Eating As Act of Worship

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

You’ve heard the scripture before. Almost everyone who talks about Christian weight loss quotes it. But why? The reason that you must start here at 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 is because the root of the problem is sin, and for sin to be removed, you must start at the Cross. What are the sins? They are gluttony & idolatry. However, society doesn’t recognize its weight problem is sin, so it’s no wonder people are not taking the issue to Jesus, the One Who forgives and gives victory over sin by grace. Why not, you ask? Because Christians and the world in general have forgotten that gluttony is a sin.

Furthermore, just as marijuana is a “stepping stone” drug, gluttony is a “stepping stone” sin which leads to idolatry. Idolatry occurs when a person intentionally or unintentionally worships something as god which is not the One True God. Most people, Christians included, fail to realize that they are worshipping at the altar of the false god they have made of their stomachs. In order to understand how to rid yourself of these sins and regain control over your eating habits and declining health, you must look at 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 more closely to understand how it reorients your thinking about food and weight loss and why you should take the matter to the Cross.

1. “Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God.”

A. Your Body: A Temple

According to 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus walked among us on earth, He taught the Jews this principle after He cleansed the physical temple of those selling merchandise. Specifically, Jesus described His body as a temple when the Jews demanded a sign from Him. In response to their request for a sign, Jesus replied that He would raise the temple, meaning His body, in 3 days if His enemies destroyed it.

“So the Jews answered and said to Him, ‘What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ Then the Jews said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?’ But He was speaking of the temple of His body.” John 2:18-21; see also Matthew 26:61

The passage of scripture teaches that like most people today, including Christians, the religious Jews had a very difficult time wrapping their brains around the concept of the human body being a temple. Consequently, they assumed Jesus referred to the destruction and rebuilding of the physical temple at Jerusalem which Herod built. That’s because, traditionally, we define a temple as a religious place or location of worship. However, the Lord defines a temple as “a house” in His word (Haggai 1:9, 1 Peter 2:4-5, 2 Chronicles 7:16). Accordingly, you were designed to simultaneously be a place of worship of the One True God and a “house” or place for His Spirit to dwell. Please don’t misunderstand, this does not mean individuals should bow down before you to worship God through you.

It simply means that although you are a temple of the Holy Spirit, unlike stationary buildings made of wood or brick, your body is capable of movement. In other words, your body can move to initiate a spiritual connection with God or react in response to the Lord. For instance, you can bend your knees and bow before the Sovereign Lord to pray to Him or to reverence Him. You can raise your arms and hands in surrender to His divine will or simply to worship Him. You can use your mouth to cry out to Him for help or to give a shout of triumphant praise. You can reflect on God’s goodness or meditate on His word with your mind. Consequently, your body can do what a building made by men’s hands cannot do: it can participate in the act of worshipping Almighty God in conjunction with your soul. However, just as you would not sin in God’s physical house, that is, a church building, Ephesians 5:3-4 explains that your body is holy ground, and God expects and commands you, His child, to treat it as such.

“Fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting but rather giving of thanks.” Ephesians 5:3-4

B. Your Body: A Place of Worship

It all begins with you. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 explicitly states that the Holy Spirit is “in you” because you received Him from God. You were designed to worship the Lord and to be a place of worship of the Lord, but not everything or everyone functions in accordance with its purpose. For example, some people will use a butter knife as a make-shift screwdriver or prop open a door with a shoe. In the same way, human beings, who were designed to worship Jesus and be houses for His Holy Spirit, often refuse to function as designed out of rebellion and disobedience.

Consequently, the first step that is required is acceptance of who Jesus is. He is mankind’s Redeemer. Then you must accept who you are. You are His creation, and your purpose it is to believe in Him, to worship Him, and to house His Holy Spirit. Until you accept Jesus for who He is and what He has done for you, you cannot function as you were designed. Why not? Because only Believers in Christ receive the gift of His Holy Spirit within them after professing their faith in Christ, and only Believers in Christ worship Him. Since Jesus never forces Himself on anyone, the choice is yours. Will you function as designed and worship the One True God in every aspect of your life, including how you eat, or will you continue to live a life, in this one area at least, which does not conform to God’s will and plan for you?

