Day 3 of 30 – Our True Identity Challenge
Dear Seeking Sister,
The third day of our true identity challenge teaches us that we are not our own. Your body is a holy temple. How many times have we heard that one?
In ancient times, the Temple of Israel was where God dwelled among His people. It was a holy place that was set apart for God’s purposes and presence. The level of admiration and reverence given to God while one was in the temple is hard to imagine today. The Apostle Paul is telling us in this week’s scripture that this is what our bodies have become. “Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.”
My body is not my own. Your body, if you are a professing Christian, is not your own. Our bodies are a gift and have been set apart for God’s Holy Spirit to live in. Think about how amazing that fact is! It is remarkable, but it also lays some great responsibility on us. God lives in us. Wow. We are not to treat our bodies like they were given to us merely for our own personal use. Let’s not take this tremendous gift for granted (Ephesians 4:30).
Stretch your arm out in front of you and take a discerning look at your hand. That is God’s hand! Wiggle your fingers. That is God’s hand! It should be used for His holy purposes. What will it do today?
God paid a great price for us. We have a holy responsibility to take care of our bodies. We 
must value them as we value God. Respecting our bodies and conducting them properly is how we honor the God who now dwells within.
Action: Open your bible and read 1 Corinthians 6:19 (a few translations provided below).
Afterward, stand in front of a mirror (full length if possible) and think about the fact your body is not your own. Move your arms and legs and say a few times, “this body is not my own. It is for God’s holy purposes.” At some point, look at yourself straight in the eyes and talk to God who dwells in you. Let Him know you will take care of His body and that you will be a good steward of it from now on. If need be, ask for forgiveness for any harm you’ve done to His temple in the past. He is faithful and will provide that forgiveness. Then ask for direction and wisdom on how to treat His Holy Temple. Then spend some time listening to your Heavenly Father’s answer.
1 Corinthians 6:19
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;” (NIV)
“There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, “The two become one.” Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never “become one.” There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for “becoming one” with another. Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.” (19, 20 MSG)
“Haven’t you yet learned that your body is the home of the Holy Spirit God gave you, and that he lives within you? Your own body does not belong to you.” (TLB)
Bonus Scripture
Ephesians 4:30
Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted. – The Message (MSG)
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[The 30 Day True Identity Challenge comes from Tiffany Dooley’s Mirror Mirror message from The City Church]