Sometimes it's important to say a prayer for better health.

Doyle Jackson: 00:04 Hey, I just want to welcome you, and say thank you for watching online. You know, here at The Church Next Door we believe that your life is important, and that's why we've taken the time to put these videos out there. I hope it's encouraging you, and inspiring you, but why not stop by sometime. Come on a Saturday night, 5:00, join us for worship, or Sunday morning at 9:30 or maybe at 11. Either way, pick a time, and just stop by. Get to know the people of The Church Next Door.

Doyle Jackson: 00:33 (Video plays.)

Doyle Jackson: 01:44 So how do you feel physically? When you start your day feeling physically better, it also directly makes you feel spiritually better. So are you doing what you need to do to be physically fit?

Doyle Jackson: 02:05 Honestly, that video leaves me speechless. And you've been wondering what would make that happen, wouldn't you? No, that's awesome. We just think that we ought to have fun. And we also realized the topic that we want to talk about today, it's very, very personal. It's personal for me, I know it's personal for you. Because this is this whole area about our physical life, and we need to be physically ready. We've been talking about accelerate. So the concept of accelerate is this, we wanted to help you get up to speed, so you can get the most out of life. So for some of us, we need to regain our balance, and we need to get things going again. So we can build on some motivation. Others of us, we just want to keep it going. We want to figure out what can I have. So it's got a lot going into it.

Doyle Jackson: 02:53 Last week we talked about our soul, and we talked about the fact that part of you, your mind, your will, and your emotions. If you don't deal with it, you can't really get going. Well, this week we're talking about just our physical body. And we know this, we've all experienced this at some level, in some time or other, that we felt physical limitations. And we couldn't accomplish all that we know our life could be because of that. Now we also look in the mirror every day, and we all have these different things going on in our hearts, and we're just going to unpack them. We're going to look at them from God's word. We're going to look at them from a new perspective, and what I'm hoping is that you'll walk out of here today with a little bit more hope. A little bit of faith that God is going to be with you, he's going to help you, and that your life matters to God. That it is important. Okay?

Doyle Jackson: 03:43 If you would, do me a favor, let's welcome everybody online who's watching us on Facebook Live. Would you do that? Awesome. Welcome to The Church Next Door. Awesome. You know, it's an exciting concept that you and I could accelerate, that we could get more out of life. Alright? There's something I learned about this as a teenager. Alright? I want to show you this car, because I just wanted you to know if you want to get me one, I'm okay with this. Alright? I did not have this car as a teenager. What I did have was the 1970's Ford pickup truck. It had 190,000 miles on it when I got it. And so my dad was teaching me to learn how to maintain, and take care of, the vehicle and everything. And my dad was. wise, he still is wise. He's a great dad. He realized that I needed to learn how to invest in that truck, and manage that truck, and maintain that truck. And I didn't have much money, you know, I had highschool spending money. I was making a little bit of money and whatnot. And what I learned was the things that I wanted to invest in were things like stereos, you know what I'm saying? The interior of the car, I wanted that. And yes, of course. I wanted to make sure what was under the hood to really matter. But, but what I learned really quickly was tires are extremely important. Alright?

Doyle Jackson: 05:09 And there's nothing like being on the side of the road somewhere jacking up your truck to have to replace the tire to learn it. But there was this guy in town, we knew him because he took care of all the tires on our family car. Alright? It was at the Sears, alright, tire center. His name was Randy. I still remember his name, because I'd call up Randy and say, hey Randy, I need some used tires. Okay? Because Randy knew I couldn't afford a set of four tires for my pickup truck. Alright. And so he'd say, sure Doyle, I'll watch. And if somebody comes and gets a new set, I'll, hold you back some. And I'd pull into Randy's, and he would look at the front of my car and go, Oh man, those may pop at any time. You know what I'm saying? Those were may pops. Alright? That was the brand I had. And he would say, well let see if I've got two. We'll put two on your front end, he was constantly helping me with that. And I say, how much is it? And he say ten bucks, ten bucks. So he would mount them, he would balance them, and he would put them on my truck for ten bucks. He was really helping me out. Okay? I think he made money on them as being recycled material, and then me, okay. I was the recycling unit, and we put these on. But this is what I learned. What I learned is where the rubber hits the road. Okay?

