Fear, hope and physical bodies as glory to God

I have not posted on here for a long time.
I can make valid excuses for this like I have been too busy with work, study, family situations - but the real reason is do I dare write about the deep issues I am looking at? What if someone reads this and attacks?

This embarrasses me to admit, for I have little patience with living out of fear. Fear is what holds us back, what stops our world being all the good things it could be, stops us being who we truly are.

Many years ago the catch phrase was "feel the fear & do it anyway!" I lived that for a long while - it was what got me back into education, made me a good social worker advocating for my clients against oppressive systems.

So today is just a time to restart yet again writing. the fear is no-one will read it. The fear is the religious will read it and be offended. The fear is those hurt and wounded will read it and it will remind them of the pain.

But there is hope in writing!
The hope is someone will read and God will bring healing, will bring a new sense of being able to change to grow be transformed, forgive and live in freedom.

 We pastors and leaders were in worship yesterday at District Assembly and I am not quite sure how it came about but I felt God show me that we are blind to our own unholy lives. I saw that for me and the majority of the people there we do not truly consider our bodies as temples of Holy Spirit - we  make a big deal about sexual sins, smoking, drinking etc & to be sure these are not things we should do as they mess up our bodies, minds, relationships with people and our walk with God - but we eat junk, we do not exercise or exercise becomes an idol, we do not rest or take real Sabbaths.  Many are addicted to coffee, sugar, wheat products, but we do no preach against such things. We do not present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and unblemished- we present our doing, our exhaustion, our over achieving, as some sort of substitute, this is no different than the Old Testament when God said I don't want your "proof of success" in bulls and burnt offerings, I want a broken & contrite heart. The only broken heart we will lay on the alter is one filled with plaque and disease!

I was so convicted. I know how to eat! Probably better than most people; yet I do not do it; I allow myself to be seduced by the wrong things, convince myself that I will not be satisfied by plain veg, that just a little poison won't kill me.

This is so crazy! I know when I eat a healthy vegan diet I regain a correct weight, I have more energy and I feel so much better all round. So back to it today! But I also know how weak willed I can be - I need help. So I am praying that God will strengthen me to do this, please pray for me too.

So Lord, here in some public way I present my body to you. Help me treat it as it deserves, for I am, like every human being made in your image. I am filled with your holy presence, I am your servant. Please help me eat well, a healthy vegan diet for in Genesis you said you gave all the produce of the field for us to eat. Let my body be a living sacrifice to you.

If you struggle with something please respond and I will pray for you too.
Blessings
Debbie