One of the top goals in the New Year resolution is physical exercise. Many are putting physical exercise as their top priority in the new year. Many want to get the physical appearance they want, for example, losing weight or gaining muscles. Others want to have healthy bodies. 1 Timothy 4:8 says, "Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come." The apostle Paul mentioned that physical training is good for us. God has entrusted us with our physical bodies to take care of. Although we need our bodies to move around and do things, our bodies cannot function properly if we are not taking care of them. We can pray for good health, but if we are not willing to do our responsibilities to exercise, our prayers will not be answered. Prayer only works if we are willing to do what God wants us to do.
Many confuse prayer with asking God to do something for them; however, prayer is about asking God for His will in our situations. Prayer is about submitting ourselves to His will. God can use medicine to heal us or use doctors to guide and help us to stay healthy. However, if we are not willing to take the medicine or not listen to our doctors, we are denying God to answer our prayers to stay healthy or be healed. As we ask God for good health, God also expects for us to do our part. And that part is to have physical exercises. Physical exercises refer to any physical activity that makes our heart rates increase. For example, walking, running, biking, hiking, sports activities, or whatever we need to do to make our heart rates increase. We can make it a priority to walk or run for 30 minutes every other day or every day. You can also walk your dog if you have a dog as long as you are walking.
We have to set goals and make time to exercise. Let us not wait for next week. We need to do it now since it is still fresh in our minds. If we want God to give us healthy bodies, we need to do our responsibilities to take care of our bodies.
Ask yourself these questions for application: (Think through carefully and meditate on the questions while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you). How does God answer my prayer in regard to my health? Am I willing to set goals and make time to exercise consistently? Why is exercise very important for my body?
Write down all the worries you face today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, thank you for entrusting me my body so that I can do and function as a person. Would you please help me to take care of my body by exercising consistently? Please do not let laziness or the unwillingness to take time to exercise stop me from having a healthy body. I understand that you have given me the responsibility to take care of my body, so please help me to take care of it. In your name, Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen.