, God made him whole and complete, lacking nothing. Unfortunately, because of our fallen world, we experience the brokenness that came into the world as a result of sin. That brokenness is often manifested in our physical bodies, which experience the wear and tear of life and eventually degrade over time.
To walk in the beauty of God’s design in 2011, we have to make sure that we honor God with our body, which is a temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor 6:19). Honoring God with our body means giving our body the proper nourishment, care and rest.
In one of his Psalms of praise, David, the worshipper, recounts many of the blessings of being in relationship with God.
2 Praise the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
While Jesus heals all of our diseases, we have the responsibility to not let sin (and its brokenness) reign in our mortal bodies so that we do not obey its evil desires. Regrettably, our physical conditions are often a reflection of those things that have mastery over us and the issues within our hearts. God doesn’t call for an extreme physical asceticism, nor, on the other hand, aloofness to our physical bodies.
The Holman Bible Dictionary defines health as being sound in body, mind, or spirit; used especially for physical health. As we look to God for our physical health and healing, we must trust that God is willing and able to restore our physical needs as we continue to obey his instructions regarding our bodies.
While many people make new years resolutions about their health in order to appear a certain way to themselves and others, we make consecration determinations about our health because it is proper stewardship for our bodies. We will all have to give an account to God for what we did with our physical bodies. We also know that we will not be able to accomplish the plans that God has for us without the proper nourishment, care and rest for our bodies.
What areas of your body need healthy care and healing? Is it in diet, exercise, rest, commitments, emotions, anxiety? Whatever the areas, determine to be a good steward of your physical body and walk in the healthy patterns that God lays out for 2011.
>>Respond |
As we continue praying for vision for WHO God wants us to become, we want to pray in the area of physical health and healing. God has so wonderfully designed the body that our physical care affects our spiritual, emotional, and mental states. And conversely, lack of spiritual, emotional and mental care will manifest itself in our physical bodies.
Take an assessment of where you are at physically, spiritually, emotionally and mentally. Are there any particular habits that you need to implement in this coming year to ensure that your physical body is in alignment with God’s design?
You should think about the rhythms that you can develop in the areas of nourishment, care and rest. What goes into your body? What things can you change about the quality and type of things that you feed your body (physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally). How much do you care for your body? What things should you start, stop, and continue doing? What habits or addictions are affecting your body?
Finally, our bodies are often affected by our predisposition to anxiety, worry, and fear. Lack of faith and trust in God will affect our physical bodies and cause us to try and accomplish too many things on our own rather than trusting in God. What can you do to build up your faith, so that your body is subject to God, rather than to the flesh?
>>Reflect | Journal or pray through these questions
*Adapted from Experiencing God by Claude King.
- What has God revealed to you about Himself?
- What has God revealed to you about His purposes?
- What has God revealed to you about His ways?
- What has God revealed to you about yourself?
- What has God revealed to you about your priorities?
- What has God revealed to you about your relationship with Him?
- What guidance has God revealed to you about your circumstances?
- What adjustments is God asking you to make (start doing _______, stop doing ___________, continue doing ___________).
- What can you thank God for today?
- What further steps of obedience do you know God wants you to take?
>>Next Steps |
Pray
I will pray about __________________ consistently, asking for ability, guidance, and discipline to listen + obey by God’s strength
Ask
I will ask the Holy Spirit to help me to ____________________
thanksgiving
I will thank God for ____________________
obedience
I will start ______________________
