“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” John 8:44
I woke up one morning still reflecting on the past two days. What I experienced wasn’t just physically taxing; it was mind-changing. I expected sore muscles, but I wasn’t expecting what God had planned to work on underneath them.
My dear friend and sister-in-Christ, Tina Zamora, joined me for the fifth annual 4x4x48 for the Fourth event, held at our local high school football stadium. The challenge consisted of running or walking four miles every four hours for forty-eight hours, which equaled twelve rounds. Tina and my husband modified it to two miles every four hours for forty eight hours instead. And if you think that sounds easy, think again. One of the biggest challenges we faced was sleep deprivation. On top of that, we battled the July heat and humidity, made worse by a track that made the feels-like temperature even hotter.
Throughout the years I’ve directed and participated in this event, only a handful of people every year actually stick it out for the entire time. The challenge is just that hard. But Tina trudged on, and by the end she hadn’t just learned she was physically capable of more than she thought. She came to understand something deeper: that her body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and that every part of her—mind, soul, and body—matters to God.
“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? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
You see, because God permanently indwells Christians and purchased them from the slavery of sin through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our bodies are not our own. Hence the reason God commanded, through the words of Paul, that since we were bought at a price, we are to glorify God in our bodies and our spirits, which are God’s. In other words, believers are to completely yield their personal autonomy to God, viewing themselves as His servants, something that goes directly against to the world’s loud, careless view that says, “Do whatever feels good and makes you happy.”
But here’s the deal: the devil is a liar!
“He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” (John 8:44)
He’s been lying since the Garden of Eden. He lied to Tina; he lies to me; and he lies to every single person made in the image of God in an attempt to turn them from their Creator. We must fight those lies each day to make the sacrifice.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:1-2
But here’s the deal. As Tina and I discussed throughout the forty-eight hours we spent together, we weren’t created to honor God with certain parts of our lives but with our whole, undivided lives. This is the very reason Paul said we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service.
That means everything we do with our bodies matters. Think about it this way: would you arrest the person who went in and spray-painted the church house that you belong to? Of course you would, because it’s destruction of property. But this is the very thing we do when we eat processed foods, when we pollute our minds by what we take in with our eyes and with our ears, and when we don’t exercise as we should. We destroy our bodies one careless step at a time.
Furthermore, this honoring of God isn’t only about what we do but about how we think, which is the very reason Paul continued by saying that we should not be conformed to this world but transformed by the renewing of our minds. Paul was saying, “Don’t believe the lies of the world. And definitely do not think like the world does by buying the lies of the enemy, but align your thoughts with what the Bible declares to be true, godly, healthy, and holy.”
This means we are to read God’s Word, commit His commands to memory, and then live them out boldly for the world to see. Will we face opposition? Of course. Following the Lord is not easy. Just as it took discipline for Tina to fight her body’s desire to sleep and choose to get up and walk instead, it takes discipline to say, “I will not eat, say, think, or do anything that damages the temple of the Holy Spirit. I will not believe the lies of the enemy but will choose to see myself as God sees me, and will choose to use this body to bring Him glory, even when it’s hard.”
Last but not least, honoring God with our bodies means choosing our friends wisely and making time to fellowship with them often, encouraging them to honor God with their own bodies and holding us accountable to do the same.
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25
Together we engage in spiritual sharpening, just as “iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” (Proverbs 27:17)
So, treat your body like the temple that it is, my friend, that you might show yourself set apart from the world, set on glorifying the Lord, and ready and able to tear down the lies of the enemy. It won’t be easy; I can promise you that. But it will be worth it. Just ask Tina. The devil told her that she couldn’t do it, but her God said, “Oh yes you can.”
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that our bodies are not our own and that we have no right to treat them as we please. Father, give us the desire to read the Word every day, to commit it to memory, and to allow it to transform our minds, hearts, habits, and lives. Lord, remind us that the devil is a liar so that we won’t fall prey to his tactics but will press on until the end. It’s in Your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!
Melissa Sharp is an ultra runner and running coach who has completed more than 100 marathons and ultra marathons. Melissa has learned how to keep running the race of life for the glory of Christ even though she endured decades of domestic abuse. Melissa is a survivor. Through her daily blog thejoyfilledrunner she inspires others to live in the strength of Christ.