Doyle Jackson: 06:29 Your tire is really one of the most important things on your car, because that's where you connect with earth, and life. And see where the rubber hits the road in your life, and in my life, is in the body. Because see your body lives on this earth. Jesus stepped into the world, he had a physical body, he was fully human. And wherever he went, he looked around himself. He saw the crowds, he looked into people's eyes just like yours and mine. He looked into our eyes, and he had compassion. And when we read the story of Jesus, we hear him constantly healing people. That's their body. He opened blind eyes. He helped the lame. You name it, the healing ministry of Jesus was big. Now I'm not saying he didn't heal souls, he did. He welcomed people that had been abused and rejected and neglected and just people that had been looked over, and he gave them hope in life. But there are some people who want to believe that Christianity is just a spiritual endeavor, but Christianity is very much concerned with our body. That's why Jesus died on a cross, and he rose from the dead. Okay? And so when we talk about this issue of our physical body, that's an important part of what it means to be a Christian. We have to deal with that.

Doyle Jackson: 08:24 So if you would, I want you to get out your notes, or get out your app and you can follow along. Because it'll help you, because who knows? God might speak to you in some way. You've heard me say before, if God can speak through a donkey, maybe you can talk through Doyle, right? And you may want to remember that. Alright, it may happen. Okay? And so I want you to look at your body from the perspective of what God would say to you about your body and your life. Alright?

Doyle Jackson: 08:53 So here's the first scripture I want you to make note of. It's from third John chapter two, and I think it's really interesting in light of what we're talking about here. This is what John, this is the apostle John who walked with Jesus. This is what he said. He says, I pray. So he prays that you, now who's he talking to? John is writing to the us, to people that believe in him. So it's not like this book was written to a group of people that didn't believe in God. So the context is important for you and I don't know. He's writing to people that already believe in Jesus. People that have begun to follow the way. And he says, "I pray that you may enjoy good health." So he was praying. Is prayer not a spiritual activity? Yeah. So John believed that a spiritual activity on his part, could impact the believers that were were hearing from him by this letter. So John, I believe Jesus also believed that prayer could impact your physical body, that's why he prayed for people and he healed them. See, prayer can impact your health. There's a spiritual activity that can impact your health, that all may go well with you even as your soul is getting along well. So, this is really where the rubber hits the road. The Bible encourages you and I to look at our body through the lens that somehow the spiritual realm and a relationship with God can impact your body, and your soul, and your spirit. And so the reason we're investigating this is, if only way we can accelerate in life, the only way we can get more, is if we deal with our body. And what John is inviting us to, is that there are spiritual activities that we can participate in that will help us have good health, to be physically ready.

Doyle Jackson: 10:57 Okay. I love this next scripture. It's from First Corinthians chapter six. It says, "Therefore" What was right before this? He said, "Because Jesus Christ rose from the dead, because Jesus died for you. Therefore, honor God with your body." He says, because what Jesus did, by dying on the cross and rising from the dead, that you might have salvation. He says, because of that fact, because you believed in Jesus, you need to honor God with your body. So the scripture keeps encouraging us again and again as you read it, that your body is important to God.

Doyle Jackson: 11:34 This one is probably my favorite in your notes. I would probably put three stars next to it. Okay. This one is a noteworthy. This one you could hang onto. You could hang it on your mirror, because this is probably one of the most helpful scriptures with regard to thinking about my body, that I've run across. Okay? It's from Ephesians chapter one. Paul, once again, he's talking to the church. He's talking to people that already know about Jesus. The contexts are believers in this case. Okay? In verse 18, I didn't put it on your notes, it says, "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, in order that you may know the hope to which he (That's Jesus.) has called you. The riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people." So he's praying, he's praying, I'm praying that God will speak to your heart, and that you'll begin to see how much God loves you, and that you have an inheritance as a believer in Jesus. This is part of what God has for you, and then he gets right here to verse 18 and he says, "I also pray (Okay?) that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe in him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead." What he's saying is this, he says, listen, you have an incredible power in your life, if you know Jesus. That power raised Jesus from the dead. That same power that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you, he says. And because you have access to that power in your mortal bodies, you can overcome anything that power impacts. If it raised Jesus from the dead, it can raise you and I, he says. It can give us health and life. If Jesus healed, if Jesus set people free from addiction, he can do the same for us today because we have access to that power. So when you and I look at our bodies, we have to look at them through the lens that God has made available to me, all the power that I need to have the health and the life that he wants me to have. Now, that means I have to participate with that. I have to join in with him on that, and that's what we want to look at today.

