Bible Verses: Identity Crisis

Hi all we are back with Bible Verses Identity Crisis. This week we will pick up where we left off last week. . . and dive deeper into glorifying God with our body. Stay tuned next week for our next subject: Purpose that will also be a two week portion of this series. For now we return where we left off and as always this will be transparent, this will be difficult, this will be blunt, because in order to change we must realize where we fall short. I pray that through this writing the Holy Spirit will convict and redefine because it is vital. . .

1 Corinthians 6:19-20"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."

OUR BODY THE TEMPLE. . . 
The temple is a sacred place. . . therefore our body is a sacred place. . . what you do to and with your body is a direct reflection of a temple or a back alley. . . We are not asked to keep our bodies holy; we are required. We are not asked to abstain from certain activities that defile ourselves, perhaps those around us, and our witness; we are required. Either your body is a temple of the Lord or your body is not. There is no middle ground there is no compromise because Christianity is not acts of submission, but a life of submission to God. In our culture we are fed all kinds of lies about what we can and cannot do with our bodies, we are not victims our bodies are the slaves not us. . . hmmm. If we look deeply enough we all have something that we allow ourselves to be a part of that distracts, stains, or taints the Holy Spirit working in and through us. Perhaps we do not see ourselves as sacred as we eat with no limits, as we look at someone who is not our spouse with lust, as we dive into actions that go far beyond the limits of the scripture in search of feeling "good," as we join the crowd to dive into a lifestyle that squanders all sense of a witness for Christ.  whatever we do that distracts the Holy Spirit from working is sinful.

IN: A Key word in the verses above, "Glorify God IN your body," perhaps from the outside everything looks perfect, perhaps everyone thinks you have it all together. The Lord looks not at outward appearances but at the heart. Your heart does not lie, you may be able to fool the world, yourself, your family and friends, but there is one who probes your heart so deep that it bleeds out a love for Him that is undeniable. We may hide the truth from all those around us but we cannot hide from him. We are called to glorify God internally. . . and to be free from internal bondage. 

Truth. What is the truth? What are our bodies for?. . . they were designed to be temples of the living God. . . what that looks like in light of the truth is that our bodies serve others, our bodies are set apart to others (not as spectacles but as a contrast to the world), our bodies seek the glory of God. All of that comes with conviction from the Holy Spirit, fleeing from the temptations that seek to destroy, and seeking our God until the only thing left is a body full of the love of Christ. 

Our identity is in crisis here and it is time to reclaim yourself . . . your body is subject to your soul, your body must seek what your soul desires. . .perhaps this means cleansing and sanctification for some, perhaps this means service for others, perhaps this means pulling out of the world and its temptations and desires, perhaps this means honesty and accountability,whatever it looks like we must be active in the reclaiming process. 

We were bought with a price. . . let us not sell ourselves for nothing. . .