Koutz Farm Bible Study: The Daniel Plan (Day 2)

BIBLE STUDY FORMAT:

To begin this Bible Study, simply read the sections below: “Who”, “What”, “When”, “Where”, "Why", “How”, and “The Study Notes”. Use your own Bible as a reference and make sure to keep a journal handy for taking notes as the Lord guides you through your spiritual studies. When you are done, read the Prayer section (and pray along with us). Make sure to review the Action section and use our action points or make up your own actions. Make sure to check out our Questions & Answers section and if you want to dive deeper into your study invest some time in our References section, as well. This is how our Bible Study Format will be in this and all future Bible Study Posts. Let's get started...  

Welcome to Day 2 of the Koutz Farm Bible Study for “The Daniel Plan”. We are reading page 18 – today.  Expand each section below (Who, What, When, Where, How, & Study Notes) to read our notes for today’s Bible study of “The Daniel Plan”. If you have not ordered your study materials yet, you can click the affiliate links to the right to get the books we are using. All the links on this page for the books in “The Daniel Plan” series and for the study bibles are affiliate links that take you to Amazon. You don’t have to purchase these products using our links, but if you do it helps out our farm. Either way, we are happy to have you join our study with us. Also, don’t forget to let us know you are doing the study with us so we can reach out to you and support each other. Simply fill out the form on our Holler At Us page and tell us you are joining the Daniel Plan Bible Study. We are happy to be doing this study with you – you are a valuable person and your participation helps hold us accountable to seeing this through.

Side note: If you want to get the additional books/DVDs in the series for a more in-depth study on your own, we have provided links to those below.

Note Make sure to read the disclaimers provided in the study materials from the authors/publishers. Also, make sure to read Koutz Farm’s disclaimers at the bottom of the page. Koutz Farm does not specialize in nutrition or medical services and this Bible study is not meant to diagnose or treat medical conditions, nor is it meant to replace the advice/support of a medical professional. Make sure to consult your doctor before participating in any health, nutrition, or fitness program including those discussed in “The Daniel Plan”. Your participation is at your own discretion and at your own risks.

Quick Links To Study Materials On Amazon:

WHO

The “WHO” in this section is all about God and you – specifically your body & God’s power.

WHAT

Author and Pastor Rick Warren tells us the body belongs to God and is on loan to us while we are here on this earth. We need to take care of it because God instructs us to do so; He gives us an instruction manual in the Bible; and He will hold us accountable in the days of judgement for how we managed what He has given us on this earth.

WHEN

This section really focuses on the body God gave you – He gave it to you at conception – the body that

formed in your mother’s womb. You’ll be responsible for it until the time of your death, when God calls you home. So the “WHEN” of this story is throughout your lifetime and beyond. Beyond, yes! Beyond because God will resurrect your body and make it new. So the “WHEN” of this story is truly for ETERNITY.

WHERE

The “WHERE” of our study today is your body – the shell your spirit and soul inhabit right now, while you are on this planet.Your body is a “WHERE” because that is where you live…it is the “WHAT” because it carries you around like a ship on the seas. It is the “HOW” in how you treat it and how it treats you. Your body is so much more than a body. It is a place, a thing, a gift from God.

WHY

The "WHY" for Day 2 of "The Daniel Plan" study is because we want to start new habits. Now, with fibromyalgia haunting me, I know that I won't be able to post consecutively every single day, as much as I'd like to. When fibro decides to flare-up severely, I will do good to get out of bed for the day - so although I'm making new habits and working to get through the program I don't want to hold anyone back. Your why for doing the program may be much different than mine, but ultimately we want similar things - to be healthier. So our "community" why for today is to start creating new habits that help us to get healthier. We may go at a different pace, but we can still support each other through the program. Shoot me a message on the "Holler At Us" page to let me know you are participating in "The Daniel Plan" program with me.

HOW

The “HOW’ for our study today is through God’s POWER. Willpower only gets you so far, but God’s power will

get you to and through the impossible.

STUDY NOTES

In reading the introduction of the main book “The Daniel Plan” and processing some of my thoughts as I read, here are my study notes:

1. Pastor Warren notes that he doesn’t recall hearing sermons about the importance of the body, what God says about the body.  Personally, from the times I have attended church, I do not recall sermons on this either. 

2. The Bible has a lot to say about the importance of the body. Here are just a few that you will see from the Bible readings included below in our “Action” section.

   • Not everything is beneficial.

   • The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but is for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.

   • Your body is a member of Christ Himself.

   • Whoever sins sexually sins against their own body.

   • Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.

   • Honor God with your bodies.

3. Warren list out 5 truths about our bodies that run counter culturally to our worldly views of today.  You’ll need to read these in detail from the main book, “The Daniel Plan“. Here are a few notes I pulled out of these truths:

   • Lets say you like to paint and you use your skills to paint the most beautiful masterpiece ever seen. Then your neighbor was selling their house and they asked you if they could temporarily borrow your painting to hang on the wall of their home to help it appeal to the home buyers better. You agree and loan it to the neighbor, but when you get it back you see that your neighbor painted something on top of your masterpiece without asking you, and it definitely didn’t improve the painting – in fact it destroyed it. Are you going to be happy with your neighbor? No. Why? Did your neighbor create the painting? No. Did your neighbor own the painting? No. You loaned it to them, expected them to take care of it and give it back to you in good condition. That is kind of how you can view your body and God. Your body was created by God. God owns your body. God loaned you the body temporarily while you live here on this earth. He gave us the Bible to use as a guide on how to care for the body. We didn’t listen and destroyed the body. Can we fix it before we have to give it back? Maybe not.  What we can do is at least try and repent of our sins for the destruction we placed on our bodies. “The Daniel Plan” will help us navigate this process if we commit to it and actually take action.

