Most people live believing they cannot enjoy their lives as long as they have problems. This is wrong thinking and does not reflect the way G.o.d thinks. Don't waste your life and energy dwelling on the mistakes or regrets of your past. Continue thinking about the great new future you have through Jesus Christ, and all He already has available to you, an inheritance you are only beginning to understand. You can enjoy whatever you decide to enjoy. You can enjoy sitting in a traffic jam if you decide to. Remember, this is a new way of thinking and living that G.o.d has for you to practice.

I finally learned to enjoy where I am while I am on the way to where I am going and I strongly urge you to do the same. There is much for G.o.d to do in your life for your benefit and for the benefit of those you know and influence, and He does not want you to be miserable while He is doing it. Just as babies must grow into adults, Christians must also grow. It is a process that often takes longer than we desire, but there is no point in not enjoying the journey.

Continuing to remind yourself G.o.d does not expect you to be perfect today will help you avoid spending days under guilt and condemnation after you make a mistake. G.o.d already knows you will never be completely perfect as long as you live on the earth. He does expect each of us to keep pressing on by sincerely doing our best every day to serve Him. When we keep practicing the new behaviors of our new way of thinking and living, we will eventually replace our old behaviors with the new ones as our lifestyle. Admitting our failures, asking for forgiveness for our sins, and being willing to turn from them is a big part. If we will do this, G.o.d will do the rest. He will keep working with us through His Holy Spirit. He will teach us, change us, and use us.

When you step out into a new way of living, I believe you will never be sorry. Enjoy G.o.d, enjoy yourself, and enjoy the life Jesus died to give you!

SECTION III.

Your Body-Your Home, G.o.d's Home.

CHAPTER 74.

Your Body Affects Your Spiritual Life.

Receiving Jesus as your Savior or receiving a special touch from G.o.d may be a starting place, but then we need to grow in G.o.d. Spiritual growth is not always easy, but it is necessary. The Holy Spirit will guide us by helping us see the things that need to change in our lives. He will also help us by teaching us G.o.d's Word if we will be diligent to study it. A Christian absolutely must learn the Word of G.o.d if they are going to enjoy the new life G.o.d has provided in Christ.

The Bible says if we continue in G.o.d's Word we will be His disciples and we will know the truth and it will make us free (see John 8:3132 KJV). The word "continue" is a key word in these verses. It is not what we do wrong once that messes up our lives and it is not what we do right once that fixes them. We must "diligently" seek G.o.d and then He rewards us (see Hebrews 11:6). If we continue to study G.o.d's Word, we will be transformed into His image (see 2 Corinthians 3:18).

Growth is a process, not an event, and the sooner we realize that the more we can enjoy the journey. Unrealistic expectations are the root cause of much unhappiness. If we expect to receive Jesus as our Savior and have everything perfect right away, we are setting ourselves up for much disappointment. However, if we realize growth is a process and will take time, we are more likely to finish the journey.

As long as we are on earth we will always be changing and growing, and that is exciting to me. I am a goal-oriented person, meaning I always like to have something to look forward to. Spiritual growth can be exciting if we learn to look at it properly. When the Holy Spirit convicts you of some area in your life that needs to change, realize that is His way of showing His love for you. He wants us to improve and be the best we can be because He knows that every change we make to be more like Him will release new levels of joy into our lives.

As we study G.o.d's Word, our eyes are opened to see things previously hidden in our lives. Things that were there all along, but we were blind to them. G.o.d's Word is light, and we should never be afraid to live in the light.

When G.o.d shows us things that need to change in our lives, we should never feel condemned or ashamed. Remember that what you are seeing for the first time, G.o.d knew was there all along. G.o.d is not surprised by our faults, He knew all about them long before we did and He loves us unconditionally. We should be repentant, which means we are sorry for our sins and willing to turn away from them to a new way of living, but feeling guilty and condemned does no good at all. It actually presses us down and steals the energy we need to work with G.o.d for improvement.

When G.o.d brings something to light in your life that will need to be changed by His power, all He wants us to do is agree with Him and ask Him to change it. While G.o.d is changing us, His love remains the same. When our behavior improves, He does not love us any more than He ever did before.

It is difficult to be enthusiastic and pa.s.sionate about anything if we feel tired all the time.

One of the things G.o.d will ultimately deal with every person about is how they take care of their body, because the body has a profound effect on the spirit. We should do everything we can do to be as healthy as possible. It is difficult to be enthusiastic and pa.s.sionate about anything if we feel tired all the time.

