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This is a continuation on the series on The Body.
God has given us our bodies to be wonderful mobile homes to use on earth. Remember Paul told us our bodies are actually Temples of The Holy Spirit.
“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 .. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Our bodies are amazing creations of God. There are more bells and whistles inside your body than you can imagine.
David said,
“For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your Works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
Psalm 139:13-14
All the parts of this magnificent Temple are working together for one purpose. That is to keep you strong to fulfill your mission on earth.
Paul said,
“For we are God’s Masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.”
Ephesians 2:10
Jesus gave this command.
“Love The Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
Mark 12:30
So we need heart, soul and mind to all be strong. We may sincerely want to be strong in all those areas, but satan knows we have a weak spot.
Jesus knew it too. He said,
“The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Matthew 26:41
Jesus knew satan would try to get into The Temple any way he could. But it was likely his first attack would be against the flesh, the outer walls of The Temple.
Read the book of Job to see how satan operates.
He bragged to God,
“Skin for skin! A person will give all he has for his own life. But now stretch out Your Hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse You to Your Face.”
Job 2:4
I would love to think God’s Response would have been, “No, you can’t touch My Child.”
But He didn’t. He said,
“Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”
Job 2:6
It is comforting to know satan can’t take our life, but otherwise to be in his hands is very concerning. Why on earth would God be ok with this?
First of all, He knew what Job was made of. He knew Job would ultimately triumph, especially when he remembered who he was and Whose he was.
He also knew the battle would belong to Him — God. And He knew He would win it.
He also knew it would be another lesson for satan, his rebellious angel.
And finally, He wanted to strengthen Job through some resistance training.
Athletes who work out to get stronger muscles can tell you all about resistance training. In their pushing and pulling against another resisting force, their bodies become stronger.
God provides that same type of training for us in both our physical and spiritual bodies. He knows satan will attack our bodies first, so He wants us to be strong.
Remember your body is The Temple of The Holy Spirit. Satan wants to get in. To do that he will need to infiltrate your mind and your body.
So he will do what he always does. He will begin by planting seeds of doubt. Are God’s Works in His Creation of your body really that great? Whatever symptoms you are having might make you question God’s Creation.
And if you start wondering if He created you flawed from the beginning, you might start to question His abilities.
If you pass that hurdle and accept God did do a good job in creating you, then you may wonder where He is as your repair person. Why is He not fixing your body?
You will begin to listen to satan’s distracting calls from outside the door. You may be tempted to open the door to see what is going on or just to try to get him to be quiet. Do not do that!
Recognize who it is that is knocking on your door. God’s knock and satan’s knock come from different places.
Satan knocks from the outside. God knocks from the inside. That’s right. Some people call that sound from inside your chest a heartbeat. Yes, it is a perpetual call for you to remember Whose you are and Whose Body it is.
God is ready to answer the door and surprise satan.
The battle belongs to The Lord.
1 Samuel 17:47
Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.
2 Chronicles 20:15
Be still. Know that God is God. He will take care of His Body.
What did Job learn from his resistance training?
He said to God,
“I know that You can do all things; no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. My ears had heard of You but now my eyes have seen You!”
Job 41:2 and 5
