It’s time to take the Spiritual fit challenge
Print- •
-
Share
- Share this item
-
Grab the link
Copy and paste the link:
- Blog about it
- Close
- •
-
Post a Comment
- •
Favorite- •
-
Report error
-
Thank you for your submission.Error report or correction
- Close
-
- •
Nearly everyone would like to be fit for life, but accomplishing that goal is another matter. Five weeks ago I decided to try to be physically fit by taking the fit challenge at Fit for Life Gym in Bay City. I was assigned to a team of four and we were to compete for eight weeks against two other teams. My goal was to lose 10 pounds and also an inch in my core area. Since the time I have started the challenge, I have lost five pounds and an inch in my abdomen area.
My great accomplishment has been my new habit of working out at the gym every day for an hour and my change in eating habits. Some of my new habits are keeping a food journal, eating portion sizes and four healthy meals with family each week. I also learned about nutrition and areas of my body that I need to work, like abs, back, shoulders, and other muscle areas.
The idea of being fit for life became a great concern to me and I also wanted to know what the Bible said about fitness. To just exercise your body will not make you fit for life. We most look at developing the whole man, spirit, soul and body. For those who want to be fit for life they will also need to take the spiritual fit challenge.
I Timothy 4:8 states, “For bodily exercise profits a little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of life that now is and of that which is to come.”
Exercising your body helps you in some ways, like making you feel better physically but serving God helps you in every way by bringing blessing into your life now and your future life in heaven. Whatever advantage you would have from exercising and training your body would be for a short period of time because this body suit we have on earth is decaying and aging. Godliness will give you holiness of heart and life.
The first key to spiritual fitness is to exercise your faith by the study of the word and prayer. The Bible says that that it is impossible to please God without faith and that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. A person who doesn’t eat healthy food or who doesn’t eat will become physically weak. The same is true for a believer who doesn’t study the Bible and the only Bible he hears is on Sunday from the preacher’s sermon. A person who doesn’t read the word is spiritually malnourished and want grow to maturity.
Hebrews 5: 12-14 states, “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk not solid food. Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
This scripture doesn’t mean that everyone who is mature should teach in the church or be preachers but they should they should be able to tell others about the Christian faith and know God’s principles because of time in the word.
Another tool to being spiritually fit is having a prayer life, where you spend time with God in prayer. The time you spend in prayer should be more than just giving God your request but also a time of listening to his voice.
I Peter 3:12 states, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are open to their prayers but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.
Matthew 6:31-33 states, “ So do not worry, saying, what shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Prayer and fasting is another area that can help you grow in maturity as a Christian. We don’t fast and pray and even read the Bible to get God’s approval because you can’t earn God’s love because it is a free gift. But in order to grow spiritually you need to read the word, pray, fast and even have devotionals. It is time for God’s people to work their spiritual muscles and pray, study the Bible. What is keeping you from accepting the fitness challenge? It is time to take the challenge so you can grow and mature in God’s kingdom.