   • Christians seem to devalue the body, placing all the value on the soul.

   • Warren says, “everything God makes has a purpose”

   • Jesus paid for YOU (all of you – your body and soul) when He died on the cross. You are that valuable that He gave up His own life to save yours.

   • When you accept Jesus as your Savior, God’s spirit lives inside of you. Your body then becomes a Holy Temple for your creator.

   • Warren calls taking care of your body “spiritual stewardship” and reminds us the Bible tells us that

     

     one day we will have to account for how we managed everything God gave to us – this includes the body we live in.

   • Warren notes that, “God is testing you on earth to see what he can trust you with in eternity.”

   • Your body will be resurrected – new and improved – but still your body. It will be pain free and perfect, without blemishes.

4. Warren explains that God’s POWER is what makes “The Daniel Plan” different from other similar programs. This plan isn’t based on your own power, willpower can’t go where God’s power can so when your willpower runs out it is God that is going to push you to success. This plan is about trusting and relying on God.

PRAYER

Dear God, 

Our upbringing and surroundings seemingly taught us the ways of the world instead of your ways, especially in the way we care for our bodies. Even some of our faith leaders failed to teach us the way that you want us to take care of our bodies. If we did know, we didn’t comprehend the importance of what was being said to us. We let the world corrupt the way we think about our bodies and our bodies have suffered. I come to you humbly, my Lord, and I pray for forgiveness for the influence I have allowed the world to have over me. I pray for deliverance to my body from the harm that I have caused it through acts of sexual immorality, laziness, not allowing my body the rest it needs, and filling it full of junk food that has no benefit for me. I know that I have harmed myself and thus harmed you. I am so sorry. I didn’t understand the truth of what it meant for my body to be a Holy Temple for you. I didn’t understand the criticality of treating the body with value because I’ve been so focused on my soul.  Help me, Oh God, to be able to turn this around and reverse any damage I have done. Heal my body Lord, heal the pain and brokenness and lead me down the right paths going forward. If I hear worldly views that counter yours, give me wisdom and discernment so that I know when to turn away from such nonsense. Guide me God to success in improving my health and restore my energy and motivation so that I can go out into this world and do your will for my life. Teach me the right ways Lord, let me soak in and take action on what you know is good for me.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen.

ACTION

• Read: “The Daniel Plan” pages 18 - 21

• Read: 3 John 2, 1 Corinthians 6:12 - 20

• Order your Bible Study Materials for this study:  “The Daniel Plan“, “The Daniel Plan Journal“, or the 2-book set.

QUESTION & ANSWERS

QUESTION:

WHY AREN'T YOU SHOWING THE BOOK WHEN YOU MAKE THE VIDEOS (CURRENTLY OUR VIDEOS ARE ON TIKTOK).

ANSWER:

Two reasons, I didn't buy the hard-copy of the book - I purchased the eBook and use my Kindle app on my phone to read it. More importantly, I don't want to violate any copyright laws - so make sure to get your own study materials so you can follow along in the study better.

QUESTION:

WHO IS RICK WARREN (THE AUTHOR OF "THE DANIEL PLAN")?

ANSWER:

Rick Warren is a retired pastor of the eighth largest church in America, called Saddleback Church. He is a famous author, most notably known for, "The Purpose Driven Life", "The Purpose Driven Church", "Answers To Life's Difficult Questions", "The Power To Change Your Life", "What On Earth Am I Here For?", "The Daniel Plan", and others. Rick Warren has been awarded as a top American leader. Read more about Rick Warren at "Famous Authors".

QUESTION:

WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN IT SAYS MY BODY IS A TEMPLE FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT?

ANSWER:

At Christianity.com, Glory Dy explains this phrase "your body is a temple" very well. Glory Dy tells us that our body is God's, but goes on into clear detail, breaking it down into simple to understand sections. You can read this article by clicking here or by reviewing our reference section at the bottom of this page, where we have placed a link that will take you there.

Dy says, "don't put yourself in a situation where you're more likely to engage in the area where you are tempted" and "we should be physically and spiritually healthy. Exodus 20:8 - 11 reveals God's great concern about our health.

BIBLE STUDY TIPS

We suggest getting either the two-book set with the Journal and The Daniel Plan in a physical copy that you can use to take notes in etc. At minimum, you can do what we did at first and buy the Journal in physical form and The Daniel Plan book in the digital form (on platforms like Amazon's Kindle Unlimited or Audible).

REFERENCES

• "What Does "Your Body As A Temple" Really Mean?", September 02, 2021. Glory Dy. www.christianity.com.

• Rick Warren, Famous Author at famousauthors.com.

Check Out These Other Great Books By Author & Retired Pastor, Rick Warren:

Our favorite Study Bibles:

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