C. Your Body: A Vessel which can Worship

People also have very concrete ideas about worshipping God, especially when it comes to temple worship. The word “worship” is synonymous with love, adoration, glorification, devotion, and reverence. Very often, the idea of worship conjures images of faithful believers kneeling inside of a temple or sanctuary with their eyes closed in prayer or hands and voices raised in thanksgiving. But worshipping God should be a part of your daily living not simply something you do on Sunday morning at church. You should give Him the fruit of your lips, hands, mind, and entire being 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In other words, worshipping God should be how you live your life as it is evidence that you reflect His holiness. Consequently, you were made not only to be a temple which houses the Spirit of the Lord, but also a temple that can worship the Lord.

“Whatsoever you do in word or in deed, do it all in the name of Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

As indicated by the words “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do,” we understand that all things, even the way that we eat, should be done in Jesus’ name with thanksgiving and glory to the Father. So as your life reflects God’s holiness in every activity, you, His temple, should also have an attitude of gratefulness toward God. Since a grateful heart is often evident because it produces an atmosphere of worship within the Believer, it follows that God’s people should constantly be in a state of worship. Does that mean you will walk around all day with your hands lifted and shouting, “Hosanna?” Probably not. It does mean that you will consciously and purposely choose to live a life of obedience to God because you love Him and are grateful for what He has done and is doing in your life. By doing so, your life glorifies God before men. And as noted before, loving God and glorifying God are forms of worship.

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15

2. “You are not your own; you were bought at a price.”

This verse reminds us of Christ’s redemptive work on our behalf at the Cross and that our lives now belong to God. The analogy is that of a slave being bought or redeemed for money or something of value. We, humanity, represent those who are enslaved to sin. Jesus is our Redeemer. Jesus bought us for a price, His life. We now belong to Him. However, His sacrifice simultaneously set us free from the bondage of sin. Nevertheless, we, like Gomer, the adulterous wife of the prophet Hosea, still often find ourselves re-entangled with the bondage of one sin or another when we, including born-again Believers, become tempted, enticed, and drawn away by our own lust (James 1:14-15).

1 John 1:5 – 2:6 teaches that Christians who say they have no sin deceive themselves and are effectively calling God a liar, proving God’s word is not in them. But when Christians and unbelievers confess their sins to Jesus, He is faithful and just to forgive their sins. Just like Gomer didn’t honor Hosea with her body by remaining faithful to her husband, we dishonor God with our bodies each time we sin against Him. The difference between Gomer and today’s Christians is that she was fully aware that she was committing adultery. Conversely, most people today are not aware that their weight problem is due to sin, and consequently, that are committing spiritual adultery.

3.            “Therefore, honor God with your body.”

This verse reminds us of what we owe God in return and commands us to fulfill the requirements of Romans 12:1 which states:

“I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God which is your reasonable service.”

In other words, once you become aware of the problem or sin in your life, you must turn away from it. The sin can no longer reign in your body (Romans 6:12). On the contrary, you should deny yourself in honor of the Lord, presenting your body as a holy, living sacrifice. Heretofore, you have been conforming to the world’s system, and it has dictated your way of thinking about eating, losing weight, and worshipping God. You’re fighting a good fight against being overweight at times, but you keep losing the battle because you’re on the wrong side of things right now. In other words, you’re fighting in your own strength with ineffective weapons.

Ephesians 6:10 reminds us that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” So what do you need to do? Change sides on the battlefield! In order to have true victory in this area of your life, you simply need to remember your ABC’s. That is, accept, believe, confess and repent from your sins. Even those who are already Believers in Christ must confess and repent from newly revealed, unconfessed sins.

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God's Spiritual House & His Divine Real Estate Agents

1/24/2016

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As we previously learned, our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit here on earth (1 Corinthians 6:19). You may recall that God defines the word “temple” as a “house” in His word. Consequently, it is appropriate to think of your body as the “house” or dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. The bible also teaches us that the “earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.” That means that even the people living on the earth belong to God. However, not everyone living on the planet accepts Jesus as their Savior. Many worship false gods, and some deny the existence of God altogether.

Nevertheless, from God’s point of view every person living on the planet is His real estate, and He loves to purchase new houses. If you’ve ever been house-hunting, you can probably relate to how exciting it must be for the Master when He acquires a new living space. Can you remember the thrill of looking at a new condo, a townhouse, or your very first suburban home with a manicured lawn? That’s the way the Holy Spirit sees us. One person may be the equivalent of a luxury apartment from His point of view, another a mansion. And He is always in the market to buy not sell. But just like you and me, He requires a good real estate agent in order to find the home He’s looking for. That’s where believers come in.

