On last week, our Thought of the Week was on our need to EXERCISE! Now while we all know the importance of our physical health, our discussion was not about exercising for the mere sake of our physical health, but we began to expound on the need to nurture ourselves spiritually. We must both accept and realize that there is some stress and strain that we might find ourselves in, that not even the best cardio routine or a walk around the track can help us to sweat off. For many of us, when we workout, it brings about a sense of accomplishment. It soothes us and helps us to release some of the frustrations that we might have been feeling. It even helps some of us to alleviate the weight that we might have been carrying. However, after cooling down, how often do you find that the same issues that you tried to ignore by working out, are still saying, "Hey, Hey, Hey!"? These same issues are still cha-cha sliding all over your faith, hope, and ability to trust God. You move left and they cha-cha to the right. You move right and they cha-cha to the left. You move to the front, and they slide to the back, because these trials are determined to keep you cornered. Every time you think you have slid away from them and try to move in the opposite direction, they are right there waiting. If you've been cha-cha sliding with issues, trials, and drama that you don't care to entertain, seems to me that this is going to take a different type of workout. You are going to have to EXERCISE for the PRIZE!

 

We sometimes find ourselves in need of some spiritual cardio. First, let's talk about cardio in a natural sense:

 

What exactly is cardio exercise?

 

Cardio exercise is also known as aerobics. The term aerobic is defined as:

• requiring of or the use of oxygen

• using oxygen to meet energy demands during exercise via aerobic metabolism

 

Cardio exercise is:

• when one repeats sequences of light to moderate intensity for set periods of extended time

• cardio exercise involves using the repetitive contraction of large muscle groups to get your heart beating faster

 

Cardio helps to strengthen our heart and blood vessels and improve the flow of oxygen in our body.

 

Now Let's Explore our Spiritual Health

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"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."                                                                                                                                           -Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)

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Running is seen as one of the best forms of cardio but let's be honest, while running is known to be beneficial, it sometimes feels like it sucks all of the air out of us. In the same sense, if we were to be just as honest, keeping our eyes fixed on God, in order to win the race, at times feels like it sucks all of the air out of us. However, we know for a fact that our ability to remain focused on God is beneficial.

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No matter where we look or where we turn it seems like something is always in the way. It at times feels like we can't catch a break. And because of the persistence of these distractions, our faith and trust in God is weakened. And along with that, our ability to not waver and to resist sin and temptations might also become weakened. For some of us, we lose our endurance to give our burdens to God. Many of us lose our ability to cast all of our cares upon Him. Many of us begin to bend in whatever direction our situations take us. We must train ourselves to be just as persistent as the distractions and trials that taunt us. WE MUST RUN!

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RUNNING WITH PERSERVERENCE                 

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Now while physical running is a form of natural cardio, spiritual running involves a different type of running. Spiritual running is a cardio exercise in itself as it requires a repeated step of sequences of the large muscle groups. It requires a repeated sequence of:

• Praying

• Fasting

• Praising

• Worship

• Reading the Word

• Relationship with God

• Believing 

• Trust

• Faith

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It is through these things that we are able to persevere as Hebrews instructs us. It is through these things that we are able to keep our eyes on God. It is through these things that we can better resist the sins, temptations, and distractions that come to attack and weigh us down.

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Body Goals?                                              

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We may all have that person that we look at and go, "That's the type of body I want." We call them Body Goals. There are people whose workout regimen you might follow if there are particular physical features that they have that you want to develop your physique into looking like. Whether it be the definition or muscle tone of someone's arms or legs, a waist size, or maybe their overall build, you notice the physical features of that certain individual and it may either make you want to get in shape like them and if you were to be honest might even make you blush. We might put a picture of this individual on our phone, vision board, or screensaver as inspiration for what we are trying to accomplish as it concerns our own body and physical health goals.