Doyle Jackson: 14:03 Now, before we get into this, I have to be honest with you, you and I live in a culture that is constantly bombarding us with ideas and philosophies about our bodies, that aren't always helpful. Madison Avenue, advertisements, just anything on the internet, or any magazine, they're constantly giving us ideas about our bodies, and then we look at ourselves and we're just like (groaning sound). So I want us to take just a moment. I want to look at what we can do, to deal with these unhealthy views and these...How can we begin to develop it? But I want you to remember this from Proverbs 23:7, this is what it says. It says, "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." So what that means is what you think about yourself, is what determines how you view yourself. And we've got this world that's bombarding us with these unhealthy ideas about our bodies, and because of that, we begin to believe what they're saying and think about us ourselves this way. And this is the result, these are some of the unhealthy attitudes. Thirty-four percent of men are dissatisfied with their bodies, thirty-four percent of men are dissatisfied with their bodies. Over fifty percent of Americans aren't happy with their weight. Fifty-six percent of women say they are dissatisfied with their overall appearance. If you go to the Park Nicolett Melrose Center, and look at some of their statistics, it's frightening. When they talk about what's happening to 10 year olds, and then what happens by the time they're 13 in our culture right now, we are destroying ourselves with unhealthy views of the body. Now this is the result. Our body image is a big problem in our society. This is what the scientists are saying, and can lead to depression, social anxiety, and eating disorders. These are all the outcomes, this healthy worldview that you and I live with.

Doyle Jackson: 16:25 So what I would like for you to do, is I want you to think about the unhealthy attitudes that you may have. I know I've had some of these, and as I go through these unhealthy attitudes, I want you just to ask yourself and just do a personal evaluation. Say, has this been me, or is this me right now? You might put some Emoji on it, just so you know, yeah, this is how I'm rating myself. And so this is the first one. Rejecting your body. When you look in the mirror, do you just grrrr, you're just angry, were you frustrated, you were disappointed? And you see it? What does it do to you? Do you just want to reject it, and say, I just can't be me?

Doyle Jackson: 17:12 Number two is perfecting your body. Now this is what happens. We just, we get so we're working so hard on this, that we're calling to install yet another mirror in our house, so we can look at ourselves to make sure we got all the angles. Right? And some of us get into this, and we can carry it on for a season, but it's really hard to maintain over time. And then the next thing you know we're drifting on.

Doyle Jackson: 17:41 The last one is neglecting your body. You just, well, it's just not that important. You know, I'm a spiritual being, and we just set this whole area to the side, and we just ignore it. We just feel overwhelmed by it. Can I just tell you? This has been me, this has been me. I am guilty of neglecting my body, that's been my pattern, I go to that. I take advantage of it. And listen, the main problem behind these unhealthy attitudes is this. We see our bodies as something just for our personal pleasure. See, we see our bodies is though they're ours, and when we get tired of the fight for the health or whatnot, we just let them go. That's not what God wants us to do. So what would a healthy attitude look like? In your notes I put this there. I put this is a healthy attitude. It says you respect your body, you respect it, and you protect it. You respect your body, and you protect your body. You realize that your body is important, that you need it. It truly is where the rubber hits the road.

Doyle Jackson: 19:00 Listen, you can worship God because you have this body, and you're supposed to use this body to worship God. Now, this is the scripture I liked that goes with this. It's Psalm 134:9, it says, "I praise you God, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Sometimes I walk into the bathroom, and I'm standing in the mirror, brushing my teeth, and I look at myself and I go, oh dude. And then I have to remind myself, I have to talk myself back out of that, and say, smile, it makes it always better. I'm like, yeah, it does. Did you know the number one health tip I can give you is, smile, it makes you look better. Alright? But then I'll say to myself, no, you know Doyle, you are fearfully and wonderfully made. And then I'll holler out to Jennifer. I'll say, hey Jennifer, you're supposed to call me Mr. wonderful, because that's what the Bible says. And she's Mrs. Wonderful. Because see, God wants me to have a healthy attitude about my body. He wants us to have a healthy attitude about our bible too. This is what the word of God says about me, and sometimes I'm not thinking that, because I've listened to the world. And what God wants me to know is, Doyle, I've got you.