Normally, a good real estate agent tries to convince a potential buyer to purchase a home by pointing out when it was constructed and what’s been updated. They gush about the location, the tranquility of the neighborhood, and the rating of the local school district. As the Lord’s divine real estate agents, your job will be similar except it works in reverse. God doesn’t need to be convinced or sold the property. He already bought it 2000 years ago, and the price He paid was His life. On the contrary, a divine real estate agent’s job is to convince the unbeliever to sell out wholeheartedly to Jesus Christ. You are meant to let the world know that the Holy Spirit is the Occupant that they want to move in. You are meant to explain to the non-believer the benefits and the rewards of answering the knock at the door of their hearts and welcoming the Holy Spirit in. But how do you do that?

Each one of us has a unique perspective on Christianity. Many people grew up in Christin homes and came to know Christ early in their lives. Conversely, the testimony of some is that they were saved after living lives of drug addiction. Others were involved in prostitution. Other people can attest to being thieves, murderers, liars, gossipers, or sexual predators. But for you and me, our “and such were some of you” (1 Corinthians 6:11) testimony is that we were once gluttons and idolaters. Even so, Jesus took on our sin and forgave us. That makes you uniquely qualified to minister to, (or to keep up the analogy), to persuade the unbelieving glutton to sell out to the Lord.

No one knows the pain of the sins of gluttony and making an idol of your stomach like a person who has been entangled with those sins. Likewise, no one understands the awesome thrill of being liberated from those sins the way a person who is no longer bound to them does. Jesus is, again, the perfect example. He left His heavenly home, put on flesh, and dwelt among us on earth. In His human body, He felt the pull of temptation just as we do. Accordingly, He is the Person of the Holy Trinity who is uniquely qualified to pray and intercede for us to the Father as He did when He walked among us on earth and does even now at the right hand of the Master.

In other words, when God sets you free from these sins, like Jesus, you are the Christians on the earth who are uniquely qualified to pray for, to intercede for, and to minister the gospel of Christ to the unbelieving glutton. Seeing before and after photos of you, hearing about the diseases you were predisposed to get or were actually diagnosed with, knowing you understand their struggle and failure to stop in their own strength makes the unbelieving glutton much more likely to listen to what you have to say about how God delivered you. Since the bible says that faith comes by hearing the word of God, it also gives the Holy Spirit an opportunity to convict their hearts and renew their minds, bringing all who would believe not only to freedom from the sins of gluttony and making idols of their stomachs, but also to salvation through Christ.

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eBook Christian's Book of the Day and Author in the Spotlight

1/17/2016

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This is the day that the Lord has made, and I am truly rejoicing and glad in it! On January 15, 2016, I was contacted by eBook Christian and informed that they wanted to feature the Eating as an Act of Worship Workbook on their site at no cost to me. I was cautiously optimistic about the prospect. My concern was that they only featured ebooks, and the EAW Workbook is not sold in ebook form yet. Consequently, I let the company know this and asked if it made a difference. Thankfully, the answer was, "No. That is perfectly fine."

On Saturday morning, January 16, 2016, as promised, the Eating as an Act of Worship Workbook was listed on eBook Christian...as the Book of the Day! As anothdr bonus, God put it on their hearts to also make me the Author of the Day in the Spotlight! I can't fully express to you how good this feels! I'm excited, humbled, honored, and overjoyed in addition to a lot of other feelings I haven't fully processed yet! I can't thank God enough for what He has done! Naturally, I've been posting messages about it on Twitter and Facebook all weekend. In addition to this blog entry, today I've also post an entry on LinkedIn and the NAPW page. I can't help it! It's one of those, "I've gotta tell everybody moments!" Please join me in giving God a shoutout of praise: GLORY! HALLELUJAH!!!

I checked eBook Christian's web page today, and the EAW Workbook is still featured as the Book of the Day with me as the Author of the Day in the Spotlight, most likely because today is Sunday. I can't help smiling about it. It makes me feel like God gave me a do-over. To view the featured Book of the Day, the Author of the Day in the Spotlight, as well as other Christians books on eBook Christian's website, go to www.ebookchristian.com.

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“Please test your servants for 10 days: give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” Daniel 1:12-13

An absolutist is a person who decides to completely turn their backs on old habits and stick firmly with that decision. No looking back. They prefer things to be either 100% one way or 100% the other. Nothing in between. Daniel and the 3 Hebrew boys were examples of absolutists. Daniel and his friends did not accept any of the food allotted to them by the king during their captivity. Instead, they deliberately requested a diet which consisted of only vegetables and water.

