“Wellness is a daily choice…” echoed in my Spirit this morning after reading a wonderful testimony from a man who chose to get well. He was a smoker, overweight, and struggling with high blood pressure. However, he decided to change 2 years ago.
He is now walking his dog or hiking for 30-60 minutes every day, eating salads and vegetables daily, and cutting down on his portion sizes. He has lost weight and brought his blood pressure down to normal.
But the change started the moment he made the daily decision to get well.
Do you remember the story about Jesus and the sick man at the pool of Bethesda (see John 5:1-15)? This man had suffered from his infirmity for 38 years. Not only that, but he was surrounded by other sick, suffering people at the pool. He was in a sick environment for so long, sickness became his “normal.”
But now he had the way to change that. Jesus was right in front of him. When Jesus saw him, he asked the man a powerful question: “Do you want to be made well?”
I think that is the question each of us must answer for ourselves daily. Because wellness is a daily decision, we need to make the choice to do those things that lead to wellness.
Now, some of us are answering “No” or “Not enough” to the question without even realizing it. I recently learned that 1/3 of deaths today can be traced to just 4 behaviors:
• Inactivity
• Poor nutrition
• Tobacco use
• Excessive alcohol use
Think about this: You may say your answer to “Do you want to be made well?” is “Yes.” However, you tell a different story when you choose to stay inactive instead of exercising, choose to eat regular junk food instead of fruits and vegetables regularly, choose to smoke, or choose to drink alcohol to excess.
For most people, the answer to the question is “Not enough.” It’s not that you don’t want to be made well; it’s just that you want to remain inactive, eat junk food, smoke, or abuse alcohol MORE. That is what you are really telling yourself at the moment of decision, whether you say it out loud or not.
We all have daily choices to make. I always consider Deuteronomy 30:19-20 – “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days;”
We love the Lord and have eternal life in Jesus Christ. So we’ve already made the most important decision in life. Feel good about that! However, I also believe God wants us to fulfill our life’s purpose while we are on Earth. And doing what we can daily to stay well is essential to that purpose.
I hope you decide today to answer “Yes” to the “Do you want to be made well?” question and make small daily choices to affirm your answer. Ask God in prayer what small step you can take today. The man in the testimony didn’t try to change everything at once. Rather, he decided to stop smoking and focus his energy on that one habit first. Then, when he got that under control, he went to work on other habits.
I hope you ask the question “Do you want to be made well?” with every health decision and affirm “Yes” with your actions. Someday soon, you too will have a wonderful testimony that will inspire others and be able to say “Look what the Lord has done!”
Kimberly Taylor
Take Back Your Temple
takebackyourtemple.com
Be Blessed with Health, Healing, and Wholeness,
Kimberly Taylor
Author/Christian Life Coach of the Take Back Your Temple Weight Loss Community
P.S. Do you struggle with overeating sugar? If so, you are not alone!
Overcoming sugar addiction was a key factor on my weight loss journey; I lost 85 pounds and dropped from a size 22 to an 8.
In our 14-day Sugar Detox Challenge online course (inside the Take Back Your Temple Community), you’ll get the same success strategies and support to gain peace in your eating habits and achieve lasting weight loss.
Click here to learn more about the Take Back Your Temple Christian Weight Loss Community.
This was exactly what I needed to hear tonight! Thank you for allowing God to speak through you!
This is such a great post! I love the emphasis on the fact that it is a DAILY decision. So many people are just walking around thinking about being well but none of them have decided to be well. Thanks for helping to change that!
I’ve been without toxins now 1 year and 7 months! With wrong eating, I’m still learning. I usually fall in that pitch, that I’m not worth it, and that I can’t even hope anything better for myself… It comes sneaking, and then I don’t realize, that it is once again poisoning my mind. Gladly I can tell, that this time the fall lasted about 4 weeks and just last monday I decided to act on my faith and believe, it’s over and forgiven, because of the blood of Christ!
