Faith & Fitness: Week 6

Week 6: SPIRITUAL WARFARE IN FITNESS

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:10-12

There are many temptations in the area of health & fitness.  We already talked about overeating, but there are other extremes as well- working too hard in the gym, possibly to the point of injury or exhaustion, showing pride when we start to reach our goals, and taking dieting to extremes. Exercise and body image can become idols. We should not work out just to look better, but because we are being good stewards of the temple God has given us. If we keep our focus on Christ, and keep everything in moderation, we will bring Him glory. I can easily take things to the extreme & keep the focus on myself & my desire to be thin, but we all need to remember that God is our strength, and we must keep our focus on Him. How easily Satan can get us to turn our attention to ourselves- whether we are meeting our goals or not! You can wallow in self-pity when you don’t see the numbers on the scale moving, or you can thank God that you are doing something good for your health, even if you don’t see results right away. You can be swept up in pride when you meet your goals & are feeling fantastic, or you can thank God because He allowed you to reach those goals.