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As it concerns a person with an outstanding spiritual physique, we have one of the greatest examples of spiritual strength to follow. He is the greatest runner of all time. The only REAL G.O.A.T., although everyone wants the claim to the title. You don't have to have a social media account to follow him. You can look at his workout plan and discover his bio simply by opening not a fitness magazine, but by opening the Word of God, the Holy Bible. And in case you still don't know who I'm referring to, I can guarantee you that you know his name. Some call him Emmanuel, the Son, Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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Jesus has the greatest title in heavyweight history and is the only one to receive such a title. We call it a CROWN. Jesus is known for his overcoming the greatest fight of all time. They thought that they had killed him. They thought it was a TKO! But in 3 days, Jesus made HIStory. He simply ROSE! What would have been impossible for man, was "simple" to Jesus (although gained through pain, turmoil, and persecution). The term simple is not suggesting that what Jesus endured was not difficult. It is not suggesting that what Jesus endured was a piece of cake. The term simple is being used to emphasize the fact that nothing is impossible for Jesus and that he had the power to do what could not and can't ever be done by any other earthly being regardless of their earthly power, authority, or strength. What is difficult for us will never be too hard for the Father neither the Son. 

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Many people downplayed the ability of the Son. They did not think that he had it in him to do what his Father did. His Father was a record breaker. His Father was known to be unmatched in every aspect of life. Actually, His Father was rightfully labeled, an undefeatable champion. God did not play the game, but He invented it, which means that we are all bound by His rules. And while others try to pretend that they are greater than God, they always lose.

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Jesus' Father holds all titles. Therefore, it was hard for people to believe that the Son could do the same. His Father was always known as the greatest. Not everyone had access to Him. But the Son, Jesus, came along and from humble beginnings begin to become known to man. Because of where Jesus was born and who he rolled with, many could not understand how Jesus could possibly be powerful like the one whom he claimed to be his Father. People believed him to be merely the son of Joseph, but him being the Son of God, the one who created the heavens and the earth, many could not accept.

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Through being tested in the wilderness, ostracized in his own hometown, disowned, rejected, mocked, degraded, blasphemed, shamed, betrayed, and persecuted, Jesus stayed focused. He kept his faith. He kept fighting. He kept trusting. He kept believing, running, and training. Jesus prayed, fasted, praised, worshipped, rooted himself in the Word, and did not turn away from God. Jesus although the Son, still took the time to nurture his relationship with God. And most importantly, HE BELIEVED IN WHO HE WAS AND WHO GOD CALLED HIM TO BE.

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No matter what man said, Jesus' focus and attention remained fixed on what God said, what God commanded of him, and what God desired of him. Jesus endured intense training, gaining discipline and maintaining and perfecting a regimen that allowed him to endure the cross.

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Even when Jesus felt persecuted, he forgave. When he for that very brief moment felt like God had abandoned and forsaken him, he still submitted to God's will. Jesus was going to relentlessly follow God's plan even if his life depended on it (which it did).

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In Matthew 27:45-46 (NIV), we read, "From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?'(which means 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?')".

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Sometimes even when we do all that we are supposed to do, even when we partake in our full spiritual regimen, we might still find ourselves in an afternoon of darkness. We might still find ourselves in a place in which we are racked with pain, despair, and discouragement, because it feels like God has left us. We might all at some point find ourselves in a space in which it feels like God has done that thing that He promised us that He would never do if we stood, exercised our faith, believed, and submitted to Him. We might feel like God has forsaken us.

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We see that even Jesus, the one who was perfect in all his ways, still had this moment in which this very natural emotion hit him. As he hung, the agony penetrated him. And it was not because of what man had done to him that caused him to feel forsaken, but it was because for the very first time, Jesus felt like God was not with him. For the very first time he felt separated from God.

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Jesus never had it easy, but he always had his relationship with God. Through his relationship with God, he felt connected, and within this connection, he felt God's love, warmth, assurance,support,  and His covering. But in that moment on the cross, because Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for all of our sins, although he was perfect, God had to allow Jesus to feel what any "true sinner" would have felt had they been the one hanging on that cross. Jesus had to feel separated from the very one who chose him to become heir to the throne.

