Why Should I Treat My Body Like a Temple?

-Show a picture of a temple. Ask the young women why the temple is so beautiful and how our bodies are like temples of God.

-Ask the girls to think about this question throughout the lesson…“Why should I treat my body like a temple?”

-“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

-What are some of the ways our bodies are like temples?

1)    They are always lit up. We light up in our countenances as we have the spirit with us as our constant companion.

-       Matthew 5:14-16

-       What do you think it means to hide your light under a bushel or to put it on a candlestick?

-       Sharing you individual talents with others and setting a good example will lead people to Christ.

2)    They are clean. As we keep our selves groomed and clean we can reflect the beauty of the temples in our own appearance.

-Show the video “195 Dresses,” 

-Ask the young women to look for blessings that come from dressing modestly. What would they say to someone who asks why modesty is so important?

- QUOTE #1 Your body is God’s sacred creation. Respect it as a gift from God, and do not defile it in any way. Through your dress and appearance, you can show the Lord that you know how precious your body is. You can show that you are a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Prophets of God have always counseled His children to dress modestly. The way you dress is a reflection of what you are on the inside. Your dress and grooming send messages about you to others and influence the way you and others act. When you are well groomed and modestly dressed, you invite the companionship of the Spirit and can exercise a good influence on those around you.- “For the Strength of Youth”

3)    Only the best and highest quality of materials are used to build and decorate the temples. We can choose to follow the word of wisdom and only put good things our bodies.

- QUOTE #2  The Lord has commanded you to take good care of your body. To do this, observe the Word of Wisdom, found in Doctrine and Covenants 89. Eat nutritious food, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. When you do all these things, you remain free from harmful addictions and have control over your life. You gain the blessings of a healthy body, an alert mind, and the guidance of the Holy Ghost.

Never use tobacco products, such as cigarettes, snuff, chewing tobacco, cigars, and pipe tobacco. They are very addictive and will damage your body and shorten your life. Also, do not drink coffee or tea, for these are addictive and harmful.

Any form of alcohol is harmful to your body and spirit. Being under the influence of alcohol weakens your judgment and self-control and could lead you to break the law of chastity or other commandments. Drinking can lead to alcoholism, which destroys individuals and families.

Any drug, chemical, or dangerous practice that is used to produce a sensation or “high” can destroy your physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. These include hard drugs, prescription or over-the-counter medications that are abused, and household chemicals.

4)    Only members with a recommend can enter into the temple. We can choose to keep our selves morally clean and save the powers of procreation for within the bonds of marriage. “My body is a temple and you don’t have a recommend.” ;)

-Show the video “I choose to be pure”.

• Ask the young women to look for blessings that come from being sexually pure?

“If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”

The choices we make about the use of our personal temples will affect us throughout all eternity.

QUOTE# 3  Because the physical body is so central to the Father’s plan of happiness and our spiritual development, we should not be surprised that Lucifer seeks to thwart our progression by enticing us to use our bodies improperly. It is to me one of the ultimate ironies of eternity that the adversary, who is miserable because he has no physical body and therefore cannot progress, seeks to make us miserable “like unto himself” (2 Ne. 2:27) through the improper use of our bodies. The very tool he does not have and cannot use thus is the primary instrument through which he attempts to lure us to spiritual destruction.

QUOTE #4  Our physical bodies indeed are temples of God. Consequently, you and I must carefully consider what we take into our temple, what we put on our temple, what we do to our temple, and what we do with our temple. And we can learn a number of important lessons by comparing the Church’s temples to our physical bodies as temples.

QUOTE #5  “Recollect, brethren and sisters, every one of you, that when evil is suggested to you, when it arises in your hearts, it is through the temporal organization. When you are tempted, buffeted, and step out of the way inadvertently; when you are overtaken in a fault, or commit an overt act unthinkingly; when you are full of evil passion, and wish to yield to it, then stop and let the spirit, which God has put into your tabernacles, take the lead. If you do that, I will promise that you will overcome all evil, and obtain eternal lives. But many, very many, let the spirit yield to the body, and are overcome and destroyed” (Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe [1941], 70).

-For my handout I gave all of the girls a daisy. I showed them how beautiful and white the flower was.

-Then I asked “Should let someone pluck out a few pedals?” No. Why not?

-Then I told them that their bodies are like these flowers and they should never let anyone “Pluck one of their peddles out by being immoral.