Faith Exercise is Time Well Spent

Exercising Your Faith 

I recently heard about a young woman in our community who is expecting triplets. She was photographed working out at a local gym on a stair stepper. Not just an ordinary stair stepper but some type of monster machine. My first thought was “look at that machine”. After reading some of the posts and realizing she was expecting triplets I thought again. I was worried. Should she be exercising so strongly? Shouldn’t she be more careful – maybe not exercise at all? 

I shared my thoughts with a friend and she told me that doctors told the pregnant woman to continue her routine. Since she has been exercising like this for years she will be fine. If she hadn’t done this type of exercise and just started up they would not want her to do it. In the photo you could tell she was thoroughly enjoying her strength and the benefits it brought to her for endurance as she prepares to mother three babies. 

We face exercises of the faith all the time. And often we are pregnant with hope and vision for the life of that faith. We know that we want to fulfill everything God has for us. We may even have been given a view of what God has in store for us. We exercise our faith by living every day in the Word and prayer. Then a threat of some type comes along and we’re unsure what to do. Keep going? Keep working out our faith? Our friends see our situation and they want to comfort us. They might even look at us and pronounce doom over us – can she make it through this? Can he keep going on? Will they survive? 

Truth is, we need to be exercising our faith to prepare for the road ahead that we can’t even see. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring but the more we prepare our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, the stronger we will be to face the challenges and make it to the finish line. He has opened up a spiritual gym full of equipment that will give us muscles of strength beyond our natural abilities. We cannot rely on our own flesh to get us through or to keep us going. But we can rely on God’s Word to strengthen us, fit us and prepare us for whatever comes our way. We can’t afford to wait until the big situation hits our lives to prepare. We must make spiritual exercise a part of our daily routine. 

Oh beloved, God wants you to know that He understands the trial of faith you are facing. He understands too that you just want to sit down and quit. The demands of it all are almost too much to bear. You thought you were prepared for anything, but you are in a high endurance situation with almost all your strength used up. He speaks to your heart that now is not the time to give up. This is the time, right in the hardest moment, to find your second wind from Heaven itself. God has given you everything you need to exercise your spiritual muscles not just for endurance, but for winning! You can endure the pain of this present task you are faced with and walk on to the victory circle. In heaven the photograph of your faith walk is being rejoiced over as the Lord Himself roots you on to the end of this hard spot. You are victorious, valiant, achieving, enduring, and winning!

You are victorious in God! You are full of His power and wisdom and courage. He has given you everything you need to keep the faith, stay on course and follow through to victory. God loves you and He’s for you and because of this great and precious promise you can know that the things you are facing are momentary but the finish line you are heading for is given to you by Christ Himself!

James 1:2-4 Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations. Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience. But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing. AMP

Psalm 62:7 On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.

Romans 8:37 Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us. AMP

2 Corinthians 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.

You're an Overcomer

Isn’t it funny how memories show up in the mind at the oddest moments? I was thinking of our trip out west several years ago. We went across Arizona to the Grand Canyon and on to New Mexico with a group of biker friends. It was one of the hardest trips I’ve ever been on. But the scenery was out of this world. I would take nothing for the time we spent, even after Danny and I traveled across Oklahoma by ourselves coming home. Each and every sight and sound is built up in my memory bank. The high altitudes and the magnificent curves, while enjoyable for everyone along, actually made for some unbelievable hardship for me personally. Even so, there were great times along the way and I would go again in a heartbeat. 

That trip came on the heels of a wonderful service Danny and I attended where the speaker came to me and spoke over my life, “You are an overcomer. You may not quite know it yet…” 

As I was thinking about that trip just yesterday, God spoke to my heart. We think that being an overcomer means that we just simply enjoy life and aren’t affected by anything. We don’t get fearful, we don’t wonder if we can make it, we don’t regret the trip we have to take. Almost like taking the easy road. But really an overcomer is one who has gone through the worst, kept going, even at times crawling but making it all the way through. Anyone can start, anyone can enjoy a good time. But an overcomer keeps the course no matter what.

We in Arkansas are overcoming people. We are seeing this by the things that our state has gone through in the recent horrific weather. When hard roads come of any kind, whatever it brings, God’s people keep going. Devastation may hit the child of God but they are not of this world. Troubles may stay on the ground for long hours but God’s people are always, always, always with Him, no matter what. 

Oh beloved, God knows the devastation you are involved in. He knows that you’ve been trying to stay the course and keep keeping on. He wants you to know that you don’t have to have the strength on your own. You are not the keeper of your life, your home, your family, your business, or your ministry. God is. He ordained you to be an overcomer, to survive great odds, to overcome disasters of your faith that seek to sideline you. You may be feeling that you just want to quit, but now is not the time. You may be looking for a safer path, an easier ride or a chance to stop altogether. But God is calling you to continue with Him. You may continue alone but you can keep going. You may feel ostracized, immobilized or terrorized. But God says you are blessed, favored and strong in the power of His might. The road itself may be hard, but the destination will bring peace and rest. 

God loves you always and forever. And He is for you, coaching you, waving you on, picking you up and carrying you through it when you can’t get up on your own. Rejoice in His loving care and trust His providence and look for the enjoyable moments of life. You are indeed an overcomer. You will see this more and more as you go through your life.

2 Corinthians 4:8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

2 Corinthians 6:4 In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind.

John 16:33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.

Romans 8:37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.