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~