What is it that is stopping you from exercising?
Well, maybe you just need to do the right kind of exercise.
Today, I want to share with you how to focus your Soul and your spirit in the right place. Because then you will be able to do anything.
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Intro
Did you know that your soul hates exercise? Why is that? Well, I’m going to talk about it today.
Hello and welcome back to the Ministry Corner. Don’t you hate it when you want to do something but you also don’t want to do it? Has that happened to you? It happens to me all the time.
It’s a strange contradiction because you think I want to do this but yet somehow in your soul, in your mind, you’re thinking you want to do it but you really don’t feel like doing it. Well, there’s a reason for that and I want to talk about it with you today because I’ve been having this experience lately and I want to just share a simple principle with you. Do you like exercise? Do you like to do physical exercise? I’m sure that you hate doing physical exercise.
If you’re normal, unless you’re one of those exercise junkies who really just loves getting in there and doing stuff and I think you’re a bit abnormal but that’s besides the point. If you don’t like exercise, you might be happy to find out that the scripture agrees with you. You see because in 1 Timothy 4:8 it says,
1 Timothy 4:8 For discipline of the body has little advantage: but godliness has every advantage, holding the promise of a full [zoe] life in your present circumstances, and also in what is coming in the future. [GBMV]
So, you might think:
“Well the scripture agrees with me!”
But you see it goes a lot deeper than that and that’s what I want to share with you today. It’s not about the physical exercise, it’s about your soul. You see because your soul is the control tower and your soul can choose if it wants to listen to your body or if it wants to listen to your spirit.
The Source of Life
It talks here about godliness and a full zoe life. How do you live the zoe life? The zoe life is the life in the spirit, it’s the life that comes from deep inside of you. That is the real life, that is the life that makes you satisfied and gives you purpose in life, makes you want to go on.
But you see often we focus on the physical, we focus on what we’re doing in the physical, we focus on succeeding in work, in your life, in your relationships or being successful in money and circumstances. And you know you can be very successful in that and still be unsatisfied and still not be living the zoe life that god has for you. But you see there’s actually nothing wrong with those things.
The problem is when you focus on those things and you know everything starts in your spirit deep within you. Your spirit is where the power comes from, that’s where the zoe life is. Everything is deep down inside there but sometimes you’re living your life and you’re not experiencing that.
You’re not experiencing peace in your spirit, you’re not experiencing that life that you should be living. But you know it starts in your spirit and it starts with you choosing to exercise your spirit first. You see because there’s actually nothing wrong with physical exercise, there’s nothing wrong with trying to succeed in life.
But if you’re trying to do those things when your spirit is not in control then it’s walking in the flesh isn’t it. You know you don’t think of trying to succeed in life or do the right things or exercise even as walking in the flesh but if you think about it, it really is isn’t it. Perhaps you feel unsatisfied with your body so you get in there and exercise to try and make things better.
Well if you are not trusting in the Lord when you do that, that is not walking in faith is it. In fact that is walking in the flesh. When you walk in the flesh you are not in faith.
And the scripture says whatever is not of faith is sin. And what does that mean? That means that when you exercise like that you are actually sinning doesn’t it. It means you are actually sinning and disobeying God.
Focus on Him
I don’t want to make you feel guilty about it because there’s nothing wrong with this. But you see the key is where you focus your mind and your soul. The key is what you focus your priority on.
The scripture says seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you. There is nothing wrong with trying to succeed in your life. There’s nothing wrong with trying to be fit and healthy and exercise but it doesn’t work if you are not first right in the spirit.
It doesn’t work if you don’t first exercise your spirit and your soul and focus them on God. You know when you do that you’ll find it’s amazing. Suddenly all the things you’ve been battling with physically they just seem to fall into place.
My Experience
A couple years ago during COVID I really got stuck into exercise. I really just got in there and I started exercising and I exercised for a whole year almost every day. I was taking only a break on the weekends.
I was exercising and I was trying to get my body right and I was trying to get things in order in my life because I thought if I get things in order physically then I will feel better and I will succeed. And you know it did me really good. It really helped but I didn’t have that peace inside.
I didn’t have that assurance that the Lord is in control. God wants to give you an assurance and a peace in your spirit. It’s not about not doing these things.
It’s not about not exercising. If you love exercising go ahead and do it. If you love working hard go ahead and do it.
How to Do It
But first get your spirit right. First exercise your soul and your spirit. And how do you do that? Well it’s very simple actually to exercise your spirit.
You just take time and pray in tongues and pray and speak to the Lord. And maybe if you’re busy that might seem like it’s really hard but it’s really not that hard to just take five minutes to be with the Lord to just pray in tongues and to wait on him. If you do that today before you start your day each day this week before you start your day just take five minutes just to sit in peace and quiet and talk to the Lord.
Try listening to your spirit. Spend a few minutes just listening in quiet listening to your spirit seeing if you hear his voice and then spend a few minutes praying in tongues and exercising your spirit. You know all you need is just a little bit of exercising of those spiritual muscles and they will begin to grow and you will begin to see suddenly your life comes in order.
Suddenly things start to fall into place. I really struggled for a long time with my soul because I was trying to do physical things. I felt like I had to get going and doing the right things.
But if you get your soul right first your mind and your spirit then all these physical things will fall into place for you. Go out and have a blessed week as you wait on the Lord and as you renew your mind and your spirit and don’t rush it just take your time just take your time to wait on him and be conscious to spend a little bit more time praying spend a little bit more time reading the word.
You’ll be amazed how it will start to transform your life even if you just add five more minutes than usual your life will be changed and you will see a change this week.
I hope this has been a blessing to you and I’ll see you in the next one.
