1 Corinthians 9: 25-27 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things.  They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.  So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.  But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Have you ever seen someone who is just in incredibly good shape?  I mean, they are so physically fit that they could do the most extreme workouts like they were nothing!  They are lean and pretty much solid muscle, they have that physically fit and healthy body that most of us would love to have no matter what our age is!  They didn’t get there by mistake!  They didn’t just wake up one morning with a “6-pack” for abs!  It was an intentional journey!  He/She took one day at a time, making the right choices and concentrating on the disciplines they knew it would take in order to get them to where they are today!

Your spiritual walk is the same way!  You have to take one day at a time, making the right choices and exerting your self-discipline over your desires!  You must choose to be intentional in all that you do!  Allowing yourself to hold on to those “little” sins in life is like working out every day as you eat a dozen donuts ~ you may get there eventually and lose your desire for the “donuts”, but it is going to take a whole lot longer!  Get rid of it, is it really worth hanging on to? Find ways to enjoy it by making your time a special time with God, find a quiet place, and grab some coffee or tea and maybe your favorite snack, I remember when my kids were little I used to buy Pepperidge Farms Milano Cookies and hide them so I could keep those to myself, hahaha, (those kids ate everything). This is time we all need to become really good at guarding, so do whatever it takes! Our families need to know that we need time with God so we can become what He created us to be and it is in their best interest as well. We will all be better on every level if we do NOT neglect our time with Him. Treat it as special as you would if you were having a friend over. This is your special time alone with the God of All and you are trying to absorb everything He is teaching you ~ you don’t want to miss a thing. It may take getting up an hour later or staying up an hour later, but it is so worth it!

Exercising self-discipline and choosing to be intentional, taking responsibility for all that you do, in every area of your life is what will bring the fastest growth and results in your life!  It takes setting your mind and not wavering!  Setting some realistic goals, for example, maybe you aren’t reading your Bible at all right now, you read a few Devotions, but you don’t have real individual time with Him alone or maybe it is your prayer life ~  start by just reading one verse and praying for just 2 minutes.  Open your Bible up to the Psalms, Proverbs, or the Gospel of John and just read one verse and determine to do it every day for a month.  If you are already past reading one verse, read one chapter a day.  Constantly strive to do a little more.  Challenge yourself to take your spiritual growth more seriously than you ever have and watch how it changes everything else in your life!

Exercise, no matter how you look at it, is intentional, whether you are working your abs or you are building your walk with God.  It isn’t going to just happen on its own!  There is nothing more important to achieve in life than a close walk with Him!  The best is only yet to come if we start by making good and right choices today!

Quote: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”  Chinese Proverb