Overcome 3 Mistakes Christians Make With Fitness

What Does The Bible Say About Fitness?

This is one of the most important blogs and episodes I’ve ever done because many Christians don't know what the Bible says about fitness.

I find it interesting that fitness is so separate from the Christian life, don't you? And I don’t think it’s an accident. 

Have ever wondered…

• What does the Bible say about fitness? 
• How do I make fitness Christian?
• What if I’m a Christian and I don’t believe it’s biblical to take care of myself?

Today’s message is for you! I will give you scriptures and help you get answers that give you clarity, which creates peace and results in your life. I made a Freebie for you too! You can get it here, Get 25 Faith-Filled Quotes to Motivate Your Fitness!

Let’s dive in!

Does God Want You To Be Fit?

Okay let’s be honest, have you ever wondered deep down in your heart if God wants you to be fit, if is it okay to be fit, and what the Bible says about this? 

Let me tell you a story. When I first wanted to get healthy I was in a very desperate place. My dad almost died from heart disease and I was overweight, unhealthy, and had tested high for cholesterol. I was only 30 and a fairly new Christian. I got baptized at 27. 

In my desperation to find answers, I was led to believe that fitness was vain and that God didn’t care about my health or my goals to lose weight and get my cholesterol down. This caused me so much confusion. I thought wait, who is this Jesus I read about who says He loves me and the Bible that tells me I am fearfully and wonderfully made and that I am to glorify God in my body.

In my confusion and panic, I went to the bookstore and bought every magazine I could about how to get healthy. I ended up doing fitness without God because I was made to think that He didn’t care about it.

That was 25 years ago and the person I am today knows the truth and has to share it!

There are a lot of Christians who do fitness without God and there are a lot of Christians who think fitness is ungodly, but neither of these is right, and I will explain why.

Is Fitness Christian? Overcome 3 Mistakes Christian’s Make With Fitness

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1. If you are a Christian but you have not made God, the God of your fitness you could be doing fitness the worldly way and worldly means without God.

Many Christians go to church on Sunday but work out throughout the week in the world. I did it and I know the difference. It looks like this, you motivate yourself with worldly music, body part photos, challenges, diets, even competitions, but there never seems to be enough motivation, and the results if they come – don’t last and worst of all, they don’t satisfy. 

I can remember the year I was on 14 mag covers and I was still unhappy with my body. It’s because I had not recognized that God wanted all of me. Even my fitness to be completely surrendered to Him!

One day this scripture hit me hard…

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

You know that saying, you will know them by their fruit and to be a fruit inspector well, fitness in the flesh is rotten fruit. 

Here’s the takeaway:

For Jesus' followers we can do nothing, not our marriages, raising our children, looking for a husband, or a job, trying to figure out what to eat, finding peace with our bodies, or our fitness without Jesus.

So, my question to you is have you surrendered your fitness to God? 

He is the answer you have been missing! Surrender means you recognize that you can do nothing apart from God, but you can do all things in His strength! And it’s so easy, all you have to do is say God I’m surrendering this to you. I can’t do this on my own. I need you.

What a comfort!

2. If you’re a Christian and you have not made God, the God of your fitness, you could be making your body, your weight, macro split, and or your fitness goals or competition or even trying to look like you used to an idol.

I have received countless emails from people who have had this realization after one of my courses and once they did it changed everything. When they confessed to God, asked for forgiveness, and began seeking Him first, that’s when everything changed.

And I know this to be true. It is when we follow Matthew 6:33 that we find the power we’ve been missing, the peace we long for, and the results we prayed for. It’s only in Jesus!

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

When we seek God in everything first, we have power and ability far beyond our own. The Word tells us Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

So, my question to you today is will you make God the God of your fitness by seeking Him first?

Exodus 20:3 tells us, “You shall have no other gods before Me.”

Now I’m going to switch gears and discuss what I mentioned earlier. How I find it interesting that fitness is so separate from the Christian life and I don’t think it’s an accident. 

John 10:10 says, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.”

And I know the enemy preys on women hard regarding their bodies. It is not an accident that you have certain insecurities or issues with your fitness, they can either be the road to Jesus or the road to misery with the enemy.

For these reasons, we need to fully surrender our fitness, body image, and eating to God and seek Him first in it. This is a daily surrender and seeking, and when we do this we spot the enemy. This is not a perfection project, but a grace-filled walk with Jesus!

3. If you’re a Christian and you have not made God, the God of your fitness, you could be believing that fitness is all vanity and you don’t have to take care of your body.

Perhaps you were taught like I was that fitness is vain or God doesn’t care about the weight you want to lose to be healthy or so you can get off medications, generational diseases or help you feel better, sleep better, or be a better role model for your children.

I understand that there is much confusion surrounding this so let’s go to the Word to understand where the confusion comes from and clear it up!

When I have talked to some Churches about sharing about Fit God's Way, they often quote this scripture saying God doesn't care about our health and fitness and it’s vain! 

1 Timothy 4:8 - “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”

They focus on the word, little and that’s just what it is in comparison to our spiritual fitness but that doesn't mean we should categorically ignore it.

And... I’m over here thinking you have an entire congregation of people who love Jesus and need answers to their health. What about the children? Lord knows they need better answers to their health and body image than fast food and TikTok! 

What about the Moms who don’t know the importance of taking care of themselves? So, they turn to worldly answers and they can't find peace and security in their bodies, or what about the men who need to know that taking care of themselves is vital to their health?

As Christians, we know that everything starts with God and family and our world needs this now more than ever!

In my research, Your Questions Biblical Answers explains that physical fitness is important, and as this verse states, it does have some value. We are physical and spiritual beings, and the condition of the physical body undeniably can impact the spirituality of a person. Surely part of “glorifying God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20) is keeping it in reasonably good physical condition.

You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

And it goes on to point out something important that I discussed.

Does taking care of yourself glorify God? If it is done to increase fitness, strength, and tone, and thereby health, yes, it can be done for God’s glory. If it is done out of vanity and pride, or from an unhealthy obsession no, it does not glorify God. At the same time, as with many things in this life, if taken to the extreme, can become an idol. (1 Samuel 16:7; Ecclesiastes 1:2; 1 Peter 3:4)

Once we allow our physical appearance to become more important than our relationship with God, it has become an idol (1 John 5:21).

And what about the other side, what about not taking care of ourselves at all?

Your Questions Biblical Answers shares, Jesus taught us to seek a balance between the physical and the spiritual: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Striving for balance in our eating habits—and balancing our physical needs with our spiritual necessities—requires wisdom.

Weight loss requires more than simply desiring to lose weight. It’s possible to desire something and never attain it. In the Christian life, we must make decisions that “take off the old self” and “put on the new self” (Ephesians 4:22–24). Similarly, to attain a balance in our diet, we must put aside old habits and develop new ones.*

The question we all need to ask ourselves is have we invited God into our lives, to be our Lord and Savior over every detail, including our fitness? And our we stewarding our bodies to bring Him glory or are there areas where we have extremes that need to be repented of?

What do you picture when you think of the word fit? Did you know that fit means well?  believe that’s what God wants for us to be well in our mind, body, and soul.

 

Faith Fuel

"Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul." (3 John 1:2 ESV)

"Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8 AMP)  

Before you go, Get 25 Faith-Filled Quotes to Motivate Your Fitness!

Remember, you are Strong. Confident. His.

References

*https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-weight-loss.html 

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