The below excerpt is from my latest book The New You: A Guide to Better Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Wellness, which is now available!

First Corinthians 6:13 says, “[Our bodies] were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies.” You probably intuitively understand that God made your body, but maybe you have never thought of it as being made for him. If your body was made for small steps to the new you the Lord, and he cares about your body, doesn’t that mean you should care about your body too?

This is an area where most people—Christians in particular— need to flip the lens. Too often, we use God as the ultimate excuse for letting our health slide. We run our bodies down, fill them with disease-causing foods, let them atrophy from lack of movement, and then call it God’s will when we get sick. We fill our minds with toxic thoughts, neglect healthy relationships with other people, fail to engage with God regularly, and then blame him when we wind up lonely and anxious.

The truth is that pursuing excellence in every area of our health is a way to honor God. His sovereignty is not an excuse to live any old way we want to live because he is going to work it out in the end; instead, he is the beacon calling us to live in a way that shines his brilliance to others. Keeping ourselves in good health is really an act of stewardship.

—Nelson Searcy and Jennifer Dykes Henson

The above excerpt is from p. 20 of The New You: A Guide to Better Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Wellness.

With energy and enthusiasm, Nelson Searcy and Jennifer Dykes Henson take a holistic view of health that encompasses the physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental areas of our lives, giving us proven, systematic ways to dramatically improve each. Readers come away with specific strategies to lose weight, get more sleep, lower stress, nurture better relationships, connect with God, and much more. Anyone who wants to trade in the frustration of average living and less-than health for the hallmarks of the new life God promises will find The New You an effective personal guide for the journey.

Click here to order your copy from Amazon today!

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.