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3 Practical Ways to Care for Your Body Today

During this quarantine it seems like folks have fallen into two camps:

 

Those on their way to quaranTINY

Those on their way to quaranTHICK

 

Now I’m not sure which of these camps you’ve aligned with. If pursuing quaranTINY, congrats and I pray your decision is rooted in obedience to God and seeking to honor Him in your temple. If you’ve fallen in with the quaranTHICK, let me say that I recognize your need for comfort, solace and and perhaps just something to do to stave off boredom. For where ever you find yourself in this season, I want to encourage you to love yourself enough to honor your temple.

 

After all, the bible is very clear that your body is not even your own.

 

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

 

So whether you are slimming or snacking, exercising or over-eating, here are 3 Practical Ways to Care for Your Body.

 

NOURISHMENT

Your body is a finely crafted, multi-million dollar machine. If you own a luxury vehicle you don’t fill it with 87 and expect it to run at peak performance. The same can be said for your body. Your body is a prized possession. It is a multi-million dollar, top of the line, custom model. So you cannot fill your body with junk masquerading as food and expect it to operate optimally leaving you feeling energized, healthy and strong. If you fill it with junk though you CAN expect to feel sluggish, inflamed, exhausted and frustrated.

 

That’s why adequate nourishment is critical. And you don’t have to be a nutritionist, a dietician or even a health nut to know exactly what to eat. Let’s make this super simple. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Start there. Eat them close to their original state i.e. peel the orange as opposed to mandarin oranges in the little fruit cup or eat the veggies roasted or steamed as opposed to slathered in a sugary, cloying sauce. What you eat truly does result in what your body becomes. It’s a simple principle of input & output. Put LIVING foods in = Feeling ALIVE.

 

It brings to mind a PSA I heard as a kid (I’m going to date myself here but that’s ok). I can literally remember EVERY word. To this day I can hear Time for Timer saying, “You are what you eat from your head down to your feet….All these motors in your body need a lot of fuel to go on. Like carbohydrates, fats and proteins, vitamins and so on.” And while it was a cheesy PSA, it was and still is true. You really are what you eat. So be mindful of what you’re choosing to fuel your body with and I implore you to choose well. And because I’m committed to helping you choose well, I have recipes on my website. You can also get 30 salad & homemade dressing recipes in my book 30 Days 30 Ways to Salad Heaven

 

REST

Rest is a bit counter culture. We’ve all seen the journals, mugs and T-Shirts that say “Hustle Hard” “Grind Hard”. Well there is a time for work, but there is also time for play and for rest. In fact, Psalm 23 opens with David telling us he lacks NOTHING. Then David proceeds to give the prescription. Why does he lack nothing? Because the Lord made him to lie down in green pastures. Are you accepting or rejecting the Lord’s instruction to come aside and lay down for a while? David goes on to say that the Lord led him beside still waters and God refreshed his soul.

 

Will you allow yourself to be refreshed? Don’t make me get tough on you. For those of you who are obedient and accept the Lord’s invitation, enter into His rest. For you who are a tad bit hardheaded, overzealous, have issues trusting God, or just feeling like you gotta do EVERYTHING, let me say this, “Go Setdown Somewhere!” Give yourself permission to rest that you may lack nothing.

 

EXERCISE

Let me tell you, exercise is not necessarily my favorite past time. I do like the camaraderie of exercising in a group and I do like dance classes but I almost never get to do those forms of exercise. Even before Corona, my workouts were all at home. And it takes discipline and diligence to stay committed to honoring the body through working out. But exercise is key. Not only does it help you sleep better and feel stronger, it relieves stress, it strengthens your heart, it improves and supports bodily systems like your lymphatic systems and your circulatory system and that’s just to name a few.

 

Your exercise routine doesn’t have to require special classes or equipment. Just walk if you can. Move your body. Stretch from head to toe. Run with your children. Workout with your spouse. If you need support, find an online class. I’ve seen many many fitness instructors offering free or nearly free classes. Remember, the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. And just as you are diligent in strengthening your inner man, it would serve you well to strengthen the physical body. From the dawn of creation man has been walking, working, and moving this body. Let us not give way to a sedentary lifestyle. Your work may have to strapped to your chair and computer so it’s critical that you are purposeful in ensuring you move.

