prioritizing spiritual fitness

ask me what my hobbies are and i'll pretty much repeat the same things..diving into the Word + doing devotions, spending time with family, hanging out friends, and ALL things health + fitness related. however, that question would have been answered very differently years ago. while I was battling orthorexia and exercise obsession, my main hobby and only interest was working out and attempting to get fit (which led to an unhealthy obsession). many times I chose the gym or working out over special occasions, events and church. thank God I was healed. thank God for finding BALANCE. 

1 timothy 4:8. paul says it best: “physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”

as a personal trainer + fitness professional, I spend more time in a gym or in group fitness classes than I do at home. I meet and come across people in ALL walks of life. and in all honestly, it always breaks my heart when I see people prioritize their fitness journey above their spiritual journey. my goal as a believer heavily involved in this industry is to make a change. even if it's small. 

now, don't get me wrong..we SHOULD take care of our bodies—our lives depend on it! but it should not be our main focus. why? our eternal life in heaven depends on the state of hearts and minds. our current state of happiness depends on it. our friends + family depend on it. your future kids depends on it. our career and the world around us depends on it. 

SO how do we accomplish this SPIRITUAL fitness?

babes, it's an ongoing journey. however, I promise you (+ I say this with confidence..the end goal will be FAR better than any body shape or muscle tone.) 

here are five steps can help you grow spiritually stronger:

• COMMUNITY: surround yourself with believers + friends that share the same values + beliefs as you. iron sharpens iron.
• PRAYING IN FAITH: pray. pray. pray. pray for boldness. pray for courage. pray for breakthrough. pray for God to highlight thoughts, areas, things in your life for you to work on.
• DAILY DEVOTION: dive into your Word. spend time with God. take notes. read biblical stories. doing this will HELP you apply it to your everyday life. 
• ACTION STEPS: the same way we build our sets + circuits for our lift sessions or come up with a nutrition plan for the week..we should apply similar habits to our walks of faith in everyday life. for example: this week, I am going to reach out to a friend and forgive them. ​
• ACCOUNTABILITY: similar to the first bullet point. having an accountability partner to keep you in check is key. the same way we have workout buddies + friends, why not have that same perspective with your spiritual walk? 

a STRONG, FIT relationship with God requires effort. How much are YOU willing to put into it?

xo,
Pegs

---