18 May ‘Let’s Get Healthy’ | Part 1: ‘The Daniel Diet’ – All Locations
Check the Events Page for What is Happening (not everything is listed here) (waterschurch.org/events)
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Parking: North Attleboro – we are growing – and so is the need for parking! Please prayerfully consider giving toward this vital project. Your generosity will make it easier for people to attend services, hear the Gospel, and encounter the life-changing love of Jesus.
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ALL LOCATIONS – MEALS FOR ALPHA CLASS
Reminders:
✳ Please regularly check your Planning Center profiles for requests to join your life groups, remove members from the list that no longer attend, or add members not listed. Please ensure that you have added no-reply@churchcenter.com to your email contacts so that you do not miss an email from Planning Center and encourage your members to do so as well. This will ensure you do not miss a member request or any emails that come from the Planning Center site. Thank you!
Waters Class Schedule:
- 1st Sunday: Discover Waters – after 1st service
- 2nd Sunday: NO CLASSES
- 3rd Sunday: Connect Class – after 1st service
- 4th Sunday: Baptism Class – after 1st service
Waters Help: Need marriage and family care or have a group member in need of marriage and family care? Click here: help resources page or visit waterschurch.org/help
Location Text Alerts:
| North Attleboro | Text “subscribe” to 508 695-1300 | |
| Norwood | Text “subscribe” to 781 762-3357 | |
| Apollo Beach | Text “subscribe” to 813 642-6979 | |
| Woonsocket | Text “subscribe” to 833 241-4837 | |
| Southcoast | Text “subscribe” to 508 809-3490 | |
Check the Events Page for What is Happening (not everything is listed here) (waterschurch.org/events)
Note for Next Week:
There will be no discussion guide next week. Instead, please plan a fun and healthy outdoor activity with your group! Whether it’s a walk, hike, picnic, or outdoor game, use this time to build community, enjoy God’s creation, and encourage one another in your journey toward spiritual and physical health.
Key Verse: Daniel 1 (ESV)
Theme: Faith, Discipline, and Spiritual Wellness
Icebreaker Question
What is your favorite way to get exercise and why?
Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for creating us in Your image and calling us to live fully for You in every area of our lives—mind, heart, soul, and body. As we open Your Word today, help us to grow in wisdom and conviction. Teach us how to honor You with our choices and strengthen us to resist the things of the world that would draw us away. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
****PLEASE READ ALL SCRIPTURE IN THE ESV UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED
FACT: My BODY matters to GOD
Mark 12:29-30 (ESV) – The word for strength in this passage refers to the body. Love God with your body.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (ESV) – The Temple was the most important building in Israel.
There were three temples: Solomon’s, Zerubabel’s, and Herod’s. All three were destroyed. They were targets of their political enemies and destroyed by their enemies.
My Temple is the TARGET of the enemy
The enemy wants us to be weak and ineffective.
John 10:10 (ESV)
Q. When you think about your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit, how does that change how you see everyday decisions about your health, habits, or self-care?
1: FIGHT to keep BABYLON out of your BODY
Daniel 1:3-5 (ESV)
Daniel was in exile, a foreigner in a strange land, but he was also offered great privileges.
He was offered the king’s food and wine. This food was most likely delicious, the best of the best.
Daniel 1:8 (ESV) – He noticed the food would defile him. He said ‘yes’ to holding a high position and to the new name he was given, but ‘no’ to the food.
Daniel resolved not to eat it, meaning he set it in his heart not to eat it.
Daniel 1:21 (ESV)
He outlasted six dominating emperors and stayed the course for the Lord.
What I eat will determine where I end up.
The world still has a DEMONIC diet.
Ultra-processed food is any food product heavily altered using additives like artificial flavors, preservatives, sweeteners, and colorings. It is often found in packaged snacks, sugary cereals, fast food, and soft drinks. It is designed for convenience and addiction with minimal nutrition.
73% of our country’s food supply is ultra-processed food.
I might have to LIVE IN BABYLON, but BABYLON doesn’t have
to LIVE IN me.
Q. With so much of our food being ultra-processed, how can we make intentional choices that honor God with what we eat, especially when convenience and culture push us the other way?
Practical Application:
Is there a go-to food or drink you tend to choose out of convenience—even if it’s not the healthiest? This week, find a more nourishing alternative and commit to making that simple change.
2: FIGHT to DISCIPLINE your DIET.
Daniel 1:8b – 12 (ESV)
The Babylonian diet was their regularly accepted diet, and Daniel resisted it.
The Babylonians believed this was a healthy diet, but it was not. Daniel breaks it with the conventional wisdom of the age. He was determined to fight the Babylonian diet, but did not do it alone. (Daniel 1:11-12)
Hebrews 10:24 (ESV)
Proverbs 27:17 (ESV)
DISCIPLINE increases when you’re in a CIRCLE, not a
CORNER.
Q. How does being in community help you stay spiritually disciplined, especially regarding daily choices?
Practical Application:
Come up with ways to get healthier together as a group. (Leader: refer to the email sent this past week, or see suggestions below.)
3. FIGHT with the LONG-TERM BENEFITS in mind.
Daniel 1:15 – 19 (ESV)
Their diet fed their thinking capacity. They ate the right stuff, had healthier bodies, stronger minds, and prestigious positions in life.
1. Listen to GOD.
Ask Him where you need to change.
2. Listen to your BODY.
Your body tells you things; it sends you signals. If you aren’t feeling better, your diet needs to change.
3. Listen to THOSE who LOVE you.
They see you from the outside, and they love you.
Q. When have you seen long-term spiritual or physical benefits from eating a healthier diet?
Practical Application:
What is one long-term goal you have for your spiritual health? Write it down, and commit to praying over it daily. Ask God for the strength to stay faithful—even when progress feels slow.
Key Takeaways
- God created your body with a purpose and wants you to honor Him.
- You are constantly being shaped by God or by the world. Choose God’s shaping.
- Obedience to God in small areas today leads to favor, fruitfulness, and faith for tomorrow.
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for showing us through Daniel’s life that what we choose today can influence our future. Help us to say no to what’s harmful, yes to what is holy, and to trust You for strength, discipline, and guidance. Let our lives reflect Your glory—in our bodies, our habits, and our hearts. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Make a Plan. Here are some suggestions:
– 30-minute walks a day, especially after a meal.
– Intermittent fasting for two weeks.
– A 24-hour fast one day a week for two weeks.
– No Ultra-processed foods for two weeks.
– No alcohol/tobacco/inhalants for two weeks.
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