Godly Fitness | by Laurette Willis

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. —Romans 12:2

fitness Does fitness begin by doing a lot of acrobatics (physical or mental)? It does feel that way sometimes, doesn't it? Where do we begin? Most of us would say that to make physical changes, we must begin with our body.

But what part do the spirit and soul play?

In 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Paul prays, "May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless..." You are a spirit who has a soul and you live in a body. Your soul consists of your mind, will and emotions.

What's on your mind? It's estimated that we think about 60,000 thoughts per day at a speed of 600-800 words per minute. Do you find your thoughts consistently running along positive paths or negative ones? When something bad happens do you think or say, "It figures. Nothing good ever happens to me."

Or do you say, "You know what? I'm not moved by this because God said in Psalm 34 that 'Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all,' so we're coming out of this one, too."

In More Jams Than Smuckers?

While quoting scripture out of your mouth may be new to you, it's certainly better than quoting many of the slogans the world hands us. "If it feels good, do it" has landed people in more jams than Smuckers. How about the woeful outlook of "Murphy's law" which says if anything can go wrong it probably will.

Why are people who quote God's Word called extremists and fanatics while those who quote Murphy's Law are considered realists who are just "telling it like it is?"

Does God "Tell it like it is"?

Did you know God never told us to "tell it like it is?" In fact, if that were the way God operated, creation would not have happened.

Imagine if God had stepped out into the black void of space and said, "Hey it sure is dark out here." It would still be dark! What God says is truth. He cannot lie.

God chose not to "tell it like it is." Instead He "calls those things which do not exist as though they did" (Romans 4:17).

He used His Word and said, "Let there be light." And there was light. (In Hebrew, the words are translated, "Light be!" in Genesis 1:3.)

Since we're made in the image of God and Ephesians 5:1 tells us to be "imitators of God as dear children," doesn't it make sense to say what God says instead of what the enemy and the world say?

Become a Nonconformist!

Run a WWJD check on your mind and mouth today. Are you thinking and speaking in line with what God's Word says about the situation—or what the world, circumstances or the enemy have to say?

If you want to "prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God" for your life, become a nonconformist! You can decide you won't allow yourself to be "conformed to this world," its thoughts and ways of doing things—and you can "be transformed by the renewing of your mind" on the Word of God.

Read and speak scriptures aloud—especially God's promises to you about who you are in Christ and the victorious life the Lord has for you in Him. You'll start to be transformed.

The book of Ephesians is a great place to start, especially all of the "in Christ" and "in Him" scriptures.

Start Looking in a New Mirror

Thinking and speaking God's words and thoughts will change you. Your faith will grow as you hear the Word of God. You will begin to see yourself in a new light, a new mirror: the Word of God. It will become easier for you to encourage and bring hope to others, for you'll begin to know that the Lord can help them.

Situations that used to baffle you will become easier to understand. Health and fitness issues will also become easier to solve, for godly fitness is tied more to the development of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22,23) than any diet or exercise routine.

Look at yourself in the mirror of God's Word today. You will LOVE the way you look—in Him.

Adapted from BASIC Steps to Godly Fitness by Laurette Willis, Harvest House Publishers.

Note: One of the things people have told us they enjoy about PraiseMoves is being able to recite and meditate on Scripture during their workout. A number of you have told us you are not only remembering so much more of the Word than you ever have before, but that knowing more of the Bible has changed you and enhanced your relationship with the Lord. Glory to God!!!

To learn more about the new PraiseFast program, and get my free "Fit Favorites Devotional" and PraiseMoves FitNews, visit www.PraiseMoves.com.