Gracious Father, I thank you this morning God for life. I thank you Father to allow me to wake up with my organs functioning and my bones intact. I thank you for not allowing any of my senses to fail Father. The little things that so much people take for granted, Father I thank you for it. I pray Father that you will be a blessing to the readers of your word as you are to me. I pray that they are in peace and are excited for what you are doing in our lives. I pray a blessing on all that they do, and for their coming and going. I pray an anointing on them that will be seen by many and attract them to you. Father I just pray that you have your way in our lives. I pray Father that you continue to cover us with your mercy and grace, and I pray that all sins performed are forgiven. This I pray in Jesus name, Amen.
Toward the end of last year I stood in front of my bathroom mirror as I got out of the tub and began to stare at the image reflecting back. I was looking at my body and reminiscing on how great my body looked when I was competing in Martial Arts. I remember how good I looked in clothes and I made it a mission to get it right. I made a New Year’s resolution to get my body back in shape. The funny thing is, I did not wait until the beginning of the year to begin. There were many times I gave New Year’s resolutions and June will come and still have not committed. The key word is committed. Many people see their bodies and know they are out of shape, and say to themselves “I will start a new diet, or I will begin to exercise.” Majority of them will not hold to their word, and some may even begin, but give up shortly after. If you would ask them what happened, they have an answer. Tell me if any of these sound familiar:
· I am really busy and have not time
· This week was difficult, but next week is the week
· This diet is nasty, I need real food
· The exercise thing is too hard for me
· It is boring exercising by myself
· I am not that bad
· I am too old
I personally used 3 of them as an excuse. The real reason is what I said before. Lack of commitment. I had no true discipline in place to hold me accountable to what I knew I needed to do. Many Christians fall into the same scenario when it comes to spiritual exercise. Because they are slothful in building healthy habits to keep their bodies in shape they are also slothful when it comes to studying the word of God. A lack of true commitment and discipline keeps them spiritually weak and out of shape. Just as healthy living and proper food intake is essential for the physical body to remain healthy and in good shape, so it is with spiritual food. Those who neglect to study what “thus saith the Lord” and learn how to pray, become spiritual weak. Amen!
My son and I are black belts and sometime we would play fight. One day my son put me in a position and the only reason why I was able to get out, was because of my size. His arms were not long enough to maintain the lock. If he was a bit older, and if the scenario was real, I would have lost consciousness. When I looked back, I asked myself, how was he able to even get me in that position so easily? The answer, I was out of shape. My son has friends who study Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and other friends who box, so he is constantly building on his craft. Because I was out of shape, and have not been practicing, he was a force to contend with. Now what about that person who is spiritually lazy? The bible says “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1Pe 5:8) Have any of you watch National Geographic or the Nature Channel? Have any of you seen when a lion has its eye on its prey how it behaves? That lion will not stop until he catches it, or if it gets tired. The devil is not limited to breathing, so he can come and come and come after us. To the one who is not spiritually in shape, how soon will they fall into temptation? I can name two close people right now who this has happened to, and they are still in their mess.
The bible says “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” (1Tim 4:8) Think about that for a second. We understand that exercise help give us more energy and it increases our productivity. It obviously helps with weight issues and guards us from all types of diseases. In essence, exercise helps our overall health and well being. Now, if physical exercise, which profits so little, as according to the word of God, yet produces all of these benefits, how much more important is spiritual exercise? Amen! We need to exercise spiritually not only to lose the weight of sin but to also put sinful habits and behaviors into subjection. Most people and I pray that I am wrong, only turn to God and His Word when trials and tribulations of life are beating them down. When one is exercising in the word, they go to God for everything. When things are great, they go to God, when things are mediocre, they go to God, and when things are bad, they go to God, but they go in faith knowing it is only for a season. That is someone who is spiritually fit.
Family it is necessary that we study God’s word daily. We ought to discipline ourselves to meditate on it as often as possible. Do not let Facebook, Twitter, My Space, TV, Radio, or anything take so much of your time to where the left over goes to God. Once you commit and develop daily spiritual habits, your spiritual muscle will grow and grow to where you will be in tip top shape to combat the enemy, not if, but when he comes. Amen.
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