Does God Get a Say in Your Physical Health? How To Surrender It With the Jesus Challenge
Friend, we’re going to jump right into the deep end:
What areas of your life may not be FULLY given to the Lord? Where are you still holding the reins, keeping firm control of your habits, routines, and choices – maybe even subconsciously? 🤔
Today, I want to open up a topic that many of us haven’t even considered surrendering to Jesus’ Lordship: physical health.
We usually think of our walk with God in “spiritual” terms like praying, studying the Bible, and community – which are all healthy and necessary!
But what about our bodies?
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How are they any different from other areas of obedience and surrender?
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Are we neglecting the very vessel He gave us to carry out our walk with Him?
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Are we quietly living in disobedience because personal health is “private” and surely God doesn’t care that much about it?
God calls us to be obedient, open, and surrendered to Him in every aspect of our lives. Physical health is no exception to that, but it can be one of the hardest to release. 🤲
Before we keep going, let me remind you: God does NOT motivate through shame. When He invites you to surrender an area of your life, He beckons you into immense freedom, more than you’ve ever known in the confines of your control! So this blog is written FREE of blame and shame, simply inviting you to step into the abundance waiting for you! 🫶
Let’s take a look at what it looks like to ask God to be Lord over your physical health and how you can practically do that through the Jesus challenge.
Why Surrendering Your Physical Health Matters
I know it might feel like it, but your body is not this annoying attachment you drag around with you all day. It’s a GIFT from God we get to steward until we die – but do we actually see it that way? 👀 Or do we see it as an idol, something to ignore, something to make do with?
No matter how we see your body, here’s the truth God says about it: “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself…” (1 Corinthians 6:19)
Your body is the dwelling place for the Holy Spirit! It’s His home. It’s a temple dedicated to God.
God commands us to HONOR Him with our bodies. That doesn’t mean obsessing over perfect workouts and only eating kale (which is idolization of the temple), but it also doesn’t mean ignoring it and letting it run down. 🏚️
Caring for your body is an act of worship. We sing songs like, “I surrender all,” or “You’re worthy of it all,” or “Thy will be done,” and our bodies and health are no exceptions to that.
Surrendering your health to God’s Lordship means giving Him FULL domain over your choices, your habits, and your routine. It means you let His Spirit guide you in shopping, in eating meals, in snacking, in exercising, in resting, and in how you use your body day-to-day.
When you bring your whole self before the feet of Jesus – no matter how sick, exhausted, or stuck you feel – you’re saying, “Here I am, God. Take it all. I need you to work here too.” 🤲 You’re worshipping!
The Hidden Limits of Unsurrendered Health
We tend to forget that God didn’t piece humans together from various piles – the spiritual pile, the physical pile, and the mental pile. He made us holistically. Body, mind, and soul are intricately woven together, each heavily affecting the others.
That means your spiritual life doesn’t live in a vacuum, disconnected from your physical health. They’re deeply, inseparably connected. What affects one absolutely impacts the other. 🔄
When we neglect our physical health, we put a ceiling on how deeply we experience Jesus. NOT because He moves away from us, but because our health hinders us from fully meeting Him and living in His freedom. Our bodies start dragging behind, and it’s harder to hear, focus, and respond.
🪫 Fatigue dulls our memory of Scripture.
🪫 Stress crowds out God’s peace.
🪫Physical inactivity leaves us stagnant – low on energy, motivation, and joy.
But if unaddressed health issues run the show instead of Jesus, it silently limits you from a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him. This is true of any unsurrendered area of life: finances, time, family, attitude, work – you name it.
When we stay in that state long enough, living at a distance from God becomes normal. We assume this is just what life is like. And we sit back and live on the outskirts of the abundance God intended for us. 😞
So what if God’s inviting you into MORE? More peace, more clarity, more energy – but you've been too worn out to notice? God didn’t design you to drag through your days, seeing your body as an unloveable companion. He designed you to be fully alive, alert, and available for whatever mission He has for you! 🌱
What Surrendering Your Health Looks Like in Everyday Life
Okay, so how does this translate into real life? Do you have to become a green-juice-drinking, 5 am-jogging, gym rat overnight? Definitely NOT!
Surrendering your physical health doesn’t mean you’re perfect. It just means your posture before God is open, inviting Him into your health. You’re saying, “My physical health is Yours too.”