Doyle Jackson: 20:25 So what can we do in terms of motivating ourselves to have a healthy perspective on our body and our life? Alright? I want to start with physical reasons, physical reasons that will help motivate you. Okay? Why should I take better care of myself? Physical reasons. Number one, you'll feel better. You know, we feel better when our body is healthier. Okay? We just feel better, and that can be a good reason, a good motivation. I want to feel better. Alright? Number two is look better. And then number three, we live longer. Now when you look at these three right now, when you look at feeling better, looking better, and living longer, which one of those would motivate you right now? Pick the one. For me, I can tell you right now, it's I want to live longer. I want to live longer. Twenty years from now, I want them to still be talking about Pastor Doyle. I want to see a whole other generation of young people grow up, and learn to serve the Lord. That's my heart, I want to serve the Lord. This is my concept, I don't want to miss out on one day that God has for me. The Bible says that God has our days are numbered, and he has the hairs on our head numbered. I don't want to miss out on one hair, and I don't want to miss out on one day. Alright? And so for me that's motivational. Alright? I want to live longer. Alright?

Doyle Jackson: 22:00 Now, let me give you some spiritual reasons for you and I had to care for our bodies. These are spiritual reasons you need to take care of your body. The first one is God made your body. That's what the scripture says. God gave me this body, and it's wrong for me to question his decision. When I look in the mirror, it's wrong for me to question, well, why didn't you give me bigger muscles? You know what I'm saying? Why didn't you make me taller? Whatever? But no, God gave me this body, it's from him. Number two, Jesus paid for my body. It says that Jesus died on a cross so that I might have life, and he wasn't just talking about spiritual life. He said, I came that you might have life, and have it abundantly. That's why he healed people. We have to know this within us, that God wants us to have life, and health, and to be able to serve him. Number three, the Holy Spirit indwells your body. These are three spiritual reasons that you and I need to contemplate. Now, which one of those motivates you? Which one of those really encourages you? For me, it's number one, it's that God made my body. So now this is how I put this section together, alright? I say, God, I need your forgiveness, because I've neglected my body, and that's been wrong of me. You made it, and you gave it to me, and you have a plan for me and I've neglected it. And so God, I'm asking you to forgive me. And Lord, I really do want to live a long time, I don't want to miss out on one day you have for me. So God, would you help me? Would you give me the me the understanding? Would you change my thinking about my body, and my life. So that I could live, and I could be wise, and I could have every day you have for me, God, I believe that you made this body of mine, and I'm going to do my best to take care of it, so your Holy Spirit can work through me and impact the world around me.

Doyle Jackson: 24:11 I didn't get to watch the game yesterday on TiVo, but did you see the guy who's 100 years old that dotted the i? Yeah, see that's a motivation, isn't it? That's a motivation. That dude had energy. I'm like 100, okay, put that on the chart, we can shoot for that. See, that's what this is about. If you and I can get motivated, if we can understand the reasons.

Doyle Jackson: 24:42 Now let's, let's dig a little bit deeper. Alright? How do I apply God's principles for life? How do I apply it? So if God wants me to use every day for him, and that his spirit indwells me. How do I make that happen? Well, let's look at this, this is from Proverbs 4:20-22, it says, "Listen, careful my dear child to everything that I teach you, and pay attention to all that I have to say. Fill your thoughts, fill your thoughts with my words, until they penetrate deep into your spirit. Then as you unwrap my words, they will impart true life, and radiate health into the very core of your being. One of the best things you and I can do is constantly listen to God's word. Begin to take it in. This shows us a process that God, if you and I will fill it, this is why we're reading Proverbs. I have you noticed how many times Proverbs invites you to be careful where you take your body, what you do with your body. Why? So that you can be respectful of what God has given you, and live a life worthy of him. That's what God does. So your body is important to worship, your body is important to that. And the reason God wants you to look at your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit, not because your body is to be worship, but it's a place where healthy worship can take place. See, it's a place of worship. It's not a place to worship, to be worshiped. Okay? So a temple is always a place where you come to have worship. So if you a have a healthy body, the Holy Spirit can flow energetically through you, and impact the world.

