Welcome back to our Bod4God worship series. And before I get into it, I just want to say that I have 2 goals for this church. #1 – I want our church to be spiritually as healthy as it can be. Each and every week, we’ll be looking at spiritual principles from the Bible and spiritual steps we can all take to be healthy in that way. My second goal—#2—is that I want our church to also be physically healthy as we can be. Why? Because I don’t want any of you to miss out on anything God has for you in this life! Remember Jesus’ words that I mentioned last week recorded in Matthew 26:41 (NLT):

“Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”

So, spirit and body—we need to be working on both so they can work together for our overall health…

Now, last week we talked about the “who”—that we want to dedicate our body to God. The “who” in this story is God. That’s where our focus has to start; we need to dedicate our bodies to God. Then, this week, we move to the “why” of the story. You see, the “why” is very, very important. A lot of folks want to have a better health plan for their lives. They want to improve the health of their body. They want to break some addiction, or lose some weight, but they immediately want to go from the “who” to the “what” … and bypass the “why”. But, we can’t do that! So, today, we’re going to move to the “why”. Folks, if we don’t get the “why” right, we may never get the “what” right. In fact, a philosopher (someone much wiser than I) once said, “One can endure almost any “what” if they have a big enough reason “why”, so it’s important we talk about the “why” this week…

I’m sure most of us have something we want to change about ourselves—again, a habit to break, weight to lose, weight to gain, a health plan we want to get on and stick to. Am I right? But I’ve seen people over and over again start health plans (a nice way to say ‘diet’ for some of us) and then fail. Anybody been there before, besides me? And there are some reasons for that and I want to speak to those for just a moment. Here are just a few reasons why health plans fail:

1. They’re not realistic long-term. You know, folks, you go on a crazy diet where you drink nothing but beet juice and eat just applesauce for a month … and I’m not sure anyone could stick to that. It’s not realistic long-term, is it? Now, I just made that up, but some diets or ‘health plans’ are just that crazy…
2. It doesn’t fit you personally. If you’re going to have a health plan that works, you have to find one that fits you personally! It may work for your neighbor, but it won’t work for you. We’re all different … and we need to find a plan that works for us. If a plan includes walking, for instance, I’m all over that! If it includes jogging or running, folks those days are over for me (and never really existed anyway). You have to find something that fits YOU…
3. They don’t look at your underlying issues. I mean, why are we doing what we’re doing? We have to ask ourselves that. One of the things I’ve discovered is … I’m an emotional eater. Whenever I’m under stress, dealing with a particular stressful situation, I eat … sometimes late at night—the worst time to do that kind of eating if you actually want to digest your food. Those are the underlying issues I’m talking about, and we’re all different…
4. Most health plans fail because they don’t make it a spiritual endeavor—they don’t connect the body with the spirit. And this is huge! That’s why we began this series with the “who”; we have to bring God into the plan right away if it’s to work. It has to be about something bigger than ourselves. Let me remind you, the Bible talks about the body over 200 times, so our bodies are important to God … and God has to be a part of our plan, whatever it is…
5. You’re just not motivated. That can happen, can’t it? And here’s the truth: You have to be motivated, if you want to make some tough changes in your life. A recent study from a major medical journal stated that it really doesn’t matter which plan you go on, as long as there’s enough motivation behind it! So, until we get the motivation right, we’re probably never going to make the changes necessary for a healthier lifestyle. My motivation for change was … the future. I think back to 2013 now and realize what all’s happened since then. I got to see my grandson shortly after his birth. I got to be the best man at my son’s wedding. All of these things that I prayed would happen in the future motivated me to change … and still motivate me today…

Whatever our motivation is, one thing is for sure: When it comes to our health, motivation is KEY! But if we want to see change 1 year from now, or 5 years from now, or 10 years from now, we’re going to have to make some adjustments today. Let me suggest these to you: Here are 6 adjustments we need to make to motivate ourselves for change:

OVERHAUL MY ATTITUDE. This means, if you have a bad attitude toward your current health plan at all, that attitude needs to change—to a more positive and healthy attitude! Your attitude is very important to your overall health. Unless you get the inside right, you are never going to get the outside change you need or desire. Jesus talked about this in Mark 7:20-22 (NLT):

“And then [Jesus] added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. 21 For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.”

So, it starts on the inside; it begins with the heart. So the first step toward being motivated to outside change … is an inside change. Our attitude may need an overhaul… Let me briefly touch on 3 unhealthy attitudes that may impede our motivation:

• “I reject my body.” That’s an unhealthy attitude … to think that our body doesn’t really matter. We talked about this last week; that’s the attitude of the Gnostics. In Jesus’ day, Gnosticism was very prevalent … and they basically said that the body is just a vessel that has imprisoned the soul. It’s here today … and gone tomorrow, so why bother with it! That’s an unhealthy attitude. Here’s another…
• “I perfect my body.” This is a prevailing attitude in our society today. People worship the body. Look at all the products and gizmos and machines that are sold to help us do that! A worse-case scenario of this would be called ‘Narcissism’ … and we talked about that last week, too. All you have to do is go to the gym and see this attitude too. Healthy body, yes! Perfect body, no! If you’re seeking a perfect body, I hate to tell you but … it’s not going to happen! And I’m pretty sure this is not the way God wants you to view your body. So, reject perfectionism in this way… Here’s another unhealthy attitude…
• “I neglect my body.” This is pretty popular in our world today, too. There’s a philosophical word for this and it’s called ‘Hedonism’. And that line of thinking is this: Do whatever you want for as long as you want, whenever you want, and however you want, not matter what the consequences, and just live—you know, eat, drink, and be merry … for tomorrow you may die!

