Reversing the Curve

If we’re being real, most of us would be a tad anxious if Jesus himself were coming over to your house for dinner. If you had time to prep, most people would do anything possible to make sure the place looked great, the food was perfect, and try not to faint in His Presence. The truth is, he’s already there. If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, His Spirit is in you and there’s no time to dust anything under the rug. He already knows it all. He’s been there. And many of us leave him on the porch instead of inviting him in and seating him at the head of our table. He’s out there gently knocking at your door. Stepping aside or holding the door open for us as we whip past him, checking our notifications as we scurry off to the next event in our jam-packed lives.

Let him in! Even if you are not a believer or extremely new to any kind of faith. Jesus is calling. Softly and tenderly calling. He knows every single thing about you and loves you more than you could ever comprehend. Regardless of your past. Regardless of how well you understand this whole spiritual thing. There is no need for guilt. No time for sorrow. Definitely no need for fear! Every single thing you could possibly need or want can be found in Christ. Let’s move with Him. Not around him.

So now that we’re reminded that Jesus has been in attendance longer than we often acknowledge, what do we do? We clean it up! And guess who’s right there doing the dishes? Jesus. The Messiah. The Prince of Peace. Taking out your garbage. Washing everything clean. Patiently waiting for us to respond to his call and “move the church.” Our enemy wants us to be busy, be stressed, be tapped out emotionally, and not leave time to praise or honor God with our lives.

I assume we all can agree that there are countless benefits that result from a clean diet and regular physical activity. The physiological advantages are unparalleled by any drug or therapy. The real connection comes from discipline and movement which includes a healthy diet, service, praise, and sacrifice, in addition to physical activity. You have to move! Move your body, move your mind, move your habits, move your heart. It’s been proven repeatedly that you will have more energy, and stamina, lose unhealthy weight, and increase strength, endurance, and hormone levels, and the "reward list" just never seems to end. The physical benefits you receive from living a clean life are just a few decisions away yet we often choose convenience, bad habits, loose principles, and inconsistent motivation. We play mind games and convince ourselves of our desired outcome. “I’m starting on Monday.” “Strength training is going to make me big.” “I only do strength,” or, “I only do cardio.” “I’m big-boned.” “I might as well indulge today because…” (fill in your excuse).”

The bottom line, living clean is more than a sharp diet or fitness plan. It starts with your spiritual perspective and builds endurance just like our bodies. The correlation between a walk of faith, and a disciplined physical lifestyle, go hand-in-hand. We often fail to mold the two together or perhaps never even considered the idea. Either way, it works. Test it. Dive into your health and watch the benefits soar. Tear into your Bible, pray regularly, study and serve and see the residual rewards that overflow from a life of service. It’s really, full proof. We were made in His image - but we really don't respect our bodies as the temple of God.

The hard part always remains in our own “fear,” or the “how?” My belief is that we make it much harder than it needs to be and we just have to grab it. We’re promised all the help we could possibly need and the benefits have been proven over and over again. Physically, emotionally, and spiritually. This program is for all walks of faith, new believers, unbelievers, and seasoned Christians. We all need to tackle some obstacles in our life and attack the barriers that move us away making the most of it. Let's play a little offense here and honor God for the next 40 days with all we can!

I challenge you to complete this program on your own or with a group. Really soak it in and submit with an open mind. Let your guard down and ignore the resistance. Let’s go back to the basics and be introduced to Jesus or reminded of His relentless love for us. Allow this program to introduce a way of life that is holy and obedient, - and let’s have some fun and enjoy the blessings that come with it. I believe that living a life of Christ, with Christ, and as a servant to His kingdom, is the route best traveled. We believe that we have a physical and spiritual responsibility to our bodies and we will answer to how we manage it. We invite you to connect with God on another level and experience the fullness that accompanies a healthy lifestyle.