Doyle Jackson: 26:37 So what I want to give you are five. Okay? I want to give you five practical things that you and I can do, that will give us principles for life that you and I can... Please know this, I probably could have done ten or twelve of these. But I know you wouldn't wait that long. Because when we hit this subject, it's hard. It's so personal. It's personal in my own life, and I know it is for you. Okay? So we're just going to give us five to get us started. And can I tell you this? The biggest hurdle, the biggest hurdle that I've found for myself, is that I may believe this for you, but I have a hard time believing it for me. I can see how God wants to do something for you, but I'm like yeah, but does God really want to do that for me? And so I can believe for someone else sometimes, when I can't believe for myself. So if you want to, if you want to take this to the next level tonight at Deeper Life, I'm going to talk about how to overcome unbelief. Okay? And if you want to unpack that with me, you can do that with me at 5:00. You can do that online through Facebook Live if you want to. Okay? But if you want to come in person, I'm always better in person, that's awesome. Alright.

Doyle Jackson: 27:56 So here are five that we're going to work on.

Doyle Jackson: 27:58 Number one is balance. We need to balance our diet. We need to make sure that what we're eating is a healthy mixture of foods. Okay? Now, this is what the scripture says. It says, everything is permissible. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. Food is for the stomach, but God will eventually destroyed them. God's going to eventually you know, he's going to get rid of food, and your stomach. Okay? But this is what you and I have to see. Everything is permissible, that means bacon double cheeseburgers are permissible. It means M&M's are permissible. But a diet of just those two things is probably not the best thing for you. Okay? God wants us to have a balanced life. Now you need to know, when I was a child, the only thing I would eat is peanut butter. I remember the battles that my parents would have with my strong willed nature, of me sitting at the dining table with broccoli or green beans. And you what, God fixed that in my life because I got sick off peanut butter. Every time I ate itt, it made me sick. Well, my parents found a doctor and he said, well, tell me what does Doyle eat? And they said peanut butter. And they said, well, there's your problem, and so they took me off of all peanut butter, all chocolate, all soda pop, all caramel, any of those things. And guess what I ended up eating? Broccoli. Okay, so a balanced diet becomes really important, and this is so important because God wants us to be...Now, that doesn't mean that everything is permissible, okay? We don't have a kosher diet, but what we have to think about is, am I eating a balanced diet, and am I eating a healthy diet? And that's what God wants us to do. Remember Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego? Right? What did they do? They ate healthy food. They did not eat the food that everybody else was eating. Again and again in scripture, we see God invites us to a healthy, balanced diet. Okay? Alright?

Doyle Jackson: 30:16 Number two on this, is exercise regularly. You and I have to exercise. We have to get up, and move it. Now, can I say this? Exercising once a year is regularly, it probably won't get you going where you need to go. Alright? Exercise regularly, means regularly. Look what the scripture says. The scripture says, physical exercise has some value. It has some value. This is the value that it gives you. It gives you a longer, stronger, healthier life, so that God can work through you, and in you in a way in which you can enjoy life. And you can enjoy the move of the spirit through your life, into other people's lives. Now the reason this is hard. I know this is hard, because I'm the kind of person...You may need to check out what kind of personality you are. Okay? Some of us are the personality, we like to exercise with other people. That's why the video of that crew earlier, we were like, oh yeah, I'd be all in on that. That will be fun. Okay? I'm the opposite, I secretly prayed that no one will be in the workout facility when I arrive, because I don't want them to see me all awkward and so bad. Like, dude, you can't do better than that? You know, because that's my competitive nature. I know none of you would be that way, right? It. See there's this going on in our life. The Church Next Door, we have this beautiful prayer trail that goes around our property, you may not have heard about it. It's a one mile loop, and we have four stations that you can go and sit and pray, and we have just an encouragement to pray. And what that's about is teaching you to balance your spiritual life and your health life. Get out. And did you know this? If you walk four times around, that's four miles just to helping you with the math. Alright? Whatever you'd want to do for your health, this is what you've got to do, you've got to begin to exercise and get that going. Alright?