 

My friend, you get that one body, so I encourage you to care for it while you have the chance. Here’s your 3 steps formula: Nourishment, rest and exercise. Now go be great!

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

 

 

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Feed Your Spirit

There’s lots of attention these days on eating clean, eating right, eating healthy, whole foods, real foods and the like. That is but a small part of TOTAL nourishment. A well-balanced, nourished life feeds the mind, the body and the spirit.

 

How crucial it is friends to properly nourish the spirit. Just as the physical body requires daily sustenance for optimal performance, the spirit if not more, requires daily nutriment.

 

You must feed your spirit.

 

And as the physical body sometimes needs additional nourishment by way of supplements, extra calories, increase of whole foods and decrease of processed foods coupled with extra rest, massage and maybe some chiropractic or acupuncture care, your spirit man may be in need of a boost through a time of consecration including prayer and fasting. Some things can ONLY be moved through prayer and fasting.

 

“However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:21

 

Have you ever been in a season where God is downloading nuggets of truth but you don’t necessarily know how to process the information?

 

Have you ever been in a season where you feel like you can’t hear from God?

 

Have you ever been in a season where you need CLEAR answers and direction from God?

 

These are all times that may call for additional prayer and fasting. You know like the holidays call for bigger more substantial meals, you may need a bigger meal to feed your spirit.

 

The Lord has really been doing a work in me. But it all seems so disjointed. He’s been giving me visions, had me engaged in frontline warfare, has me speaking in ways I’ve never spoken before, He’s stretching my faith. And all these separate occurrences I know will somehow work together for my good but its all so much, so quick. I can’t make sense of it. And what’s impressed upon my spirit is to not try to make sense of it in a way that makes sense to me. But to simply yield to Him and He will bring it all together seamlessly in His perfect timing.

 

Some of the things He’s spoken to me though require action on my part. To prepare myself to take action, I will clear my heart and mind to receive my instructions. I will consecrate myself through prayer and fasting so I can get my walking papers in hand.

 

To hear clearly I am minimizing things that can dull my spiritual receptivity. For the next 3 days, I will consume minimal food and drink, only in taking that which is necessary for sustaining health and vitality. A nourished spirit is a strong spirit.

 

You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:4

 

 

The Word of God will be my food. As I feast on God’s timeless truths, He will reveal the next steps I’m supposed to take. He will strengthen my inner man. As I crucify my outer man’s desires and longings for temporary gratification through food, He will feed me with spiritual food that will not only sustain me but will provide answers I need.

 

Answers to prayers I’ve prayed.

Answers that will bless others.

Answers that will move the Kingdom agenda forward.

 

When we pray according to His will, He hears and He answers.

 

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

1 John 5:14-15

 

His word is my SOUL FOOD. A heaping plate of fragrant, steamy goodness. As I delve into His word I will take my time, chew His words slowly, savor each morsel then swallow it down so that it becomes a part of me, nourishing my blood, muscles, bones, heart and mind. As that nourishment becomes a part of my being, I am strengthened and fortified to walk out my PURPOSE!

 

When was the last time you gave up something, sacrificially to hear from Him?

 

Are you in need of direction/answers?

 

Considering setting aside some time for prayer and fasting.

 

For additional inspiration and nourishment click the following links:

 

MIND

For The Rest of My Life

Battlefield of the Mind

Stinking Thinking

 

BODY

Healthy Eating On The Go

10 Keys To Eating Right

Who Else Wants To Get Fit

 

 

SPIRIT

Being Strong In Spirit

Engaged In Spiritual Battle

Lord, Here’s My Worship

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

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Being Strong In Spirit

Sunday at church I joined the congregation in high praise singing:

 

Be glorified in the Heavens

Be glorified in the earth

Be glorified in this temple

 

Jesus, Jesus, be thou glorified

Jesus, Jesus, be thou glorified

 

Worship the Lord in the earth

Worship the Lord in this temple

 

Jesus, Jesus, be thou glorified

Jesus, Jesus, be thou glorified

 

And as I sung, “Be glorified in this temple”, I knew the Lord was talking about my physical temple, my body as opposed to the physical church building.

