1 Cor. 3:16

"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's spirit lives in you?"
I started memorizing this verse this semester for staff development. Little did I know that God would use it to convict me majorly! (His Word is LIVING and ACTIVE) I knew of this verse but it had never hit me before like it did this spring. God has shown me that I am not taking care of my temple or honoring it in a way that is glorifying to God.

I'll start by saying I don't think food is bad. I think the opposite of that - it is YUMMY! However, when I'm only consuming things that aren't the best for my body instead of good things, it can become bad. My love for coffee and diet coke led me to not drinking much water. My love for sweets and fried foods and convenience led me to not eating many fruits and veggies. As I noticed this, I felt led by the Spirit to change my habits. As I prayed about it, God revealed to me the Daniel Fast/Diet/Detox. I'm calling it all 3 of those things because that's how I am approaching it.

I started this on Monday and it hasn't been easy. Yesterday, I wanted to give up and call it quits! Today, I'm feeling much better. I know this is going to be a tough rollercoaster with God, but I'm excited about the journey He is going to take me on.

My menu:
Drinks: only water (I've had some mega caffeine headaches!).
Foods: only fruits, veggies, and whole grains. It's kind of a fun challenge to come up with recipes that are filling and nutritious with only fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. For breakfast, I've had fruit smoothies with almond milk (no dairy on this diet). Throughout the day I eat a variety of fruits. Today, I had a spinach leaf salad with oranges with EVOO for dressing (olive oil is allowed). For dinner I've made guacamole and added corn, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, and cilantro and I eat it with natural corn chips. Some recipes that I look forward to trying are: onion stuffed mushrooms, stuffed peppers, a black bean and rice mexican dish, tomato and spinach soup, roasted potatoes, and others that I've found.

Exercise: walking 1-2 miles a day. Since my diet is changing, I'm not doing any drastic workouts. I just want to be active on a daily basis to increase my metabolism and to create healthy habits.

My purposes behind this fast/diet/detox are:
1-To practice self-control by denying selfish cravings.
2-To get rid of the toxins in my body and to lose some weight to create a healthier temple.
3-To increase my reliance on Christ for complete satisfaction throughout the day. (Matthew 4:4-"It is written:'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God'.")
4-To gain a healthier perspective on food and portions and cravings.

Don't get me wrong, when I've completed this, I plan on eating sweets and burgers again. I plan on drinking coffee and diet coke. But, I'll have a new, healthier perspective of all of it and I will have created healthier exercise habits.