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God had to allow Jesus to feel what it meant to be separated from Him. And if you've ever been there, it is not a pretty feeling. Jesus, though it might have hurt, had mastered overcoming the opinions and persecution of man in his natural life as he walked the earth. Before arriving to the cross all the way up to the point of being hung upon it, although beaten and bruised this was indeed painful but even so, that is not what spiritually moved him. What made Jesus feel forsaken was the feeling that God had left his side. Jesus called out to God not from a point of Son to Father but from a perspective of person to God. At this point he had become "sinner" crying out to God as such.

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Here's what we must understand, and this is why we must not lose sight of what's at work in our darkest hour. Let's read Luke 23:44-46 and examine the following details: "It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.  Jesus called out with a loud voice, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.' When he had said this, he breathed his last" (NIV).

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First of all, if we examine this account of the crucifixion, it does not just describe darkness, but it states that the sun stopped shining. Why is that significant? Well in Genesis 1:3-5, it states, "And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.  God called the light 'day,' and the darkness he called 'night.' And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day" (NIV).

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God created both light and darkness. God and God alone controls it. Let's not take this account lightly. It states that the sun stopped shining. Now we know that it was day because the accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, all tell us so. However, God brought about the darkness although it was day. This darkness was not just symbolic of God's anger and wrath against those who persecuted Jesus. This darkness also reflected Jesus' suffering. It reflected Jesus' feelings of what he was enduring. However, we must also realize that this darkness represented purpose. It was within this darkness that prophecy was fulfilled.  While this darkness filled the land, the curtains of the temple were torn in two. It was during this darkness that the purpose was fulfilled. The veil was torn in two which meant that we were no longer separated from God. It meant that God no longer only dwelled in manmade temples, but He now dwelled within us. We now had personal access to God. It was in this darkness that the ultimate sacrifice, the one and only final sacrifice, was made on our behalf.

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Understand that darkness is not always a punishment. Sometimes your darkness is nothing more than God separating you from the things that bind you so that you can be purposed. At times the darkness is nothing more than God separating you from those things that bind you so that you can fulfill what He has called you to do. And just as Jesus yielded and submitted to God's will, just as he exercised his devotion, just as he exercised his faith and trust in God to complete what God called him to do, we must do the same.

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Jesus had every reason to feel forsaken in that moment. As he walked the earth, from our human perspectives, we could understand if he became discouraged, tired, angry, disappointed, and every other emotion that he felt, because he was in a space in which he constantly was expected to prove who he was. Jesus was constantly tested by man. Jesus even had a wilderness experience. Jesus had many of the same natural experiences that we all wrestle with. However, he did not lose sight of his purpose.

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In you explore the Word of God, you will find that there were moments in which Jesus' discipline caused him to separate himself and be alone so that he could pray, rest, and focus on what he was called to do. Jesus had to bear a cross before physically bearing the cross. Even Jesus' disciples who moved alongside him had their issues which could have caused him to walk away from it all. Even his own disciples did not always get what he did or why he did it. But they were human. They were not perfect. And Jesus accepted that. Jesus understood their human error and flaws and tried to correct them as much as he could. Jesus taught them what they needed to know so that they too could be contenders. Regardless of his very human thoughts, feelings, and emotions, Jesus stood in the midst of it all. Jesus recognized and acknowledged man for who man was and kept his focus on his purpose. Jesus kept his eyes on God. If there is anybody's workout regimen that we should follow as it concerns our spiritual health, Jesus' is the first to follow. He is our example without flaw.

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Now for those who still have a hard time seeing Jesus as being completely human because he was perfect and without sin and for those who still have a hard time grasping that being the Son of God did not make overcoming what Jesus overcame easy, let's reflect on the spiritual cardio plans of a few other individuals that might be beneficial to you. And none of them are perfect!