And just like with anything, it starts small, right here, today. 👇
Here are a few practical, easy ways to begin:
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Listen to Your Body as God’s Temple 👂
If your body is the Holy Spirit’s home – like He says it is – it’s worth listening to.
👉 Tension in your neck…
👉 The mid-afternoon crash…
👉 Pain when you move…
Those could all be gentle nudges to dig deeper into your health, visit a doctor, prioritize sleep, or adjust your diet.
Instead of running over your body’s signals, pause and ask God, “What are you trying to show me here?” Listening is an act of surrender and trust.
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Make Small Changes Towards Healthier Habits 📈
Don’t overthink it. And don’t overhaul your entire life in one weekend. Start with one simple thing like:
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Swapping one sugary drink for water (yep, even your beloved caramel macchiato)
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Going to bed 30 minutes earlier three nights this week.
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Walking around your block after you eat dinner.
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Reading a book instead of scrolling social media before you go to sleep.
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Limiting yourself to only eating out once this week. Cook home meals the other days.
Remember, you house the Holy Spirit Himself. Let His presence and glory motivate you to do any of these things!
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Invite Jesus Into Daily Rhythms 🤲
This one might feel obvious, but stick with me. So often we only invite Jesus into the “big” stuff – like prayer, church, or job changes. But what if you talk to Him in the middle of your workout? Or ask Him to speak to you while you prep your lunch? Or just slow down and say, “God, give me strength,” before a stressful appointment?
He delights in the details of your life and is waiting eagerly for you to share them with Him! 😍
Surrendering your health looks like letting Jesus into ALL of it, even the tough moments.
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When you feel too tired to move, ask Him for energy.
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When you want to emotionally eat, pour out your heart to Him about what's really going on.
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When you're tempted to numb out with Netflix, ask, “What do I really need right now, Lord?”
Your Guide to Surrender: The Jesus Challenge
If you sense the Lord inviting you to intentionally welcome him into your physical health, the virtual Jesus challenge is the perfect place for you to begin.
It’s not a strict workout plan or a picture-perfect lifestyle overhaul. It’s a simple, manageable virtual Christian challenge, designed to help you meet Jesus daily and make Him your #1 priority – in body, mind, and soul. 🧎
Here’s how it works:
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Walk or run 1 mile per day. 🚶 Just one mile, nothing intense. You can walk it, jog it, or shuffle it in your crocs. The goal is intentional movement and making space in your busy life to hear God.
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Read a pre-assigned passage of Scripture. 📖 Each day, you’ll read a specific passage of Scripture as you move. So while you’re taking care of your physical body with movement, you’re also nourishing your mind and spirit with God’s Truth. Remember, every part of your being is interconnected!
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Optional daily challenges. ✅ If you want to apply your reading and actually live it out, you can participate in optional daily challenges. They’re an invitation to make your Scripture reading practical and intentional, bridging spiritual lessons with physical application.
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Supportive Facebook community. 👥 You’re not in this alone! The virtual Jesus challenge includes a very special, welcoming community of people just like you – busy, imperfect, and longing for a deeper relationship with God. This group exists to encourage each other, share struggles, pray, and celebrate wins.
Once you join the virtual Jesus challenge, you’ll be amazed at how physical movement and a diet of God’s Word reveal peace, clarity, and energy you didn’t know you were missing. Friend, there is absolutely NO better life than one fully surrendered to Him! 🙌
The Jesus Challenge Is Waiting for You
If your body is the Holy Spirit’s home, then taking good care of it isn’t vanity – it’s worship! It’s surrendering yet another area of control to the Lord, saying, “I want you to not just dwell in my soul, but in my breath, my body, my habits, and my energy.”
If that sounds intimidating, remember that you’re not alone! God’s inviting you into a brand new journey WITH Him! 🤝
The Jesus virtual challenge is your invitation to begin that journey. To start fresh, without shame or guilt, and simply open your hands to surrender that part too.
We were never meant to separate our spiritual lives from our physical ones. Offering your WHOLE self – body, mind, and spirit – opens the door to a life of freedom you may have never tasted before!
So what’s holding you back now? God is WORTHY of your full surrender. He will never look at you with shame or disappointment. He will be with you every step of the way, and so will we!
Let the Jesus virtual challenge be your first “yes.” If you do that, you’re already halfway down the road to true freedom!
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