Encouragement, Guidance, Holiness, Joy, Kindness, Love, Obedience, Peace, Prayer, Relationship to Christ, Righteousness, Salvation, Submission

The Temple of the Holy Spirit

If you have been in church for any time, you most likely have heard it said that our bodies are the temple of God.  That idea comes straight from the Apostle Paul as he wrote to the Corinthians, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16 ESV)  For years I have heard this Scripture being used to encourage us to care for our physical body.  While it is true that we need to take care of our physical bodies, there is a Spiritual body that also needs care.

When we ask Jesus to take control of our lives, to come and live inside of us, our heart (not the physical beating heart, but the Spiritual seat of our being) is His residence.  As we need to take care of our physical body, we also need to tend our Spiritual body, the seat of dwelling for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Enduring Word website commentary states, “What makes the church a temple? The Spirit of God dwells in you. The ancient Greek word used for temple (naos) refers to the actual sanctuary, the place of the deity’s dwelling, in contrast to the broader word hieron, which was the temple area in general.”  Paul talks about this later in the book of 1 Corinthians.  He explains that the Holy Spirit is in us.  “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.” (1 Corinthians 6:19 NIV) 

So, how do we take care of our Spiritual body?  Some may say the easy answer is to be obedient to God and follow His precepts and direction.  For me, that isn’t always so easy, especially when I am unclear as to His leading.  If I want my Spiritual body to be a proper place for the Holy Spirit to reside, I need to do a self-check, much like we do for our physical bodies.  Just as we go to the doctor for an annual physical, we need to check our Spiritual health to be sure we are in top condition for the Holy Spirit to live within us. 

King David spoke about this in Proverbs 6:16-19, “These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:  A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,  An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,  A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” (KJV)  Each of these things listed shows a heart that is not following God’s Word.  Each of these are things that clutter up the Holy Spirit’s residence, making it a place not fit for Him to live.  When we are in constant communication with God, His Spirit will send up red flags for us to heed, telling us that we need to stop and take account of our attitudes and actions and get rid of things that would interfere with our relationship with Him and our effectiveness in witnessing to others.  Jesus encouraged His disciples to be in constant prayer and not to give up.  (Luke 18:1-8) 

We also need to cultivate the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) in our lives.  Exhibiting those attributes keeps in us in good Spiritual health and develops a closer relationship with God.  When the Fruit of the Spirit is working in our lives, there is no room for worldly attitudes and actions.  The Apostle Paul encouraged the Romans, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2 ESV) 

Staying connected to God through prayer, Bible study, fellowship with God, obedience to God, loving God and others, and sitting under sound, Biblical teaching, helps us to keep our Spiritual health in good standing.

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Donna Knuth Rice

I am trying a blog for the first time in my life, and frankly, I feel like I don't have a clue as to what I'm doing! But, here goes. I work at a Christian Television network in the Correspondence Department, where I write letters and emails to our viewers, pray with them for their needs, and send materials they request. I am a Christian. I was saved at the age of 11 during a youth meeting at my church. My pastor led me to the Lord, and to say the least, my life has been an adventure. I am a widow. My late husband, Allen, passed away after 34 1/2 years of marriage. He had been sick the last seven years of his life, and it was a struggle, for him and for me. We met as part of a singing group that was affiliated with a Christian Radio station, and we sang together all through our lives together. We both worked in television and radio all through our married life, mostly for Christian stations. Besides singing I also play flute. I had the luxury of having parents who started out as music teachers...so music was in our house constantly. Some people describe me as being a loud-mouthed lime type...can't disagree with that. I have a tendency to put my foot in my mouth more times than I can count! I also have a tendency to say exactly what's on my mind...which is why I get myself in so much trouble! LOL! Trust me, that's something me and God have been working on for a very long time. I have no children here on earth, although I have a baby in heaven. My baby here is my dog Jack. He's a black lab/ chow mix. He's a big boy....thinks he's a lap dog! Can't think of much else to say. The reason I started this blog is because a few months ago in church, a guest pastor came and delivered a message, and when he asked for those of us who wanted prayer to come forward, I did. When he came to me he asked me if I did any journaling. I told him no 'cause I wasn't very good at it. He told me to start, and prophesied over me that my journal thoughts would impact other people. I wasn't sure just how I was to go about doing this. In fact, I was a little hesitant at first. I started journaling at home, and our assistant pastor's wife asked me to submit something for our Senior newsletter. I didn't the first edition, but something I had heard on Christian radio a long time ago and has stuck with me all these years, came to mind so I submitted an article. That article will be my first post. I don't claim to have all the answers, and my thoughts may seem a little "out there", but I feel God has been prodding me to do this, and so here I am. I hope what I post will bring encouragement, and "Something to Think About".

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