Lose the Idolatry of the Body....

....gain a worshipful being.

Surrender... Acceptance... Confession... Responsibility... Forgiveness... We now move forward to the sixth key to loosing burdens: TRANSFORMATION.

A look forward shows the things that Arterburn believes we need to lose and gain:
1. The idolatry of the body....a worshipful being
2. An unhealthy self-image....a mental makeover
3. Negative thoughts....a renewed mind
4. Emotional confusion....clarity of peace
5. Stress....a relaxed spirit
6. Anti-exercise attitude....a livelier life

So what does Arterburn (2007) say about the first:

Your body is valuable. After all, God created it. He chose you as His, and you are a vessel for His Spirit.

Our bodies are sacred and what we do with them affects all parts of us. Our bodies are the dwelling places of the Most High God. We need to take care of them and allow them to be used for God's glory. If gluttony or sex or violence or other physical manifestation of sin is what prevents us from being used for God's glory, we need to admit it and repent from it, however painful that act may be. Transformation will only occur when we face the reality of what we are involved in.

However, our interest in our bodies can take on idol-worshiplike proportion. [....] Anything taken to excess- even the striving for a healthy lifestyle- can block a vibrant relationship with God.

We must be aware of our emotional connection to our physical bodies and discipline ourselves to keep our actions in line with God's will.

We have other needs apart from our physical bodies. We need to be safe, to belong, to be loved, to be esteemed, and to grow. When something stirs our emotions- and we feel happy, sad, depressed, angry, and the like- we may be triggered to use our bodies to respond in physical ways. We must be aware of our emotional connection to our bodies and discipline ourselves to keep our actions in line with God's will. Our emotions may tell us that our bodies need comfort- through food, sex, entertainment, whatever- but our obedient spirits must be in charge of dealing with our needs.

It appears that Arterburn is suggesting that real needs often stir our emotions and our emotions have the ability of creating an environment where we fulfill these needs through our physical being....and too often, we do so in an unhealthy manner. I can see that. The need for physical nourishment sometimes leads to gluttony. The need for true relational connection, when left unfulfilled, may lead to sexual sin or adultery. Our need to be esteemed can result in an unhealthy reliance upon others to fill this need.

But, I do especially like his statement, "our obedient spirits must be in charge of dealing with our needs." While, obviously, emotions are very important, we cannot be ruled by them nor use them to justify unhealthy actions.