Tag Archives: Faith

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Faith and Fitness: Setting, Achieving, and Maintaining Your Fitness Goals

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Living a healthy and active lifestyle is a goal that many people strive for. As Christians, we believe that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), and taking care of our physical health is an important aspect of honoring God. Today, we will explore the intersection of faith and fitness, and discuss practical ways to set, achieve, and maintain your fitness goals while keeping a Christ-centered perspective.

Before embarking on any fitness journey, it’s essential to seek God’s guidance in setting your goals. Pray for wisdom and discernment to understand what kind of fitness goals align with your unique body, lifestyle, and overall well-being. Ask God to reveal His purposes for your physical health and how it can be used for His glory.

Setting realistic and specific goals is crucial to stay motivated and focused. Rather than aiming for vague goals like “getting in shape,” set specific targets such as running a certain distance, increasing your strength in certain exercises, or improving flexibility. By defining your goals clearly, you can create a roadmap for success and measure your progress along the way.

Physical fitness encompasses various aspects such as cardiovascular endurance, strength training, flexibility, and balance. Develop a well-rounded fitness routine that includes activities you enjoy and that address these different areas. Incorporate activities like running, swimming, weightlifting, yoga, or group classes into your routine to ensure comprehensive fitness development.

Maintaining a consistent fitness routine requires discipline. Dedicate specific times for exercise and prioritize them in your schedule. Recognize that discipline is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and allow the Spirit to empower you in staying committed to your fitness goals. By cultivating discipline, you can overcome obstacles and persevere through challenging times.

Accountability and support are invaluable when it comes to achieving and maintaining fitness goals. Seek out a workout partner, join a fitness group, or consider partnering with a fellow believer who shares your commitment to physical health. Encourage one another, share progress, and hold each other accountable in pursuing your goals. Remember that the body of Christ is designed to support and uplift one another (Hebrews 10:24-25).

Throughout your fitness journey, cultivate an attitude of gratitude and celebrate milestones along the way. Give thanks to God for the ability to move, for the progress you’ve made, and for the strength He provides. Celebrate achievements, whether big or small, as a way to honor God’s faithfulness in helping you reach your goals.

While physical fitness is important, it’s crucial to remember that it is not an end in itself. Ultimately, our purpose as Christians is to glorify God in all that we do, including our pursuit of physical health. Keep your focus on the eternal rather than the temporary, and use your physical well-being as a means to serve and honor God in all aspects of life.

Setting, achieving, and maintaining your fitness goals can be a transformative journey that strengthens not only your physical body but also your faith. By seeking God’s guidance, setting specific goals, developing a balanced routine, cultivating discipline, finding accountability, embracing gratitude, and remembering your ultimate purpose, you can embark on a Christ-centered fitness journey that honors God and brings joy and fulfillment to your life.

Remember, as you pursue physical fitness, let love, patience, and self-control guide your actions (Galatians 5:22-23). May your fitness journey be a testament to the transformative power of Christ and inspire others to prioritize their physical health for His glory.

Be sure to check out “Physical Fitness” – Episode 1 of the “3 Pillars Podcast” here: https://youtu.be/3dWWokjEYN0

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Hedges of Protection

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What keeps you and your family safe? Your house? Your guns? Your fitness or fighting ability? How about your faith?

When we are instructed by Paul in Ephesians 6 to “Put on the Full Armor of God”, this is not a task to be taken lightly. This act is not just something you do occasionally or once in a while, but EVERY SINGLE DAY as the enemy is constantly seeking for a weakness in your armor. A gap in your battle line. Your Achilles’ heel. The Armor of God protects us individually and like the Spartan Phalanx, we can interlock shields with our brothers and sisters in the faith to form an impenetrable wall of FAITH that the Devil and his cohorts cannot break through. Always remember that the Armor of God must always be maintained, and for it to work properly it MUST BE PUT ON. This is our individual hedge of protection.

As a corporate entity, the Children of God, the Body of Christ, are spread across all nations. Israel and Judah during the Divided Monarchy found themselves in quite tumultuous times. Having a King who did good in the eyes of the Lord placed a hedge of protection around the people. My Sunday School teacher (rest her soul) always used the metaphor of a dome or a bowl being placed over the Kingdom while a good king was head of state. This dome represented God’s hedge of protection from the evils of the world. When a bad king came in and led the people astray, the dome or bowl would be lifted and invaders or trouble would come rushing in. The prophets would be lifted up and would give warnings to the Kings and to the people to turn back to the Lord, but ultimately we know what happened to the 12 Tribes of Israel. The 10 Northern Tribes (The Kingdom of Israel) would be lost and scattered by the Assyrian Captivity, and the Kingdom of Judah (Southern two tribes) would ultimately be led into exile by the Babylonians (see chart below).

While it was a time of great apostasy and turmoil, it is highly resonable to consider that there were some people in the land who were righteous and true to the Lord, but still suffered through this strife. Their indiviual armor and small hedges of protection for their families would keep them afloat and keep them focused on the LORD. Their FAITH would earn them a seat with the Father in Heaven even though their mortal bodies be battered, beaten, and broken.

What’s the point of having arms and armament if it’s not to be put to use? No weapon formed against you shall prosper, but that does not mean they won’t be formed or used against you. Trust in the Lord, Our God. Trust in the Armor that He has provided you. Lock shields with your family, your brothers and sisters in Christ, and with Jesus, Himself, and together, we will emerge through the tumult as VICTORS!

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INVICTUS

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BY WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY

Out of the night that covers me,

      Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

      For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

      I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

      My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

      Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

      Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

      How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate,

      I am the captain of my soul.

RESPONSE:

I NOT the Captain of my Soul. My LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ is. While I understand Henley’s sentiment, I must take his meaning one step futher.

Walking in the Light of Christ one has no fear. Having the creator of the Universe walk side by side with you who can be against you? Romans 8:31 reminds us of that fact.

“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

Invictus means unconquered. You and I, mere mortals, on this journey called life are conquered every single day by doubt, fear, uncertainty, lust, and overall sin. Jesus IS Invictus. Jesus IS unconquered. While it seemed that He was defeated at Golgotha, His VICTORY was fulfilled at His ressurection. HE overcame death. HE overcame Hell. HE overcame the world and HE did it because He loves YOU.

This world can be dark and harsh at times. The struggles we have endured up until this point have forged us into who we are today. You can remain beaten, battered, and broken. You can accept defeat. That choice is yours. But there is another path. A path where you RISE and walk with Jesus. A path where ministering Angels mend your wounds and protect you until you are able to stand. A path where, despite all uncertainty, you always have HOPE that is unconqerable. The hope that is Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Forever. INVICTUS.