There are two types of absolutists, circumstantial absolutists and natural absolutists.

1. Circumstantial Absolutists

Circumstantial absolutists are not absolutists by choice. On the contrary, circumstances dictate that they must be absolutists. For example, a person who has had gastric bypass surgery is unable to eat the same portion sizes as before since his or her stomach has been reduced to the size of an egg. Similarly, a person diagnosed with diabetes must make dietary changes and/or take insulin injections in order to survive.

Although they were used to being on a permanent fast because of the food restrictions God commanded Israel to follow, Daniel & the Hebrew Boys, could not eat in accordance to God’s commands during their captivity (at least not while they were in training). Circumstances demanded that they obey God’s commandment in a way that was simple, that would not draw too much attention to themselves, and that would not endanger them or those showing them favor. Consequently, they did the best thing they could under the circumstances. They ate only vegetables and only drank water.

2. Natural Absolutists

Natural absolutists, on the other hand, are absolutists by choice. It’s the person’s natural inclination to want all of it or none of it. For example, some people quit abusing drugs and/or alcohol “cold turkey” without ever using the substance again once they’ve made up their minds to change their behavior. It’s the same for some people with food. They give up chocolate or sodas, starches and carbohydrates, or fried food and fats forever. No turning back.

Each person who has ever been entangled with the sins of gluttony and making an idol of his stomach should figure out whether or not he is an absolutist. Doing so is very important for several reasons. First, knowing whether or not you’re an absolutist is paramount to determining recidivism. Recidivism refers to the likelihood that you will commit the same act again. If you’re not an absolutist, the chances of recidivism are much higher because you lack control over yourself when it comes to food. Consequently, the first time you eat something that is not on your diet plan is most likely the beginning of your slide back into your old habits.

Just as important is determining whether you’re an absolutist simply because you’re wired that way or because your circumstances require it. An illustration may best demonstrate this. For instance, a recovering drug addict would fall into the category of a circumstantial absolutist because if he were to use illegal drugs again, he would have a very difficult time stopping and becoming sober. If food is like that for you, you should be aware of and acknowledge this weakness to yourself and the Father sooner rather than later.

Likewise, those who tend to binge for hours or days at a time followed by bouts of vomiting or those who starve themselves especially need to take the time to make this difficult self-assessment. If even one small deviation from your diet results in your complete inability to start over again, you, too, may be an absolutist due to circumstances instead of by choice. For many people, this may be difficult to accept, but eventually, you will have to come to terms with your weakness in order to maintain stability and leave the diet roller coaster. Denying it only fuels the cycle, and you’ll continue to go around in circles until you are truly ready to stop.

If you find it difficult to make an honest self-assessment, then you should try seeking the advice of an unbiased third party who knows you very well, supports your efforts to lose weight, agrees to assist you in this important matter, and will lovingly tell you the truth as they have observed it over years of watching, listening to, and knowing you. An unbiased third party is neither a person that participates in committing the sins of gluttony and idolatry with you nor a person who pushes your craving buttons when it comes to food, regularly upsetting you when discussing your weight. On the contrary, it is someone you trust and probably do or would confide in.

Remaining ignorant as to whether or not you are an absolutist has consequences. The Israelites best demonstrated this after being set free from bondage in Egypt. Shortly after God released them from slavery, they wanted to go back to Egypt every time things got difficult (Exodus 12:29-31). Their physical bondage represents our spiritual bondage. Therefore, it’s the same for us today in terms of our sin. Even though we’ve been delivered from the power of sin, we still find ourselves tempted to return to our old sinful habits because it’s much simpler and easier than persevering, and, in many cases, because we like it. Your sinful relationship with food is no exception. Any excuse will do to give up a half-hearted try and revert to your old ways.

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Ann Wooten Taylor

Ann is an attorney who has been licensed to practice law in the State of Arkansas since 2004, practicing in the areas of child abuse and neglect, special education, and unemployment insurance law. Mrs. Taylor is also the C.E.O. of Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries and a Christian author. Her first non-fiction, Christian book entitled, "Eating as an Act of Worship Workbook" was published and released by Life to Legacy Publishing in 2015. Her second book, the "Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher's Edition" was published and released in December 2016.

The Root of the Problem

God's Spiritual House & His Divine Real Estate Agents

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All or Nothing

Ann Wooten Taylor

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