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When it comes to being consistent in prayer and praise and being firmly rooted in a belief of the omnipotence of God, with a strong reverence for Him, there is a Hebrew boy by the name of Daniel whose cardio plan helped him to enter a lions' den and walk out without blemish or harm.

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When it comes to standing firm in faith, having an unwavering commitment to God, having a firm belief in the dominion and power of God, and having a bold and relentless reverence and worship of God, we have the undefeatable team known as the Hebrew Boys, which includes Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendego. Their faith in God made them fireproof. They went into a fiery furnace bound and came out unbound with not even the smell of smoke upon them.

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This contender was one like no other. Prayer, praise, worship, a firm belief and reverence for the omniscience, omnipotence, dominion, and sovereignty of God, and a strong and relentless dependency and relationship with God, was the regimen of that little shepherd boy, but MIGHTY WARRIOR, that we know as King David. And if Jesus seemed too perfect for you to relate to, David was an adulterer and murderer. However, he repented and never turned back from doing God's will. Even in the midst of his mistake, he acknowledged who God was and understood and believed in God's saving grace. No matter what David faced, he praised his way through. No matter how distressed he found himself, he trusted God to do what he knew man could not do. David trusted God to direct his paths and did not contemplate whether he should follow. David never wavered from his calling. When David fell short, he knew how to grab hold to God, repent, and get back in the game and simply WIN!

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And consider Paul, the apostle, once a persecutor to the saints. But after choosing to follow God and dedicating himself to God, he was disciplined. Paul stayed in his word. He spread the gospel of Christ. He shared his testimony to all that would listen and even those that might not have cared to hear it. Paul stayed in fasting and prayer. Paul nurtured his relationship with God, and he intently disciplined and nurtured his spirit. Paul understood the importance of spiritual nourishment. Paul did not run from opposition but because he trusted in God, he often knowingly walked straight into it. Paul feared no one because he understood that God was greater. Paul understood that suffering was part of the race of champions.

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Our spiritual cardio, our spiritual running, is going to vary depending on what we are training for and what obstacles we must overcome. Depending on the particulars of our personal race, our focal areas may be different. However, they will all consist of some of the same use of muscles listed within this post. And depending on what we are facing, there are certain muscles that must be strengthened and exercised more than others. If we reflect on the contenders that we focused on, the one thing that they all had which we must fight to also have is a relentless trust and faith in who God is and what God can do. 

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How Bad Do You Want It? (THE PRIZE)!                 

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There is something that is of interest...

 

We might all have celebrities or public figures that we admire. Many of us might have individuals whose physique we would like to have. Many of us might have characters from movies or literature who inspire us. BUT WHAT ABOUT BIBLICAL HEROES? Who in the bible are you crushing on? Who in the bible would you like to be like? And here comes the aha moment!...

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The truth is that not too many of us want to be like anyone in the bible because they had to go through TOO MUCH to become who they were. Many of us easily and relentlessly aspire to be like the superstars of the world, whose real lives we won't ever know about unless they end up on the news. And even then, are their full stories ever really told?  Many of us admire the fame of celebrities and the access that they have. And social media shows us that far too often, there are many individuals who will do whatever it takes to become like these said celebrities.​ There are people who will sacrifice whatever they have to sacrifice in order to become known and accepted by man, making them social media verified. However, while we might admire the story of many of the heroes of the bible, while we might admire, honor, and be inspired by their faith, courage, strength, sacrifice, perseverance, and their faith and trust in God, not too many of us want to be like them.

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It is quite easy to understand why none of us would want to choose to have to go through the turmoil that these biblical heroes went through, but my question is why is it so easy for people to willingly endure trials, catastrophes, and drama, in order to be like the celebrities of the world, or to become famous and receive social media verification, yet no one wants to endure for the sake of pleasing God and becoming verified by God? The truth is that, even those who find themselves choosing celebrity life over biblical life may not know the answer.

