Do you have any idea how valuable you are? You are so valuable that God gave His only Son not only to forgive your sins and to give you eternal life, but also so you can enjoy abundant life—life to the fullest—while you are on this earth. I believe God has a great life in store for you. He wants you to enjoy every single day of it and to serve Him to the best of your ability for as long as you live. Doing these things can be very difficult if you do not feel well, if you live under constant stress, or if you are not in good health. But if you are strong and healthy, then making the most of every day God gives you is much easier.
Good health is vitally important to being able to live a good life. God’s plan for our lives involves much more than simply praying and reading the Bible every day, going to church or doing missions work. He cares about every part of us and about every aspect of our lives. He wants us to be healthy not only spiritually, but also physically, mentally, and emotionally. That’s the best way for us to enjoy our lives and fulfill all the purposes God has for us.
We know from 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 that our bodies are the earthly temples of the Holy Spirit. In other words, our bodies are our God-given instruments for experiencing life on Earth and for serving God and blessing other people. They house our spirit, which is the part of our being where God dwells. God Himself lives in us by His Spirit and makes His home in us. That is the best reason I know for us to take care of ourselves.
Sometimes, over the years, we neglect our health or let our bodies go for various reasons. Often, we simply get busy and stressed, and we think we do not have time to take care of ourselves. The fact is, people who do not believe they have time to take care of themselves when their health is relatively good will more than likely experience health problems and/or a lack of energy eventually. If you form a habit of taking care of yourself, doing so will simply become a part of your lifestyle and you won’t find it difficult. In fact, you will enjoy investing in your health.
We also need to realize that we are more than just physical beings. We are three-part beings—spirit, soul (mind, will, and emotions), and body—and each one needs proper care and maintenance (1 Thessalonians 5:23). If we do not take good care of our bodies, our spiritual, mental, and emotional health will be compromised. If we worry excessively, that can have a negative impact on our bodies. If we have a lot of emotional trauma, it adds stress that affects us physically. If we don’t invest in our spiritual life, it will grow weak and nothing will work right for us. To be healthy and whole, we need to be strong in spirit, soul, and body.
I take very good care of myself now in every way, but that has not always been the case. The lessons I will share with you in this book are lessons I learned firsthand on my journey out of bad health habits into good ones. As I moved from being an unhealthy person to being a strong, healthy individual, I had to learn about healthy eating, exercise, proper rest, managing stress effectively, and many other aspects of good health and a good life.
I want to encourage you: Whatever shape you are in today, you do not have to stay that way. If you want to improve the way you look and feel, you can do that by reading this book and applying its insights and information to your life. If your “temple” (body) is in need of some restoration or renovation, you have chosen a resource that can help. Your entire being—spirit, soul, and body—plays an important role in God’s plan, and the healthier you are in all three ways, the better your life will be.
I am believing that the 12 keys in this book will unlock a whole new level of health and well-being for you, empowering you to do everything God has called you to do and to enjoy the great future He has in store for you.