Do you work out at all? Walk? Run? Yoga? Pilates? Crossfit? There are so many options out there today to stay in shape. I am here to tell you, all workout programs are not the same; however, doing anything is better than doing nothing.
God created our bodies in His image [Genesis 1:26]. He tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. You wouldn’t invite God into a run down, nasty house and expect Him to live there. We need to keep that in mind and treat our bodies well.
Up until my injury ten months ago, I would have said I was in really good shape. My weight was where I wanted it, I was able to lift some heavy weights during workouts, I slept better, and I didn’t experience any body aches. Going six months without being able to run or workout made an impact.
I started running again about 3 months ago and have slowly worked up to what I was running before my injury. It has been a slow and sometimes painful process.
I realized running is great for my leg strength, but I need to strengthen my arms and core, so today I started a new DVD workout routine. Oh, my goodness! I just finished the first workout and let me just say, my muscles are screaming. I may not be able to walk tomorrow. I could hear my muscles yelling at me with each lung and squat. You’ve heard it said,
Use it or lose it!”
Well, it’s true, especially when it comes to muscular strength. In order to have strong muscles, you have to use them on a regular basis.
The same is true about our spiritual muscle. If you want to be strong in the Lord, ready to take on whatever comes your way, you need to put in the time. Here’s what I mean:
- You aren’t going to be able to pull out a scripture verse to encourage yourself or another during a difficult time unless you’ve taken the time to learn them [Joshua 1:8].
- You aren’t going to know when God is speaking to you and directing you down one path instead of another unless you’ve communicated with Him regularly enough to recognize His voice from all the others [John 10:27].
- You aren’t going to know God is with you in the storms of life so you don’t have to worry, unless you’ve weathered a storm or two walking closely with Him [Matthew 8:24].
Sometimes we try and tell ourselves it’s too hard to find the time; however, we usually make time for things that are important to us. As one trainer put it,
If you don’t want to keep starting over, then don’t quit.”
I know I’m going to be sore tomorrow. It’s going to take time to build up my strength to where it was before, but I refuse to quit. My health is too important to me.
How about you? Are you taking care of yourself: mind, body and spirit? Are you strengthening your spiritual muscles daily?
The Coach needs strong players on His team. He needs to know we’re willing to put in the training so we’re ready when the big game comes. Are you ready?
To be lazy is easy. To be discipline takes hard work & being intentional.
As of right now I am taking a disciple class and in the long run it is going to do me a lot of good. Thank you for your words of encouragement and giving me the ABC basic’s of what this discipline will look like and the fruit of it. I want the fruits but doing the hard work to get the results makes me think twice. With much prayer from my husband and help along the way I got enrolled this year for the class. i definitely see the benefits as you mention but I just got to stick too it and don’t quit.
Don’t quit!
Thanks coach!
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