Faith & Fitness Challenge - Week 4 (Work Your Heart, Guard Your Heart)
Monday, July 8, 2013 at 1:15PM 
Blessings to you, friends!
This begins week 4 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, Joan Hagedorn and Kathy Anderson – 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 3 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
Spiritual Disciplines:
- · Read the Word of God every day
- · Stretch your faith every day
- · Rest in the Lord
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:
Work Your Heart: Here’s a discipline that will change your life if you’ll make time for it! Give yourself permission to take doable steps. If you currently do no cardio exercise, pick two days this week to get out for a walk (or if it’s too hot out for you, go to the mall). Plan it on your calendar the way you schedule lunch with a friend. Make a date and keep it! Be sure to wear good tennis shoes that have great arch support (no flats, flip flops, etc.).
Start out slow and gradually pick up your pace until you feel challenged but can still carry on a conversation. That will put you in the aerobic zone (where you’ll more easily burn fat, and more easily recover). Try to sustain this pace for 30-45 minutes. Think about it: giving yourself two hours this week to get your heart rate up and force your blood to circulate will do wonders for you. I’m telling you, eventually you won’t want to give it up (you may even get cranky if you miss your cardio workout). J
Ideally, if you can do a good cardio workout 2-4 times a week, you’ll experience great health benefits. In the interest of full disclosure, I’m in a busy season of transition and I’m only able to do an intense cardio workout about twice a week. I love my time and I’m working hard to squeeze in 1-2 more workouts each week. As I said, give yourself permission to start small, but do start! That 2-4 hour investment will pay you back in huge dividends.
Benefits of Cardio:
- · Strengthens Heart Muscle
- · Burns Calories
- · Relieves Stress
- · Improved Circulation
- · Renews Perspective
- · Health Maintenance
Spiritual Discipline:
Guard Your Heart: Proverbs 4:23 says this: Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
As important as it is to work your heart doing cardio exercise, it’s even more important that you guard your heart from influences that could derail your faith or diminish your impact. Picture a father on high alert who grabs a weapon to protect his home and family. He’ll keep danger away from his family even if it costs him his own life. Now this may sound dramatic but that’s how this verse translates.
God wants us to cherish our heart and the course of our lives with such care that we protect ourselves from toxic attitudes, unhealthy associations, and besetting sins. We need to treasure our life, our purpose, and our influence enough to carefully discern what strengthens us and what weakens us.
Spend some time this week searching your heart and dare to ask yourself the following questions:
- · Am I holding on to grudges and judgments against others?
- · Do I willingly expose myself to influences that I know are bad for me?
- · Have I allowed jealousy, selfish ambition, or envy to cloud my view?
- · Have I stopped being thankful?
If you can say yes to any of these questions, first of all, know that you are not alone! We all deal with these things and will continue to (in increasing measure) unless we guard our hearts. Spend some time with the Lord, and be specific in your prayers. Name the people you’ve judged and refused to forgive. Offer them up to the Lord. Ask His forgiveness for your un-forgiveness. Ask Him to help you release the offense and embrace His promises instead. One by one, walk through these questions and answer them honestly before the Lord. Let Him take you by the hand and lead you to a place of refreshment and renewal. I promise you, He will.
“Now it’s time to change your ways! Turn to face God so he can wipe away your sins, pour out showers of blessing to refresh you, and send you the Messiah he prepared for you, namely, Jesus (Acts 3:19 MSG).
I’ll be praying for you as you add these two important disciplines to your life: Working Your Heart & Guarding Your Heart.
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~
Reader Comments (22)
I know this is week 4 in this challenge but I am just starting. I am going to go back and read the other weeks and get going. Would love to have the book to go along with it. I also just finished reading the book Your Beautiful Purpose and did the study with a friend...totally awesome book, thanks Susie for your wisdom.
I've been doing well at the physical challenge but really needed to read the spiritual challenge this week!! Praying this week that I am spending time listening and obeying what The Lord is teaching and refining in my life! Thanks for the push!!!
