“It’s not about you.” If you’ve read Pastor Rick’s best-selling book “The Purpose Driven Life,” you’re familiar with this opening line. Although he was referring to our spiritual life, doesn’t this apply to our physical health as well? After all, the Bible tells us that EVERYTHING we do must be done for the glory of God. It does not exclude your physical health. In fact, it includes it!

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
— 1 Corinthians 10:31 (New International Version)

I always tell the athletes I train to never lose sight of the reason they’re training; to become a better athlete, not a weightlifter. If they get wrapped up in the cosmetics of weight training (how they look) they can actually hurt their athletic performance rather than the intended goal of enhancing it. The same holds true for this journey we’re taking together on The Daniel Plan. If we start doing it for ourselves, the superficial emotions of vanity, pride and arrogance begin to rear their ugly heads. The Bible is very clear on how God feels about these feelings:

“To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.”
— Proverbs 8:13 (New International Version)

Most fitness programs focus on training as a means of improving your quality of life here on Earth. But as Christians, we are told to invest in something that will last forever… eternity. This means our Daniel Plan goals should not be focused solely on our personal gains, but to enhance our health for better service to our Lord. With more and more natural disasters and hardships happening all around us, we all need to be prepared, not just spiritually but physically for whatever God may allow in our lives. Be prepared to serve God by physically serving others when necessary. Always keep in mind the real reason you’re working on your health and use it as motivation to stick with the program. Always celebrate your successes by giving God the glory.

WITNESS WITH FITNESS!

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate this healthy lifestyle that to use it to bring someone to Christ. Can we really “Witness With Fitness”? Absolutely!

People notice results. If you’re losing weight, your appearance and energy levels will not go unnoticed. When people praise your efforts, send the praise back to God and steer the well-wishers to The Daniel Plan. This might just be the hook that gets them interested in following Christ! My point is to keep God as your source of motivation and the reason for celebration. This healthy lifestyle of eating right and exercise is something you should enjoy and want to do, not something you feel you have to do. The more you keep your focus on God, the more you should enjoy the journey and the greater level of health He will bless you with. This week’s theme is celebrating success and what better way to celebrate than to bring someone to Christ while enjoying all the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.