It is a mistake to think G.o.d only deals with us about spiritual things. As I have said, we are a tri-part being-spirit, soul, and body-and all three are very important to G.o.d. He wants to work through our entire being. The apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesians that the Holy Spirit would fill their personalities (see Ephesians 3:16) and he also prayed that they would be bodies wholly filled with G.o.d Himself (see Ephesians 3:19). G.o.d is interested in our entire being, and we should be also.

There are many things that can contribute to poor health, but one of them is trying so hard to please people that we end up placing unreasonable stress on ourselves. We all have limits and that means we will have times when we need to say no. Anytime someone wants to hear yes and we tell them no, they probably won't like it, but we must follow G.o.d, not man. Trying to keep all the people happy all the time is just too hard. If that is our goal in life, we will certainly wear ourselves out.

We all need to live with margins. That means we should leave time in between commitments for prayer, Bible study, rest, relaxation, and fun. If we merely run from thing to thing with no margin between, we will have poor personal relationships, poor health, and a poverty-stricken spiritual life.

I urge you to make a decision to live a balanced life and realize that every aspect of your being is vitally important. Take care of your spirit, mind, emotions, and body. It is not wrong to take care of yourself . . . it is G.o.d's will for your new life!

CHAPTER 75.

Taking Care of Your Body-Get Some Sleep!

Taking care of our bodies is very important, because they are G.o.d's house. There are several simple things we can do to ensure better health and increased energy. A nutritionist I work with said one of the most important things for any person to do in taking care of the body is to sleep seven or eight hours every night and drink lots of water. Some people mistreat their bodies by never getting enough sleep and eating excessive junk foods such as donuts, sodas, candy bars, and potato chips. Those same people when they get really sick usually pray and ask G.o.d for healing. G.o.d is merciful and He is our Healer, but He also expects us to live a balanced lifestyle and use common sense. Our bodies are a precious, marvelous gift from G.o.d, and we should respect them and take good care of them.

If we worry excessively, dwelling on problems instead of spending time thinking about G.o.d's promises in His Word, we may experience a negative effect on our heath. Excessive, long-term stress of any kind eventually has an adverse effect on our bodies and can be the root cause of many diseases. We must understand that if we wear out our bodies, we don't have a spare to pull out of a closet somewhere and use! We cannot drop them off at the local mechanic for a tune-up or go to the market and purchase a new one.

Your body is the house you and G.o.d live in while you are here on earth. It also houses your spirit and your soul. It is amazing to me how we sometimes disrespect something so important. I urge you to use common sense-sleep an adequate number of hours at night, eat the right amounts of good quality, healthy foods, find a way to get plenty of exercise, and laugh a lot because it relieves stress. I also urge you to make adjustments in your schedule so you have some margin in your life and don't feel you must hurry constantly. As I said, your body is not only the temple of your spirit and soul, the house they dwell in while you are on this earth; it is G.o.d's home as well. The Bible tells us our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit-He dwells in those who believe in Him (see 1 Corinthians 6:19). Mistreating G.o.d's home certainly is not spiritual! G.o.d wants us set apart for His use, sanctified-spirit, soul, and body. "Now may the G.o.d of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:23 NASB).

Your body is not only the temple of your spirit and soul, the house they dwell in while you are on this earth; it is G.o.d's home as well.

Our bodies are our G.o.d-given instruments for experiencing life on earth and for doing good works. If we let our bodies become shabby or sick, it will be a constant distraction. To do the work we were meant to do, we need to keep our bodies in shape to allow us to operate most effectively for Him.

Feeling tired and sick most of the time deteriorates the quality of life. Everything becomes more of an effort, and just getting through the day seems to be all we can handle. G.o.d wants us to be healthy and energetic, but we need to do our part by using wisdom in how we take care of ourselves.

CHAPTER 76.

Respecting Your Body If you went to visit a church and saw it was extremely run-down, what would you think? If you looked around and noticed peeling paint, broken doors, and smudged windows diminishing the amount of light coming through them, you might find the condition of the church distracting, if not disturbing. Instead of contributing to a feeling of peace, the condition of the church might bring on a feeling of uneasiness. If the pastor's church building is his instrument for celebrating the glory of G.o.d, yet he doesn't respect the church enough to keep it in good condition, you might be thinking about whether the pastor's character was in as poor condition as the building placed in his charge.

A church building kept in excellent condition speaks of the excellence of G.o.d. Presenting ourselves well physically also represents G.o.d well. It is important to remind ourselves G.o.d does not expect us to be perfect in any area and to guard against falling into the world's trap of expecting ourselves to have the perfect shape and look nearly perfect. We should work with our bodies, whether we are small-framed or large, whatever our basic makeup is, to be in good shape and present ourselves well without becoming obsessive about our appearance.

