DEVOTION – DAY 465

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Temple Of The Holy Spirit”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ‘Do you not know that your bodies are temples 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 bodies.”

The people of Corinth had been guilty of gluttony and sexual immorality amongst other things. Paul wrote to the Corinthians to remind them not to misuse their bodies in this way because the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. At their point of conversion to become followers of Jesus Christ, God gives every Christian the gift of the Holy Spirit, who would come to live within them. A Christian’s body is therefore sacred and should be treated as holy. Christians with the help of the Holy Spirit within them, would be able to turn away from sexual immorality.

We know of people who mistreated their bodies by giving into temptations of gluttony. They overeat and have sedentary lifestyles that caused them to suffer from diabetes and hypertension. We know people who were sexually active whilst they were single. In the end, they contracted sexually transmitted diseases. They had forgotten that their bodies were the temple of the Holy Spirit. Their lifestyle choices have led to the voice of the Holy Spirit being drowned out, as they gave into various temptations. As a result, they faced the consequences of their sins of gluttony and sexual immorality. Their health was affected. 

But we thank God that He is gracious and merciful. Those affected can seek forgiveness when they confess and repent of their sins of gluttony and/or sexual immorality. They can count on the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross to cleanse them of all sins and unrighteous behavior. They can ask for the Lord’s strength to resist the temptation to overeat, to avoid buffets, and to eat more healthily. They can ask for the Lord’s strength to stay away from sexual temptations and to be faithful to one’s spouse only. 

We know someone who, with God’s help, won his battle with diabetes when he kept to a strict diet and exercised control over what he ate. He had to make a radical change to his eating habits when he realized that his health was badly affected. We also know someone who chose celibacy and avoided pornography or anything of a sexual nature so that she would not fall in the area of sexual immorality. She could only resist temptation with the help of the Lord.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Please help us to live lives that are pleasing and obedient to you. Please help us to be holy for you are Holy. We humbly pray in the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

  1. What temptations and weaknesses do you battle with? Do you win or lose these battles? Share and Discuss.
  2. How has these battles affected your own health? Share.
  3. What steps can you take to overcome these temptations and weaknesses in your life? Will you take these steps? 
  4. How has God helped you overcome some of your past temptations and weaknesses? Share.