Friday, July 17th, 2026
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome DSc DSc DD
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service (Romans 12:1).
Having understood that your spirit is the Most Holy Place and must take the lead, with your soul trained to follow, there’s one more vital area to address: your body. Your body doesn’t automatically align with the life of God in your spirit; it must be brought under control.
That’s why the Word says, “…present your bodies a living sacrifice…” (Romans 12:1). God has done His part in recreating your spirit but the yielding of your body, presenting it to Him as a living sacrifice, is your responsibility. The Apostle Paul gives further insight: “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection…” (1 Corinthians 9:27).
This means the body must be disciplined and trained to align with your spirit. The body has its tendencies; it responds to sensations, appetites and external stimuli. It wants to act based on what it feels. But you’re a spirit being, not a body; you live in a body. Therefore, you can’t let your senses rule you. The Bible says, “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die…” (Romans 8:13).
To live after the flesh is to be governed by the body and its impulses, but that’s not your life. You live by the Spirit, and as the concluding part of Romans 8:13 declares, “…if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” That means through the Holy Ghost, you put to death the activities of the body, override its impulses, and bring it into alignment with God’s will and purpose.
This isn’t suppression; it’s mastery. Your spirit, one with the Holy Spirit and filled with the life of God, takes charge. Your soul, renewed by the Word, agrees. Then your body is brought into obedience. This is the complete order of the Christian life: spirit, soul and body in alignment with the Word of God.
Don’t let your body dictate your life or control your responses. Whether it’s weakness, appetite, or any form of pressure; take charge from your spirit. Present your body to God. Make it serve His purpose. If you feel symptoms of sickness, declare, “No! My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit; therefore, it’s immune to sickness, disease and infirmities.” Refuse to allow sickness in your body; it’s part of keeping your body aligned and yielded to God.
PRAYER
Dear Father, I thank you for your life and glory in me. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and I present it as a living sacrifice, bringing it under subjection to your will and ways. I refuse to be governed by the senses or natural impulses. I walk in sync with the Spirit, aligned with your perfect will at all times, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY
1 Corinthians 9:27 AMPC
But [like a boxer] I buffet my body [handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships] and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit [not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit].
Romans 8:12-13 NIV
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. [13] For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
Galatians 5:24-25 KJV
And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. [25] If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
DAILY SCRIPTURE READING
1-Year Bible Reading Plan:
Acts 25:1-12 & Psalm 7-10
2-Year Bible Reading Plan:
Galatians 5:1-12 & Isaiah 37
Extract From Rhapsody of Realities Daily Devotional
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