Lay aside the weight

Last week we held our first annual "War Week" which is the first week of the year dedicated to coming together in prayer & praise every night. It was so powerful and I'm sorry to say if you missed it, you missed out!

It was a great launch into our 7 Day Challenge, which started yesterday and goes until Sunday. During the 7 Day Challenge, we fast, pray, and serve one another. We normally fast whatever God lays on our heart and let everyone decide what that is on their own. However, this time, Pastor Roman asked us to join him on the Daniel fast & gave us a sheet of what that should look like. It was actually really fun to figure out meals and buy fresh ingredients while finding the best deals. I'm hoping to implement these habits into our lifestyle and figure out how to take care of our bodies the way God intended us to. 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says,"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; 20 you were bought at a price.Therefore honor God with your bodies."

Keeping that in mind has helped in knowing that even though it's hard, we should strive in honoring God in what we feed our bodies. It's so important to be mindful of what you are eating so that your body can be healthy and equipped to serve God. Plus, it helps open our eyes to new foods & recipes! 

For example, I found out I really like lentils and I found a rice mixture of red, brown, & black rice that is pretty tasty. I also grabbed some different veggies to try and roast in the oven. One of my favorites is cutting up wedges of cabbage and drizzling olive oil & salt and putting it in the oven. YUM! 

We also know that in order to believe for healing in your body, you can't just trust God and not do your part to help heal. If you are eating Big Macs everyday and praying that God would lower your cholesterol, IT JUST DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY!  You have got to be feeding yourself the right foods and exercising to hold up your end of the deal. 

We've all heard the saying, garbage in, garbage out. Meaning, whatever you put into your body to fuel it, will determine the output your body preforms. THIS IS ALSO TRUE IN YOUR MIND! Whatever you are feeding your thoughts; trashy movies, crazy music, or other JUNK, that is what will come out. Feed your spirit man those things that are pleasing to God and watch your words and actions start honoring God.

23 Proverbs 4:23-27 

"Above all else, guard your heart,
    for everything you do flows from it.
24 Keep your mouth free of perversity;
    keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead;
    fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Give careful thought to the[a] paths for your feet
    and be steadfast in all your ways.
27 Do not turn to the right or the left;
    keep your foot from evil."

Let's strive to not only honor God in what we physically feed our bodies, but also what we are feeding our spirit. If you missed out on the sermon, you can listen to it here: 

http://www.wordoflife612.com/sermon-series-archive/