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One difference is that celebrity life even when faced with scandal and undeniable drama still paints a picture of success, wealth, and things that appease us. Celebrity life paints an unrealistic pleasantry that nurtures many of our fleshly desires. People who are struggling won't mind celebrity drama versus the drama of trying to figure out how to pay for tuition, mortgage, doctor bills, car insurance, and all the other expenses that it seems like everyone is struggling to pay. There are many individuals who believe that money can't buy happiness, but they still want a personal attempt to test it out for themselves.

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From our human perspective, those biblical examples don't satisfy our flesh although they nurture our spirits. We see that the men and women of the bible had to sacrifice some things, they had to lose some things, give up some things, overcome some things, and be torn apart by some things. But upon enduring it all, they then received thrones, land, pastures, wealth, and all kinds of reward from God. God blessed them above measure. And while we all want to be blessed like them, not many of us want a chance to test it out.

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We want the inheritance of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with a test that could be passed by the Three Little Pigs. We can undergo some huffing, and some puffing, but by the time our houses get blown down we are in our feelings and find ourselves one step from walking away from God telling Him to "kick rocks", not realizing that it will only get us one step closer to "the belly of the whale". Even if in our honesty it does not feel like the darkness is worth it, we must rest assured in the fact that when God turns things dark for His purpose, it is always worth it even if we truthfully never want to have to endure that darkness again. Jesus had his moment of darkness, but our King now has all power and authority in his hands. And no matter what any of us will ever have to endure it will never compare to Christ's bearings.

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As it concerns our spiritual cardio, what we must also understand is that just as with our natural workout plans and our natural bodies, we will not always see instant results. Jesus did EVERYTHING RIGHT! Yet, he still had to endure.

 

Jesus was around 30 years old when he started his ministry. Let's really reflect on that. God promised the coming of a Messiah and from the time that He made that promise, spoke to Mary through an angel, sent an angel to Joseph causing him to accept Jesus as his son, allowed Mary to give birth to Jesus, and allowed Jesus to start his ministry, this was nowhere between a skip and a hop. We are talking about time that many of us would not have had the ability to count or keep track of.

 

Promise does not happen overnight. You are not going to see instant results as soon as you become dedicated to prayer, praise, worship, relationship with God, and all those other things that are part of exercising our spiritual health. Jesus had to walk the earth, go through trials, be crucified, die, rise, and NOW HE SITS ON A THRONE. His reward was not instant although the promise was automatic.

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Just as natural cardio strengthens our heart and helps our oxygen to flow, our spiritual cardio, our Praying, Fasting, Praising, Worship, Reading the Word, Relationship with God, Believing, Trusting and Having Faith, strengthens our spirit when it becomes weak. It helps us to breathe when we feel like we are being suffocated by life.

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Committing to exercise for the sake of our natural health is never easy. Neither is committing ourselves to God for the sake of our spiritual health. However, while it is not easy, it is indeed possible. And you have a bible full of spiritual fitness experts to look to for inspiration. However, God and God alone is the one who you must allow to lead and guide you. Allow His Spirit to lead yours.

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Life itself can be rough! And trying to survive life without God is even harder! Whatever you do, don't become complacent as it concerns your spiritual health because while you might be able to make it throughout life without physically working out or having an exercise regimen for your physical body, you MUST nurture your spiritual health. You must nurture your spirit with the things of God, or it will become vexed, weakened, and confused, which will eventually cause you to yield to the sins, temptations, and distractions that are auditioning to take the lead role in your life.

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No matter how much easier it is to throw in the towel, REMEMBER THE PRIZE and adjust your focus ACCORDINGLY. I can't make you any promises, but I can tell you with the upmost assurance that ANYTHING THAT YOU DO FOR THE WILL OF GOD will always result in a WIN WIN! You do want to win, DON'T YOU? Then what are you waiting for, WORK IT OUT! We are HEIRS of the one and only G.O.A.T.