We want to keep our bodies in good shape to represent the Lord well, but also to allow our tri-part being to operate most effectively for Him. Jesus wants us to enjoy our lives, and that is very difficult if our bodies are run-down. If we are living in bodies we have basically ignored, experiencing G.o.d's presence and His joy and peace in them is about as easy as it would be sitting in the dilapidated church building described in the previous ill.u.s.tration. It is obvious today many people in society are not taking care of themselves. Anyone can see in the way people look and carry themselves, they clearly feel terrible. We simply cannot look our best if we don't feel our best! How we feel will show up somewhere-in our body language, a dull look in our eyes, sullenness of skin color, and so on. We often put ourselves at the bottom of the list of what we take care of, and it adversely affects every other area of our lives. Many people actually hate their bodies.

We often put ourselves at the bottom of the list of what we take care of, and it adversely affects every other area of our lives.

I recently interviewed a doctor on my television program who wrote a book t.i.tled Making Peace with Your Thighs. She explained how the image presented today by society regarding how we should look is driving people to be dissatisfied with their bodies and even hate them. How can we be comfortable living in a body we hate?

I believe we should take what G.o.d has given us to work with and do the best we can with it. Everything about your body may not be exactly as you would like it, but don't despise your body. I have baby-fine hair that is a little difficult to manage, but it won't do me any good to want someone else's hair or hate mine. I have learned to deal with it and do the best I can. You might not like your thighs, your nose, your feet, or some other part of your body, but I encourage you to not focus on the one or two things that are less than desirable. Instead focus on living for G.o.d and glorifying Him in your body.

CHAPTER 77.

Willpower or G.o.d's Power?

When we begin to see things that need to change in us and our lives, it is tempting to think we can change by sheer willpower, but we need more than that. You are familiar with willpower. Willpower makes us not eat the chocolate fudge sundae sitting in front of us, even though every cell of our bodies is screaming for us to dig in. Willpower is that thing CEOs and professional athletes tell us they used to make it to the top. Willpower is what makes you get up and go jogging early every morning.

Willpower sure sounds like a great thing. We are led to believe that we have enough of it to fight off every temptation that comes our way. And sometimes we do have enough. But let me tell you a little secret about willpower. Willpower is your best friend when things are going well, but it's the first friend to check out when you get weary. Willpower peers out Sat.u.r.day morning at rain and forty-degree temperatures and says, "I'm staying home today!" The problem is willpower is closely aligned with reason, and reason is always open to being "reasoned" with, to being talked out of things. "You're right," it says. "Too yucky out for jogging. Sure, you'll go twice tomorrow." Or: "Sure, finish the last piece of pie now so you don't have to put the plate back in the fridge, and then you'll eat a really small dinner tonight. Makes sense!" Reason is always willing to risk the slippery slope leading to failure.

I have found that if I really don't want to do a thing, my mind gives me plenty of reasons why I don't have to. My emotion even joins in, saying, "I agree because I don't feel like doing it," but it is never enough to bring you across the finish line. We live not by our might or power but by G.o.d's Spirit (see Zechariah 4:6). Now, what happens if, instead of turning first to willpower in your time of need, you turn to G.o.d instead? G.o.d releases His power into your willpower and energizes it to bring you across the finish line. Willpower does not get the credit for our success; G.o.d does. Jesus said in John 15:5, "Apart from Me . . . you can do nothing." This is one of the most important and most difficult lessons we must learn if we want to enjoy the life Jesus died to give us. When we go to anything or anyone before G.o.d, He is insulted and is obligated to let us fail so we will realize "unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it" (Psalm 127:1 NASB).

We must learn to let G.o.d do the heavy lifting. Let Him supply the ability to energize our choice. We can choose to exercise or stop overeating, but our choice alone is not enough for complete victory. As I said previously, willpower and determination will get us started, but have been known to quit in the middle and leave us stranded. G.o.d never quits in the middle.

Willpower and determination will get us started, but have been known to quit in the middle and leave us stranded. G.o.d never quits in the middle.

There are some people in the world who claim to be self-made successes, but if we follow their lives all the way through, there may be some area of life in which they fall apart. G.o.d has not created us to function well without Him, and the sooner we learn that the better off we will be.

Start by asking G.o.d to get involved, then continue with G.o.d and finish with G.o.d. What should we do when the burdens in life seem too heavy? Jesus said, "Come to Me." He will give rest to the weary and burdened (Matthew 11:28).