WORKOUT WEDNESDAY
Joyce Meyer
I have experienced first hand, the struggles of an unhealthy lifestyle. I didn’t feel good about myself early in life. I was sexually abused and overweight in childhood. By the time I was 18 years old, I had physical problems – colon problems due to stress. I would gain my worth and value through work, and had migraines and problems with my monthly cycle. In my late 30s, I had breast cancer. Even when I started Ministry, I was not taking care of myself properly. During this time, I didn’t understand why God wasn’t protecting my health. I was breaking God’s laws of health and rest and He wasn’t giving me a special pass that excused me from reaping what I was sowing. One day, I stumbled upon a nutrition book that changed the course of my life. It helped me get on the path to health. I decided to take steps to take care of myself mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
I was struggling to lose weight. I tried everything from dieting to getting help from my doctor, but nothing seemed to work. I took this problem to God and He told me to eat the necessary foods and exercise regularly. Church Gist. One of the foundations of true health is having a relationship with God, who is able to guide you and tell you what to do but the part where people seem to struggle is waiting for God to do the things he has guided them to do. God will not do what you are supposed to do by yourself. With this understanding, I got to work and started exercising to lose weight, taking vitamins, got a personal trainer and practised mindful eating. Being able to exercise regularly made me feel good about myself; I became more effective in Ministry. I was no longer sluggish, was smarter, lighter, can go for hours preaching and praying, thinking clearly and taking care of others. Church Gist. From my experience, I decided that people needed to adopt this lifestyle because their lives would be better and they would be able to serve God effectively. I began to write books on health and preach about it.
Eating healthy and exercising affects spiritual health. Jesus did not come for a part of us, he came to restore the whole entire being. I Thessalonians 5:23. Church Gist. Most of the times we think we should do whatever we wish with our bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19 When you don’t feel good, it is easier to get angry, harder to pray and hear from God. To think our bodies do not affect our spiritual being is totally wrong. Sometimes, we ask God to heal us from that disease but all we need to do is practice exercising and eating right. A lot of times when God does something, he gives us what to do as well but we miss that part and expect God to do everything for us. It takes a lot of energy to do Ministry and serve God effectively. To do the study, travelling, taking care of people and so on.
In January 2016, I prayed to God to give me more energy and shortly after that, I got a desire to start walking for exercise. In the last 6 months, I have walked 950 miles and lost 17 pounds. It is usually a great time to pray and be by myself and it takes me an hour and a half but it is an investment in my future and the call of God upon my life. I feel so much better and look better but God didn’t just zap me with energy. I had to play my part. You might feel good now but you will get older. If you don’t start exercising and eating right, you are spending tomorrow’s health. You are using up today what you might not have tomorrow and then you will say “I wish I could have”, but then it will be too late. You need to exercise, move more like taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Church Gist. People are too convenience oriented. Take care of yourself. Invest in yourself. I have a personal trainer that comes to take me 2-3 times per week, I get adequate sleep, drink lots of water, take daily vitamins and exercise daily even when my personal trainer is not with me.
We need to do the best with what God has given us. God cares about your internal spirit, and looking nice is a reflection of a happy, healthy internal state.I believe that we can overcome certain illnesses by doing simple things like eating right, getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, and exercising. You cannot serve God effectively without taking care of your body.
Dania Eunice for Church Gist
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