Doyle Jackson: 32:22 Number three, you have to get enough rest. Alright? God wants his loved ones to get the rest. Mark 6:30-32. The Living Bible talks about that, God wants you to get your rest. And we know we can look at the studies, the studies will tell you the number of accidents that are happening at work, the efficiency levels are dropping in our culture because we're tired. We're not sleeping enough at night, and I realize some of us, we need six hours of sleep, and some of us need eight hours of sleep. And some of us, you need to find out what is your level of sleep that you need, and it may take you six or eight weeks just to figure this out. Okay? But this is what I've learned, I've learned a couple things about my sleep. Number one, if I will do a routine, it'll get me ready for bed. If I'll do x, y, and z every day, then my brain will go, oh, he's making me go to bed and my brain will calm down. Last week we talked about our soul, and the reason many of us cannot sleep, is because our soul is doing this. Our mind, and our will, and our emotions is just going like this. And this is what happens, our emotions are so flip floppy, because we're hurt about something. Something is not healed within us, and because of that we don't know how to feel about things and they're not working right, and so we're thinking about that. We can't think and we're just, Oh, I just can't go to bed. I can't make a decision on what I need to do to go to bed, and we just stay up.

Doyle Jackson: 33:45 And this is what we do, we leave the TV on, and it's running in the background. And what we do is because we've postponed the decision that I need to go to bed and get rest so I can feel good about the next day, so the Holy Spirit can function through me, so I can be the Christ follower that I need to be on the following day. See we leave that TV on and it just keeps rolling and rolling, and keeping this stuff going behind us, and so we can't get to sleep. I have been guilty of this. I learned it as a young, young man. My parents, I got a clock radio for my birthday, and I would listen to it every night as I was going to bed, and it would stay on all night long. My mom and dad came to me and said, hey Doyle, we've noticed something. I said, what's that? They said, you are grumpy. Beautiful me, your favorite child? And they said, yes, we've noticed that since you got your clock radio, you leave it on at night and it keeps you up, and we're kind of the mind that we have no idea what you're listening to. We have no idea what those songs and what those DJs are saying in the background, and that's going into your soul, and we're just kind of concerned and we want you to stop that. And I'm like but I like it, it helps me, it helps me go to sleep. I like listening to music. And they said, well, we want you to find something else to listen to. And we went through a process, and this is what I came down. I said, okay, can I listen to some of these tapes? There was these tapes of these, guys that would teach and tell the stories of men and women of faith, and how they trusted God and they'd seen God move in their life. And I said, can I listen to these tapes at night? And I'd pop one of those in, and I would listen to it. And while I was going to sleep, I would hear all these words from the Bible, and from these people that love God and believe God could do anything. And that went deep down into my and into my spirit, and it began to give me life. And this is what happened. I went from being grumpy Doyle to healed Doyle. Because I had allergies. I would have this breathing problem, and I just couldn't breathe, and it gives me a sore throat. And all this because I was a mouth breather while I slept, you know what I'm saying? And I got healed, my allergies left. If you've been guilty of this, you need to get rest, it's an easy shift. Okay?

Doyle Jackson: 36:11 The next one, number four, limit. Now in your notes, I put limit drugs and alcohol. And I know this is really hard because culturally it's a big deal in Columbus now. I mean wine has become cool, and beer has become cool. And so we have more breweries now than at least in my last 20 years in Columbus. It's the hip, it's the cool thing to do, and I get all that. And I know exactly what the scripture says. It says, do not get drunk with wine which will ruin you, instead be filled with the spirit. But we all read this first half, and say, well, I'm not getting drunk on it. But the problem is this, when you start looking forward to, and living for something, it has a greater hold on you than it needs to have. When you can't wait to get that drink every day. And this is what happens, we begin to say things, well, I just can't relax until I've had one. The problem is we have brothers and sisters in this place, and if this has been an issue for you, and this is a place you need help and you need someone to take your hand and walk you through that. We have lots of people in this place that can help you overcome this addiction. They would love for you to find the victory that only God can give you in this area. Please know this, The Church Next Door, we do not want you to be run by this. Okay? We want you to be led by the Holy Spirit. Okay? And this is what we understand for many in this place, one would be not enough, and so a thousand would not be enough. And so the limit for us is zero. Okay? Yet we understand that some of you, but the question is this, is it starting to run your life? Okay? Has it become too important for you?