Instead of these unhealthy attitudes, what we need to do is embrace this healthy attitude: “I MAXIMIZE MY BODY.” This means I don’t neglect my body. I don’t hate my body. I don’t compare my body to someone else’s. I don’t obsess over my body. But I see my body as a gift from God … to be cared for. I make the best of my body with God’s help and for God’s purposes. We need to begin to pray Psalm 139:13-14 (NLT):

“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.”

Can you begin to pray that prayer today? So, folks, we need to overhaul our attitude, if necessary, then…

HONESTLY ACCESS MY SITUATION. Please note that I said ‘my’ situation and not ‘the’ situation; this is personal. This seems simple, but how often do we take the time to do this? The truth is you’ll never know where you need to go … until you honestly know where you’re at right now!

Now, I know how painful this can be at times—most of the time. It’s like every week I go into the rehab gym at the hospital to exercise, but the first time in for the week, Becky Tank makes you weigh in. Oh, I dread that time. But, it’s necessary. Becky knows that or she wouldn’t ask us to do it. You weigh in as a part of an honest assessment of your health situation. Yes, it can be painful, but just do it and get it over with! That way, you know which direction you need to go … and for me it’s usually more exercise and less eating…

It’s easy to deceive ourselves, if we’re not careful. We can look in the mirror and think to ourselves, ‘Oh, I don’t look so bad.’ But the minute you step on the scale, it’ll give you the real story. You can see this in the wisdom of Proverbs 21:2 (NLT):

“People may be right in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their heart.”

In other words, whether we’re ready to examine ourselves or not, God knows the truth … so we may as well. Honestly access your situation! So what is the biggest area you need to work on, when it comes to your body? Take whatever that is … and do this:

BOLDLY SET MY NEW HEALTH GOALS. Whatever’s your biggest challenge, physically—from #2, that’s what you need to use to set your new health goal here in #3. And the best goals are those that are written down … and you can begin that right now (jot something down in your notes)…

Now, here are a couple thoughts on goals:

1. When you write down a goal, make sure it’s personal! It has to be your goal … and not someone else’s…
2. It has to be positive! It’s better to say, ‘I want to weigh “X” amount’, instead of ‘I want to lose “X” amount’…

Do those two things make sense? Write down your goals and make sure they’re personal—for you, then find the most positive way to express your new goal!

Folks, here’s my favorite definition of a goal: A GOAL IS A DREAM WITH A DEADLINE! The fact is, any goal you have that you’re serious about, it will require some discipline to get there, including a deadline for reaching that goal! Proverbs 21:5 (NLT) says,

“Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”

So, what’s your #1 health goal for 2015? Write it down, folks … and don’t shortcut what you need to do to get there! So, #1 is ‘overhaul my attitude’, #2 is honestly access my situation, #3 is boldly set my new health goals, then we come to this:

SURROUND MYSELF WITH SUPPORTIVE PEOPLE. And we all need this kind of support, folks, which is why I go to the rehab gym at the hospital—surrounding myself with supportive people…

And this is the flipside of that; avoid those who are NOT supportive to you! You know, when I’m out for my 5K walk … and this guy who’s always out at the same time … running … fast … and leaving me in the dust … and enjoying it, I want to strangle him with his little spandex pants! That’s not supportive!

But, you’ve got to find those people—those who will lift your spirits and encourage you to do the right thing … consistently! We need to find someone who will think like the Apostle Paul who said (1 Thess. 5:11, NLT):

“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”

It’s important! It’s vital to success in any health program. You need to surround yourself with supportive people, then…

KEEP MY FOCUS ON LIFE-CHANGING BENEFITS. Listen, when you get serious about your health, it can be somewhat discouraging … at first, you may start a diet … and not lose a pound. Or you may start eating right … but your cholesterol doesn’t come down. So, how do you stay motivated? Good question…

One of the best ways I’ve found is to let your future motivate you right now! When I was laying in the hospital, waiting for bypass surgery, all I could think of was my family—my biological and my church family. All I wanted to do was to serve God in those two areas of my life, if I could just have my life again. And when I went through rehab, as hard as that was, I let the possibility of a future with family—both families—motivate me to keep going. Think of those future events with your kids … and your grandkids … and your friends! My life was spared and I got to witness the birth of our first grandchild and then see my son married…

Folks, if your possible future … and all that God has for you doesn’t motivate you, I’m not sure what will! Keep your focus on the life-changing benefits (i.e. those future events you want to be a part of, for one thing) that will motivate you to a healthier you—to have a Bod4God! And finally, this may be the most important adjustment you make: Learn to…

RELY ON GOD EVERY SINGLE DAY. As I told you when we began this series last week, you cannot do this on your own! You can’t make these necessary changes by yourself; they are intertwined; one affects the other. It’s impossible for you to break habits, break addictions, and stay on a much-needed health plan without God in your life! And so … you need to commit yourself (and your health) to God every single day! Proverbs 16:3 says,

“Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed.”

Do this every day, folks … and do it first thing in the morning, as your day begins; pray and commit your life and your health to God each day…

By way of encouragement, I want to share with you one of my favorite scripture verses as we close (Phil. 4:13, NLT):

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

Say that with me, would you? “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” And you can … with God’s help!