Philippians 3:14-16 (ESV)
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
Love fitness? Want to lose weight? Want to be healthy?
What if I told you that in order to stay healthy and physically fit
(and not let that consume your entire life and be obsessed with it) you first have to be Spiritually fit.
Yes I know...MORE WORK! We live in a lazy society, which is partly why we have "weak Christians" and "obesity". Before we get to the core of this, let me state that your worth does not come from your physical appearance AT ALL. My point is to be focused on what He says in Proverbs...
Proverbs 23:7
"As a man thinks in his heart, so is he."
I have been through many diets, many exercise plans, many fads, eating disorders. You name it, I've done ! Some have worked, but only for a short while.
How can we take care of our temple and stay taking care of our temple? What if I don't have time? What if I don't have the money? Its no use, I'm just always going to be fat. Nothing works for me.
There is much more to being physically fit than the exterior. In order to run the race we must nourish our bodies with a balanced diet "on the inside" so we can build the muscle and the energy to exercise and get stronger. We must discipline ourselves to keep exercising so we get stronger and we can move on to the next harder workout. We must get enough rest so that we can recover and store up energy for the next day. Its hard work but if we take care of all of the stuff on the "inside" we will ultimately see results on the outside eventually.
The same goes for being spiritually fit. In order to be beautiful, you must set your mind on beautiful things, Jesus Christ. We need to nourish our soul with food, water, rest and EXERCISE!
Food: Consuming Gods word.
Don't like to read?- Download the "YouVersion Bible app" it will read it to you. Listen to it in the car, while you're cleaning house, while you're taking a shower.
In Eph 5 It says " the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God", You have a Sword for when satan and his demons attack you. When you are in a spiritual warfare, the Holy Spirit your Swords(scriptures) and fights back. If you don't read His Word and store it in your heart though, how are you going to be ready for battle?
Hebrews 4:12
"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
John 8:32
"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Water: Prayer. Just like we have to drink a lot of water throughout the day, we must pray and stay connected with God throughout he day in order to get the nourishment that we need.
1 Thess 5:17
"Pray without ceasing"
John 15:5
Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
Rest: Meditation, & quiet time. When we think about meditation the first thing that probably comes to mind is someone sitting in a white quiet room, sitting indian style, with eyes closed, elbows out with praying hands all while listening to soothing sounds. This is not what I'm talking about.
Meditation is when you go off and be alone, where it is quiet.( I prefer the outdoors, His masterpiece) Its when you take the time to sit and think(meditate) on His word. Think on it, take it in. Don't ask for anything. Just sit and stare at Him. Take in His beauty. That is your rest.
Psalms 1:1-3
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
Exercise: Putting All that you've learned into ACTION.
James 1:22
"But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves."
When it comes to insecurity most of the problem is that we don't recognized the lies that are being fed to us. "You aren't worthy! You're so fat! He's going to leave you for a better woman if you don't stop being so insecure! Why are you so crazy?! She's had 3 kids and she looks better than you!" All of these negative thoughts point to the enemy.
Insecurity ultimately stems from a fear of something ,and this is what the Word has to say about that:
2 Timothy 1:7
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind"
Yes, your insecurity comes from the devil, it's not just "who you are". So how do we EXERCISE the truth that we learn?
Taking all of those negative thoughts captive.
2 Corinthians 10:5(ESV)
5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion on raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.
And Replace that lie with TRUTH. Speak it out loud and the devil will flee!
James 4:7
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you
I see a lot of women who are obsessed with physical fitness but neglect being spiritually fit. I also see a lot of women who obsess over being spiritually fit but don't see the importance of being physically fit.
When I see women who are obsessed with their dieting and exercise I see insecurity in who they are, so they try to overcompensate by going the extreme, because something is missing. Yep, I've been there! And the women you are so Spiritual "fit" that ignore the command of God:
1 Corithians 6:19-
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own. For you were bought with a price, so glorify God in your body.
Which really isn't spiritually fit, because we are not being obedient to God, so we are spiritually "fat".
Transformation comes from the inside out. Not from the outside in. Let God Renew your mind so you can be spiritually fit,and in due time, you will start to see change on the outside. When you put your focus on God, everything else will fall into place, and then you will start to see that being spiritually fit and physically fit are connected.
Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