 

My temple, this body of mine…presented as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God.

 

The spirit of the living God takes up residence in this temple and whatsoever I do to my physical body, because my spirit, body and soul are one, impacts another part. To neglect my body, is to neglect my spirit, is to neglect my mind because after all they are one…three yet one.

 

The veil was torn. Jesus gave himself up. He was faithful to send the Advocate who now resides in you. You are the sanctuary that houses the spirit of God living in you.

 

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19

 

After service, as I looked out at the sea of the congregants, I thought to myself “Are we as a body glorifying Him in our temples?”

 

And my answer to myself was no. It was and is so grievous to me that the body of Christ isn’t radiating as the salt and light of the earth when it comes to our health. I am nearly in tears as I type this. God has given me a tremendous burden to encourage his people to OBEY Him. I was speaking with Dr. Celeste Owens, Author, Certified Natural Health Professional and friend about the mandate God has given me to call his people to obey. I want to shout from the rooftop “OBEY YE THE WORD OF THE LORD!” And my friend, the good Dr. Celeste said to me, “Tyra in what area are we (the body of Christ) most disobedient? In our health and no one is really confronting it head on.”

 

Oh saints, we’ve got to do better. Oh how I weep for the body of Christ right now. I trust that the Lord has been whispering, nudging, prodding you to honor your temple. I implore you to harden not your heart and obey his voice.

 

Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, promised you. Deuteronomy 6:3

 

Those who love him, obey him. For those who have begun making incremental changes, I rejoice with you for each victory and I cheer you on as making the decision to choose well when it comes to consuming whole, nourishing foods is not easy. But by the power of the spirit that resides and works in you, you are more than a conqueror so stay the course.

 

So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then.  But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:14-16

 

We will purpose to eat well. We will eat in moderation. We will enjoy tasty, nourishing foods yet we will be mindful that the Bread of Life is our unfailing source of nourishment.

 

Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags. Proverbs 23:20-21

 

Even if you feel like you “eat right” the mental hold that food has over us can be great. Our fixation to have certain foods at certain times can also be a stronghold. I love, love, love Lindt’s Lindor Truffles, small round decadent individually wrapped balls of chocolate. I’d only eat one a night. Because I exercised moderation in eating just one I thought I was doing good until this one night. I was preparing to go to bed and I needed, just had to have that one Lindor ball. So as I proceeded to make that long walk downstairs to my kitchen, the Lord whispered, “You don’t need that.” To which I replied, ”Um, but I really want it.” He whispered, “Not tonight.” To which I replied, “It’s just one.” To which he responded, “Do you want the candy more than you want me? Find comfort and solace in me.”

 

OUCH! That one nightly piece of candy had become a source of comfort, joy and peace that I treasured and my attachment to it became unhealthy. Not too damaging to my body but interfering with my spirit. Needless to say, I haven’t had my beloved Lindor Truffles in over a year.

 

Our physical appetites warrant as much self-control as our appetites for lust, anger, and greed. We hear preaching from the pulpit on those topics but very little about our relationship with food.

 

Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Matthew 26:41

 

And food is so deeply rooted in church culture. Even the word fellowship has been watered down and has become synonymous with food. Sunday afternoons across America can find congregants gathering over hams, fried chicken, meat slathered in gravy, biscuits and baked goods galore.

 

Let us embracing being strong in spirit by being strong in body through consuming foods that honor the temple. For assistance in choosing well, check out these posts:

 

In order for us to have optimal wellness, our minds, bodies and spirits must be nurtured and tended; any one area left unkempt tips the scales. Can we truly embrace being strong in spirit yet neglect the body? I venture to say no. So what are we to do?

 

Consume foods that add to not detract from our health

 

Eat appropriate portions

 

Obey the Spirit’s guidance as to what an optimal diet is for you. As my friend Dr. Celeste says, God has a tailor made diet for each individual.

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

Honored to be connecting today with my friends at Missional Women

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