Honoring God with Your Physical Health

May 21, 2025

I was at an event recently, soaking in the conversation, when one of the panelists leaned forward, eyes wide, almost shouting, “I cannot take dehydrated people seriously! If you’re running on three hours of sleep and half a cup of coffee, you should not be making important decisions — you’re not even in your right mind!”

I busted into laughter, whispering to myself, “Girl, PREACH!”

She was right.

There are people out there in terrible physical, spiritual, and mental shape that are making decisions that impact the masses. It’s mind-blowing. This makes sense because the United States is one of the unhealthiest countries in the world. Our food is filled with artificial ingredients, our water lacks the minerals needed for proper hydration, our fruits and vegetables are sprayed with pesticides, and our meats are pumped with antibiotics. People are stressed, overworked, overweight, anxious, and depressed. Millions are on medications, suicidal, sad, numb, lack motivation and energy and the list goes on.

Sadly, this is the cost of progress in modern society — human beings become money-making machines, expected to keep building bigger, stronger, and faster. In a corporation the physical, spiritual, and mental well-being are often sacrificed because it’s “too expensive” to foster a healthy environment for employees. And many companies simply do not care about human well-being. In December 2024, after the CEO of UnitedHealthcare Insurance was shot by Luigi Mangioni, the company quickly resumed operations as if nothing had happened. The CEO has long been replaced, and the employees forgot he existed.

In progressive societies, we often show little regard for the sanctity of human life. The rat race never ends. In America, we live to work, not work to live.

We shouldn’t forget that when a society loses its moral clarity, the Church must never lose sight of its commission to care for people. To properly care for other people requires emotional intelligence and self-awareness. If you’re not healthy physically, mentally, and spiritually, you’re more vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks. Thus, not effective in the advancement of the kingdom of God. God wants His chosen ones to rest in Him while fighting the demons of this world. Often, these demons come in the form of stress, unhealthy eating habits, pornography, addictions, toxic relationships, mindless media consumption, and more.

The devil’s attacks are often subtle. They often come with a lie: “You deserve to reward yourself—you’ve been through so much. This is the only way to numb the pain. This is the only escape.” These are traps that lead us deeper into bondage.

The enemy wants your body to be unhealthy because it’s easier to keep you stuck in sin, distract you from God’s purpose, and ultimately lead you to spiritual and even physical death.

Most of my walk with the Lord I have spent in the evangelical churches, and rarely have I heard messages on the connection between physical health and our spirit-man. In evangelical circles, we often place greater emphasis on spiritual matters, sometimes over-spiritualizing things while neglecting to speak about the importance of caring for our physical well-being. But God doesn’t. He is practical. When Elijah wanted to die after Jezebel threatened him in 1 Kings 19, what did God do? He let him sleep and then gave him a meal. Notice: God had him nap first—because eating and going to sleep right away isn’t good for digestion. Even in the Old Testament, many dietary laws were given to Israel for their protection—to prevent disease and ensure they stayed healthy and alive.

As Christians, we tend to focus on the soul more while ignoring the role the body plays in our spiritual health. But if your flesh is unwell, your soul likely is too.

God doesn’t just tell us not to sin—He shows us why we shouldn’t. He is logical and wise. He reveals the consequences to us. Years ago, during my struggle with binge eating, I heard the Lord speak clearly to me: “Fariza, if you don’t take care of your health now, you will get very sick soon.” He was honest—and He was right.

Sin impacts every part of us—spirit, body, and mind. When we engage in gluttony by consuming processed foods, alcohol, and sugar excessively, we disrupt our gut microbiome, which is directly linked to our brain and impacts our mental health. In the U.S., 1 in 5 adults struggles with depression and anxiety. Many cope with mental illness through substance abuse, pornography, casual sex, gambling, and more junk food.

The cycle continues: bad food, bad mood, more addictions.

Food addiction is one of the hardest to break. Why? Because no one tells you to stop eating entirely. You need food to survive. America runs on processed food in restaurants, cafes, bars, drive-thrus, grocery stores—it’s everywhere. Escaping the cult of unhealthy food in this country is hard. But as Christians, we aren’t called to follow the world. We cannot abuse our bodies with junk food because it is a sin. The Bible says our bodies are temples of God in 1 Corinthians 6:19. Yet how many Christians take that seriously?