Doyle Jackson: 38:16 Now in the area of drugs too? I understand somebody you say, but you don't understand pastor, I'm on blood pressure medicine. I get that, I understand that. Okay, your doctor's prescribed blood pressure medicine, and that's good. But what if your diet, you began to work on that, and you began to exercise, and you didn't have to take as much blood pressure medicine. I have this guy work out with. I mean, I'll show up and he was there. I remember when I first saw him there, I mean he doesn't have like a tea towel around his neck. He has a full blown towel, and he was in full out sweat. His shirt was just covered in sweat. He is dripping, he is dripping, like he is mopping up when he's done. And I said, dude, you had a great workout. And he looked at me, and he said, I have to. So I just looked at him with that look like, okay, I need to know more, you know. And he said, listen, a little over a year ago I had heart surgery, and he said, I'm diabetic, and I got to the point that I was having five shots a day. Five shots to keep his blood sugar. And he said, I just determined I can't keep this up. He said, this is not... So my doctor said, well, if you will exercise. And he said, if I will exercise like this, and if I will sweat like this, it gets enough out of my body. He said, I'm down to one, and sometimes I don't always have to have that every day.

Doyle Jackson: 39:41 Listen, if smoking has gone beyond the point that it's now a habit, and it's controlling you, if alcohol, if there's a drug that's not a prescribed drug, see, listen, God has the answer. That's what I want you to know, and your body is more important than whatever that item is that's lying to you, saying that I will give you peace and I will give you life. Okay, that's wrong. Jesus is the prince of peace, he is the Lord of life, and that's why we come to him.

Doyle Jackson: 40:15 And this is the last one. Just, you need to be at peace with God. I need to be at peace with God. God designed us to be at peace with him, and to have one relationship with him. And the best thing you can do for your body, is every day to slow down and to spend time with God. And say, God, your word says that you're my father in heaven, and that you love me, and you know all the problems I have with that idea. But I'm here today, and God, I need you. Would you help me? See it says here, it says, a heart at peace, is life to the body. And if you will go to God every day, he will help you in your body, he will help you in your thinking, and your soul. So you can have a healthy body, and that way you cannot miss out on one day he has for you. You can fulfill your greatest potential and purpose.

Doyle Jackson: 41:12 Now, this is the why. This is the why behind all of it is from Romans chapter 12. It says, Therefore, since Christ is bought you with the cross, he says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship." What we do every day as Christ followers is say, God, this is the day that you have made, and I'm going to rejoice and be glad in it. I know that you love me, even when I question my own love for myself, I know you love me. Help me to change that, and believe what you have to say about me, because God, I want to reach the greatest potential that I have for life, and I know I can do that with you. Only you can set me free, only you can heal me, only you can give me life to the full.

Doyle Jackson: 42:22 Here's our prayer today. Okay? It's on the back of your notes. It's just an invitation for God to help us. It's an invitation for us to have God's freedom from whatever thinking, or addiction, it doesn't matter, God will give us freedom. It says, Jesus, help me to get it together in this area. Help me to take care of the temple that you want to live in? Lord, give me the strength to not only be convinced, but committed to taking care of this gift that you've given to me. In Jesus' name, Amen. I want to invite you, if you want to say that prayer, to stand with me now and to say that prayer. And if you're watching online, just say this prayer out loud with us. I believe that God will hear it and answer that for you as he does us. Alright? Let's say it together. Jesus, help me to get it together in this area. Help me to take care of the temple that you want to live in. Lord, give me the strength to not only be convinced, but committed to taking care of this gift that you've given to me. In Jesus's name, Amen.

Doyle Jackson: 43:34 Can I say one more prayer for you before you go, Lord, I know that there's people that are here today, and they they had no idea, there was no way to know what this is going to do, and what I was going to say. Lord, I pray that you would heal broken hearts in this place today, and people that are watching online. Lord, heal our broken heart over our body image. Lord some of us need deliverance. We need deliverance from an addiction. We need to be delivered from just wrong thoughts that have been ruining us, or harassing us. Today Lord, we're asking you, we're accepting the good news of Jesus that I can be whole, that we can be whole and have life. That you love us, and we receive that love today. We welcome you to lead us on to greater health, to be ready physically to serve you in Jesus' name. Amen.

Doyle Jackson: 44:35 Hey, thanks for coming, thanks for being with us. We want you to hang out on the patio, and get to know the Grounded Ministry, they're out there. They'll greet you. This is all about our student ministry today. God bless you.

Doyle Jackson: 44:49 Hey guys, if you've enjoyed what you've been listening to, and been encouraged in your faith, or somehow God has answered a prayer from being a part of The Church Next Door online. Do me a favor, shoot me an email to pastor@tcnd.org, just pastor@tcnd.org, or like me on Facebook, send me a message. God bless you. Have a great week. Hope to see you soon.



Recorded in Columbus, Ohio.