Zeal For Keeping Our Bodies Clean

1 Cor 6:13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

I finally got a chance to listen to Bill’s Zeal Message from Palm Sunday. I can’t help but feel that since our bodies are God’s temples; we should have the same zeal to cleanse them as Jesus did for the God’s Temple.

I am astonished at times how little self-control I have over my carnal desires. Yesterday, I had a couple of pieces of banana bread (with cream cheese) and a bowl of cereal for breakfast. I had a fried chicken sandwich with a big fries and tea for lunch. I had some tortilla chips and salsa for an early evening appetizer. Last night I had a nice big steak with a creamy salad, cornbread, soda, and who knows what else. But you know I’m on the road and deserve something-nice right? I got back to my motel room to slip on a suit to hit the whirlpool. What I saw in the mirror was not very appealing. Yesterday morning I missed my workout. I had been walking and swimming on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. It was a long weekend with the happenings at Church and I was up late Sunday night getting a letter to Dave. So I needed extra sleep right? I had as many excuses as my mind could come up for not exercising.

If I truly believe that the Lord is for the body I ought to have better self control over how I use/abuse it. I use this temple to worship God and to pray to Him with. Jesus cleansed the Temple because of uncleanness and sin so that it would be clean for prayer. I should at least have the same zeal to come to God’s house with a clean temple.

I believe our ability to withstand temptation and sin is directly proportional to our ability to exercise self-control over our physical desires. The Holy Spirit helps both areas: carnal and spiritual. Perhaps this is why fasting makes prayer more effective. When we deny our bodies their carnal desire or need for food, we exercise physical control of the temple and are open to spiritual breakthroughs. It is impossible to separate physical realm and spiritual realm. Both work with or against each other. Exercising self-control allows them to work together. Giving into carnal laziness causes the physical and spiritual to compete.

Lord, please allow your Spirit total control of my thoughts. Spirit of God, convict me of my carnality and grace me with self-control. Father; allow me to claim Jesus blood when I fail.

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