We’re quick to point out others’ sins but rarely encourage one another to care for the temple where the Holy and Almighty God dwells. God is holy. His dwelling place should be holy too. That means striving to be sanctified from the inside and out. A healthy mind, body, and spirit go hand in hand. Once you shift your thoughts, healthy habits will follow.

I have deep compassion for those who struggle with physical and mental health. As someone who has battled these issues most of my life, I love helping others take control of their well-being. God wants you healthy! I love what St. Augustine said: “Do not treat your body carelessly, for it is God’s instrument.”

Here are some practical steps to honor God with your health:

1. Pray

Invite God into the journey. Don’t do it alone. Don’t follow health influencers blindly—ask God first. He made your body and knows exactly what it needs. One time, the Lord told me which vitamins I was deficient in. After taking those vitamins I felt alive again because my body needed the minerals and nutrient God designed it to have to feel whole. I’m not suggesting that you don’t see a doctor, but let prayer be your first step. God might lead you to a dietitian, therapist or gym. Or He might lead you to Himself first.

2. Start Small

Don’t dive into a restrictive diet or intense workout plan if you don’t know what works for your body. You’ll likely burn out and gain the weight back. Most of the time you end up gaining more weight than you lost. If you can, consult a doctor. If not, start with one small change. Give up one bad habit. Do what works best for your body. The ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting have been proven to work for most people. Make sure to make these major health changes gradually to avoid getting dizzy or sick. Don’t go to the gym unless you like gyms. Take long walks instead. Make it enjoyable with your favorite music, podcasts, or audiobooks. If you are struggling with depression go for a run, if anxiety lift weights.

3. Eliminate the Noise

Food is everywhere, especially when you’re trying to eat clean. But the real battle is in your mind. If you can, go to therapy before beginning your health journey. If not, start training your mind to de-center food. Life doesn’t have to revolve around it. Tell yourself and believe it, “It’s just food, it will always be there.” Build healthy thought patterns by feeding your brain the right information. Follow uplifting health creators, read helpful books, watch videos on mindset. Reduce or eliminate toxic content; get rid of toxic people from your life. Stress often leads to overeating, so learn to regulate your nervous system. Be still. Meditate. Take a bath or a cold shower. Walk barefoot in the grass. Reconnect with your body. Let God meet you there.

4. Remember Your Why

Why do you want to be healthy? Beyond the fact that God commands it, what’s your reason? Write it down. “I want to be healthier to accomplish X, Y, and Z. I want to feel good about myself, be in a better mood, improve my relationships, be a better spouse, parent, partner or friend.” Your “why” must have a strong emotional basis behind it to fuel drastic change in the right direction.

Finally, the most important reason for prioritizing your health is the vision God has for your life. If you’re ambitious and want to do great things, you need a healthy body to accomplish those things. You have a responsibility before the Lord to care for His temple with reverence. If you are in Christ, you are not your own—you belong to Him. You’re part of the Body of Christ. You don’t fly solo anymore.

God’s kingdom has rules designed for your freedom, joy, and purpose. Trust me, life with God is far better than anything else you could place on the throne of your heart. The idols of food, sex, drugs, alcohol, and worldly success eventually rob you.

Jesus gives eternal gifts. Choose Him. Choose your health. Choose a better life.

Reference:

Xiong, Ruo-Gu, et al. “The Role of Gut Microbiota in Anxiety, Depression, and Other Mental Disorders as Well as the Protective Effects of Dietary Components.” Nutrients, vol. 15, no. 14, 2023, p. 3258. PubMed Central, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10384867/.

Terlizzi, Emily P., and Benjamin Zablotsky. Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression Among Adults: United States, 2019 and 2022. National Health Statistics Reports, no. 213, 7 Nov. 2024, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr213.pdf.

Augustine. Confessions. Translated by Henry Chadwick, Oxford University Press, 1991.