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I Found God in Bodybuilding

A unified perception of body, soul, spirit, and mind creates a spirituality that includes the body” (Fasting by Scot McKnight).

I found God in bodybuilding. How sacrilegious these words seemed. But it was true. Yes, God, had saved my soul, but, one day as I was dieting down and for what would be my last bodybuilding competition, I purposed in my heart that this arduous diet would not be about food fantasies but God. My evenings consisted of one chicken breast, a sweet potato the size of my palm and a cup and half of broccoli. Each meal left me not just still hungry but unsatisfied. A cup of herbal tea helped assuage the hunger, but it was really the Word of God that began to satisfy me. My favorite scriptures became Psalm 139: 13-15:

You made my whole being;
you formed me in my mother’s body.
I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way.
What you have done is wonderful.
I know this very well.
You saw my bones being formed
as I took shape in my mother’s body.
When I was put together there,
you saw my body as it was formed.
(New Century Version)

I had memorized the scriptures by heart. As I flexed in front of the mirror, I lathered the Words over my body like oil. In the past, I would have criticized my shrunken body, but instead I found in these words a precious truth that went beyond what I saw staring back at me in the mirror.

God had made my whole being, and I was “wonderful”. I found in these words my Creator, my validation—that I was significant, and it would not be a win that would define me. And that this body of His would literally praise Him always for He had made me in an “amazing and wonderful way!”

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Bible Study – Free Sample

Misappropriate use of God’s Name

~You must not use the name of the Lord thoughtlessly~ Deuteronomy 5:11

Goal:

• To treat our bodies as sacred temples
• To become cognizant of the harmful foods we choose to eat

Objective:

• To find the root cause of our hunger
• To listen to the right voice of the body
• To ask God to bless foods that will be healthy for his temple

Essential Question:
What is it that you are really hungry for?

Lesson Three

Hosea 4:6 says “My people will be destroyed, because they have no knowledge.
You have refused to learn, so I will refuse to let you be priests to me.”

With the existence of the internet, the world of information was made readily available to us with one click of a button. Yet, many of us have not taken advantage of this opportunity. For some of us are so busy; we just do not have the time. The thought of adding another task on our “to do list” frustrates us. Then there are some of us, who know the information, but we have not applied it, for applying knowledge involves time also. We are a busy people, so learning gets
push down to the bottom of the “to do list.” Or learning may not even make it on the agenda. When we refuse to learn, God said that he will not allow us to be priest to Him. 1 Peter 2: 8, declares us that we are a “chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession. [We were] chosen to tell about the wonderful acts of God, who called [us] out of darkness into his wonderful light.” We are priests who are responsible for declaring God’s great acts.

Learning involves taking care of our bodies as well—our sacred temples which we are priest over. Because of our fast paced lifestyle, we find it convenient to eat out, especially at fast food restaurants. We feed our families whoppers, french fries, sodas and ask God to bless the food in Jesus’s name. Each of these items is either high in fat or sugar. They are all harmful to our heart, yet we have asked God to sanction the food, knowing that we have consistently chosen
foods that are unhealthy for us. God being sovereign can choose to do whatever he pleases. However, as Christians, we do not have sovereignty over our bodies. Our bodies belong to God; therefore, we are to put foods that are nourishing into them.

When you are busy what do you tend to eat?
____________________________________________________________________
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Would you consider these foods healthy or unhealthy? Why or why not?
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Write the main theme of Hosea 4:6.
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When Peter went onto the roof top to pray, he had a vision. He saw a huge sheet being lowered that contained every kind of animal, reptile and bird. A voice spoke to Peter telling him to eat. Peter said, “Oh, no Lord. I’ve never so much as tasted food that was not kosher.” “The voice came a second time: ’If God says it’s okay, it’s okay’” (Messenger Acts 10:9-15).

Why didn’t Peter want to eat certain types of animals?
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What does God have to say about these foods he created?
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Read Romans 14: 2-12 below. How does the Bible tell us we are to treat others who choose to eat differently?
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“For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume all Christians should be vegetarians and eat accordingly. But since both are guests at Christ’s table, wouldn’t it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn’t eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table. Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering
with God’s welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.
Or say, one person thinks that some days should be set aside as holy and another thinks that each day is pretty much like any other. There are good reasons either way. So, each person is free to follow the convictions of conscience.

What’s important in all this is that if you keep a holy day, keep it for Gods’ sake; if you eat meat, eat it to the glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if you’re a vegetarian, eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank God for
broccoli. None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters. It’s God we are answerable to—all the way from life to death and everything in between – not each other” (Romans 14: 2-12, The Message).

Who are we accountable to?
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Why should we not use our liberty to eat anything?
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The scripture shows that it is wrong to judge others. This message is the crux of Paul’s teaching in Romans chapter 14. As Gentiles began to accept Christ, the Jews criticized them for eating animals, considered unclean, such as the pig. Today, some of us are vegetarians by choice; some of us eat a high protein diet; some of us eat high carb diet. Whichever way we choose to eat we are not to hold anyone in bondage base on our own convictions. We must also remember that because a food might be allowed, it may not be beneficial.

Here’s how The Message Bible writes the same thought: “Just because something is technically legal doesn’t mean that it’s
spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I’d be a slave to my whims. You know the old saying, ‘First you eat to live, and then you live to eat’? Well, it may be true that the body is only a temporary thing, but that’s no excuse or stuffing your body with food, or indulging it with sex. Since the Master honors you with a body, honor him with your body!” (1 Corinthians 6: 12-13).

We honor our bodies by eating nourishing foods. These are the foods God created for us. We should be careful what we consistently put into our bodies because God has paid a costly price for them. Therefore, when we sit down to eat a meal high in fat or sugar that will clog His arteries or lead to the complication of other cardiovascular diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, elevated cholesterol, renal kidney, or angina, we need to think twice about asking
God to bless it. Rather we need to think about making better choices. Problems developed through obesity:
1. hypertension
2. diabetes mellitus
3. elevated cholesterol
4. coronary heart disease
5. renal disease (kidney failure)
6. cerebrovascular accident (stroke)
7. pulmonary complications
8. arthritis
9. cancer

Write the scripture references which support each principle.
1. We are to be good learners.______________________
2. We are not to judge others or force others to live by our convictions.____________
3. All foods though legal are not necessarily beneficial.____________________
4. We are to show restraint.___________________
5. The body is to be respected._________________
What has the Holy Spirit taught you as you have studied today’s lesson?
______________________________________________________________________
What is God asking you to do as a result of today’s lesson?
______________________________________________________________________
Write a prayer based on what God is asking you to do today.

For more information on this Bible Study, Click Here.

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