Faith & Fitness Challenge - Week 5 (Stand Up Straight, Bow Low)

Blessings to you, friends!

This begins week 5 of our 6-week faith and fitness challenge. We’ve got over 400 of you on board and what a journey it’s been!

Each week during the 6-week challenge, I’ll give away 2 copies of my book, Balance That Works When Life Doesn't to someone who posts on this blog.

Congratulations to last week’s winners, Angie Ryg & Anne Olson – you each win a copy of Balance That Works When Life Doesn’t! (*Email me at Susie@MyFaithRadio.com with your mailing address and we’ll get the book out to you this week).

So, we’ve implemented the following disciplines in the past 4 weeks:

Physical Disciplines:

• ·      Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day (or better yet, half of your body weight in ounces)
• ·      Stretch in the morning and evening
• ·      Set aside 7-9 hours for nighttime rest/sleep
• ·      Work your heart

Spiritual Disciplines:

• ·      Read the Word of God every day
• ·      Stretch your faith every day
• ·      Rest in the Lord
• ·      Guard your heart

If you’re just joining us and would like more information, check out the posts from the past few weeks.

Here are your two disciplines for this week:

Physical Discipline:

Stand Up Straight (practice good posture): This week’s discipline is easy to do and doesn’t take a lot of effort, but it’s even easier to forget about and neglect. How do you practice good posture? It’s not hard at all. Right now sit up straight; pull your shoulders back, stretch your neck upright (like you’re trying to add a couple inches to your height), pull in your abs (imagine pulling your navel all the way in until it touches your spine). When you stand, think, ‘shoulders back and down, abs in, chest high, neck long – no slouching).

Benefits of Good Posture:

• ·      Better for your frame (things are aligned; lessened stress on joints & muscles)
• ·      Easier to breathe
• ·      Makes you look 5-10 pounds lighter
• ·      Reminds you to carry yourself with holy confidence

Spiritual Discipline:

Bow Low (humble yourself): 1 Peter 5:6-7 says this: So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

More important than standing up straight, is knowing when it’s time to bow low. All too often we get it backwards. We cower, buckle, and cover our heads when the enemy presses in hard to harass us. And when God moves in to correct or redirect, we tend to go rigid and tend to be un-teachable.

When the enemy presses in hard though our instinct is to cower, our call is to stand fast, raise our shield, point our sword, and trust the Lord.

And, when we approach the throne of Almighty God, our call is to come humbly, reverently, and thankfully, because He is the star-breathing God who gladly welcomes us into His presence. To me, nothing stirs up my faith like pausing before I pray and remembering once again who God is, and marveling that invites me to enjoy intimate fellowship with Him. I love to marvel, to stand in awe, and then to humbly bow, knowing that my life, my dreams, and my worries are all in in His hands. He is God Most High and I need Him every hour.

I encourage you to approach God with a new sense of reverence this week. I dare you to kneel or go face down on the floor, not in dread or fear or with a worm-like mentality, but with a humble regard for His love and greatness. Scripture says that God considers the humble, contrite heart a lofty place to inhabit. Think about that for a moment: our high and holy God considers our humble heart an honorable place to reside. We are blessed beyond measure, no?

The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this:
“I live in the high and holy place
with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.
I restore the crushed spirit of the humble
and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts (Isaiah 57:15).  

Stand up straight with holy confidence, and humbly bow with holy reverence – these are your two disciplines this week. I’ll be praying for you as you add these two important disciplines to your life: Stand Up Straight in Life & Bow Low Before God.

And remember, each week I’ll give away 2 copies of my book, Balance That Works When Life Doesn’t: Simple Steps to a Woman’s Physical & Spiritual Health’ to someone who posts on this blog. 

Let’s do this!

May you flourish in health, both physically and spiritually!

Blessings to you this week~

Comments

[Raushanah N. Butler]

It's amazing you mention posture because the last comment about posture is the one that I think impacts me the most. Aside from not wanting to have a hunch back and look ladylike, there's an immediate confidence that falls over me when I stand straight, walk straight and sit straight. I get on to my 11-year-old daughter for the same reason and now I can remind her that it also serves as a reminder of OUR holy confidence because of who we are and Whose we are...to God be the glory!!!

[Cherie Kimball]

Thanks again, Susie, for a great post! These are wonderful reminders. These words from your post ring especially true- "When the enemy presses in, though, our instinct is to cower, our call is to stand fast, raise our shield, point our sword, and trust the LORD." Going through some tough times now...praying for the LORD to give me strength and help me to stand fast as I trust in him.

[Cynthia C.]

Thank you so much for this 6 week challenge. Sitting and standing up straight is very important to me as I have a weak back and tend to favor it. I am remembering to stand and sit right and hope it will be a habit I do all the time.

[Tracy Rud]

I am so thankful for these simple, yet life-changing challenges. But I must admit, I am still endeavoring to implement each one into my daily life. Now I can really tell if I haven't had enough to drink and it's easy to fix. I have experienced the benefits when I do them, but sometimes I get distracted and forget. I want each of the challenges to become a habit I can't live without, so I have created prompts in my phone to remind me to do them. Thank you for your godly wisdom to make this a priority to take care of body and soul. Your blog encourages me to just take the next step.

[Jane B]

Thank you, Susie for your ministry. Your beautiful and meaningful prayers have often soothed my soul. One of your books (Alone) anchored me through a difficult season. I am just discovering this blog & challenge this morning, but hope to implement the practical & spiritual challenges you are writing about. Thanks.

[Beverly]

I am in the middle of week 3. Started an accountability 'group' with a niece and a sister-in-law. We weigh in on Mondays and on Monday I had lost a total of 9 pounds so far. I do have a lot to lose. Question for you - we are having a 'friendly' competition and using percentage of weight loss rather than number of pounds for a measuring tool. It is much more realistic than number of pounds lost as I started out weighing 100 pounds more than both of them. However, in my mind, the percentage of weight loss is still in my favor. I 'think' they both have to work much harder to lose - say 5% - that I do. As I lose, it will get harder, but to begin with, am I correct, that someone who is obese will not have to work as hard to lose to lose the same percentage of body weight as someone who is less than 10 or 15 pounds over weight?

[Mary Bryan]

I have just discovered your website. I have a cousin that has been putting your blessings on Facebook, and today I decided to investigate "you" for myself. I wil be a daily listener to what our God has given you to share. We all need encouragement and I'm thankful to have been pointed to your ministry.