Men In Ministry:
Protecting Your Temple
So often I am asked, “What is the biggest health threat facing our men today?” While at first you might think,
surely its diabetes or high blood pressure or maybe even heart disease, my reply to this question is always the
same. It is being “unaware”. As leaders in our church, home and community, we make it our business to be
strong, fearless, reliable and knowledgeable as we aim to lead by example. However, when it comes to our
health, as men we are often vulnerable, filled with fear, uncommitted, and completely unaware. We are oblivious
that we are unhealthy, that we don’t have to be and are incognizant that our bodies are the temple of the Holy
Spirit and should be treated as such.
The Apostle Paul lets us know that having a lack of awareness of the importance of taking care of our bodies is
nothing new. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 states: 19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit,
who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high
price. So you must honor God with your body.
Studies have shown that men are three times less likely than women to go to a doctor when suffering from
similar symptoms. It should then be no surprise that men also have shorter overall life expectancies. Despite
this knowledge and these statistics being reported year after year, we men are no more invested in our health
now than we were decades ago. As men we take pride in our strength, our ability to provide, and being
the priests of our households, yet we disregard the one element that is most instrumental in attaining and
maintaining this- our health.
The will of God is for us to be just as healthy physically as we are spiritually (3 John 1:2). The apostle John
draws a key parallel between our spiritual and physical health that shouldn’t go unnoticed.
Spiritual Health
Checkups Needed
Maintenance Required
Training Materials Available
Warning Signs
Physical Health
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Checkups Needed: For our spiritual health to be assessed we go to church. For our physical health we
need to get checkups! What’s interesting is that the vast majority of men I have encountered view themselves as
“pretty healthy” or “very healthy” however they have no objective means of assessing their health. Specifically,
most men admit to not having seen a physician within the past year and more often than not many of them
have not seen a doctor in the past several years. So how do you know you’re healthy?
Maintenance Required: For our spiritual health we feed and nourish our souls daily with the Word of
God. Similarly, for our physical health we have to feed and nourish our bodies daily with healthy foods, fruits,
vegetables, and the fuel for life.
Training Materials Available: For our spiritual health we have to study to show ourselves approved. For
our physical health, there’s nothing wrong with taking the time to learn what it means to be healthy. For many
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