Our father loves us! Believe it and trust in Him! Daily and every second…
Thank you kIMBERLY, THIS HAS BEEN A BLESSING TO ME VERY MUCH, MAGGIE X
Thank you Kimberly,for take back your temple sites, I am so blessed by them ,especially today, with wellness is a daily choice. this has confirmed what the Lord has been showing me an I am so grateful for His faithfulness an love to me .Especially the scripture when Jesus says Do you want to be made well ,Yes I do. Also about takeing one habit at A TIME.bLESS YOU GREATLY Kimberly maggie x
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Your encouragement is always spot on, Kimberly. I can empathise with Sarah, though. A stronghold that always keeps me down. I’m in my 50s. I eat really well. No junk at all. But I can’t seem to find the motivation to exercise. It is so much harder to get rid of the excess weight now. And I am constantly trying to find that place where I just do it: exercise well. I agree that it is most likely fear of truly changing. Pray for me too.
Yes! I say yes! DAILY! Thank you for the unending inspiration!
interesting article. i think i really need to remember this. a daily choice. interesting.
Whew!!! This was very encouraging yet challenging. I am currently making efforts to lose weight. Yet some days I find myself eating the wrong things so this hits me smack in the face. By showing me that my desire to change has to be greater than a temporary moment of pleasure!
Thanks for sharing!
Awesome message !
Thank you! I am taking these scriptures with me today….. 🙂
Thank you for this Kimberly. I have made all of these changes over the last year or so. I now exercise 4-5 times each week, I stopped smoking, and I limit my alcohol. I’ve always eaten fruits and vegetables, but I have been watching portion size, and trying to limit refined carbs.
Thank you for this. It just clicked that it was not only his faith that Jesus could heal him, but his desire to be healed as well. I never really put it together with my life. I know that for the most part our weight is a choice. I lost 75 lbs after my third child, because one day I just decided this was the time, that I could do it if o really wanted. It still took time and effort, but I know that my victory was in that moment. Unfortunately when I got pregnant with number 4 I gained 55 lbs, and am struggling to lose it. He is 9 months old now, and I still have a ways to go. This time I am struggling with the desire to lose. It’s not that I don’t want it, but I want that cookie, or bread, or treat more. I think partially though even after I lost that weight and thought it would change so much, and I did feel better about myself, but didn’t really find as much change as I had wanted, I still felt empty inside. Still lost. When I read that sentence do you want to be well, it really hits home in an emotional way for me today. Do I really want to be whole and not feel broken inside? I do, but what is it that is holding me back from that? What is that I want more? Thank you, I have a lot to think about!
I am definitely being blessed by your emails. When you spoke of the man that Jesus asked i he want to be well, that hit me . I am around negative behavior that is normal to us and I fear being picked on for changing. I fear that self righteousness will come in me. Something I can start praying about. Thank you because you challenge us to admit we need change. Not talk about but act on it.
I am so encouraged by your message Kimberly. I have made some great progress with my health. More than 30 years ago I quit smoking… then I gained about 5 lbs every year until about 5 years ago when I said enough is enough. I almost reached 300 LBS. I started to pay attention to what I ate and have lost about 35 lbs since then. I walk 30 minutes most every day. But I can’t seem to sustain the good eating habits. Please pray for me. Thanks
“I also believe God wants us to fulfill our life’s purpose while we are on Earth. And doing what we can daily to stay well is essential to that purpose.”—-this part of what you wrote really resonated with me. I want to live my purpose and I’m finally starting to see that optimal health is part of a solid foundation for success. This is true no matter what you choose to do with your life. For me, I’m a full time social/clinical services employee and part-time author/blogger. So often, I’m tired at the end of my day job, and have to push myself to work on my passion of writing. I want to have ABUNDANT energy every day, so I’m slowly but surely implementing small changes and healthy habits. Thanks for sharing this Kimberly!
Thank you, thank you, thank you….