Dear Susie,
After learning of my son's forcoming marriage (actually I have a whole year to work on it) I have decided to take this challenge more seriously if I want to fit into a nice dress next summer!! So I am working hard to get a workout into my busy schedule at least 2 X per week and preferrable first thing each day. It is less hot right away in the AMs and once it is done nothing can keep me away! Being thankful is harder today with so many pressing issues on my plate but I am grateful for each one I can cross off my "to do" list! I went to a nephews wedding over the weekend which was a milestone for me as there is alot of history with that family and just being there speaks volumes to others about my ability to forgive. I sometimes really grumble about the relationship and bitterness comes out but it is getting alittle easier with more time passing from the events which lead up to this ablity to forgive. Of couse it is made easier by putting the whole thing in God's hands and letting Him deal with it all, it frees me to go on in life and not let bitterness weigh me down more!
Betty M
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Thank you so much. Love the way you're using your journey to help others grow and heal. I'm also a Lyme survivor that helps others with what I've learned. God bless you!
Susie , thank you so much every prayer, every word is received , Im a so blessed by you.
Thank you for your insight, Susie. These are things I'm sure I know but don't necessarily put into practice. Your gentle reminders make me want to and, more importantly, make me feel that I CAN!! God bless!
I have a mother who has been holding a grudge against someone for as long as I can remember. My mother is 81 and a bitter, sickly woman. She has had every medical test known to man and they are all normal. She is unsaved and a classic example of what bitterness and unforgiveness can do to your health. I thank you for your ministry and also this particular post. My sister and I vow to never have an unforgiving spirit, what a hinderance this is to the Lord's work and blessings.
Thanks for the post. Your statement "God wants us to cherish our heart and the course of our lives with such care that we protect ourselves from toxic attitudes, unhealthy associations, and besetting sins" made such an impact on me. God has been trying to get me to let go of some things and this just hit me between the eyes. God is good!
This has been a blast, I've enjoyed the reminders to keep it up! I've already lost over 5lbs! :-)
Wow. I'm so glad I saw this link on facebook. I didn't know about this challenge. It's a helpful encouragement. I like the emphasis on strengthening/ gaurding the heart this week; it's an interesting way to connect the physical with the spiritual. I really appreciate it. Thank you.
"We need to treasure our life, our purpose, and our influence enough to carefully discern what strengthens us and what weakens us." What a sweet encouragement to treasure what He has first given us. And I pray that He will hep me to discern what strengthens me and what distracts me from spending time with Him. I am just joining this journey and so looking forward to it!
Blessings,
Angie
I just love Susie, I have her book Your Beautiful Purpose. Her comments just bring so much clarity to 'where I am at'. Thanks!
Struggling with the sleep one although I know how important it is. Resting in the Lord is also hard when life is in hyperdrive. Appreciating the challenge.
I am enjoying the faith and fitness challenge! This week I am starting a 'thankful journal' because there are many occasions that I forget to be thankful.
Thanks Susie! Scheduling time this week to walk and work out, and also some time for a personal inventory of my heart before God.
Thank you Susie for this weekly reminder to be intentionally healthy! It's so easy to push exercise off to the side and to sink into bed at night with only a nod towards the Lord. He so desires our rapt attention. Graham Cooke regularly uses a phrase I'm adopting -- "Me & the Lord . . . " Me & the Lord went for a walk, me & the Lord had the day off -- "Lord, what do you want to do?" He is always with us, never leaves, never forgets or forsakes, it's me who wanders off without remembering His enduring presence. So, since I'm home today, me & the Lord are going to go sit in the sun for a while, and then we're going to have dinner with a girlfriend. :0)
This challenge continues to be so beneficial to remind me of the important things! Thank you for the wisdom and simplicity of this.
Thank you so much Susie, you don't know how much you have ministered to me in the past few years. I love this challenge too! Thanks for letting God use you!
Wow... thank you so much for this timely reminder!! I've been under a lot of stress lately & have really not done well with exercise... and I've been guilty of associating with people who aren't positive or godly influences. I was definitely challenged with these words... Thank You SO much!!
Blessings!
My husband and I recently shed 90 pounds each by going vegan. NO EXERCISE! Praise The Lord! We still have a way to go, but the excitement and the Lords strength keep us going. I'm currently doing a 40 Day Challenge - I'm rebooting!
40 DAYS:
NUTRITION: 2 green smoothies, 2 green juices, 1 whole food/plant based/vegan meal, and at least 64oz of lemon water per day
PHYSICAL: 40 minutes of any form of exercise daily
SPIRITUAL: 40 minutes of bible study daily, and 40 minutes of praise & worship, and prayer daily.
PLEASE KEEP ME PRAYED UP - the enemy doesn't sleep! Weighed in on Monday then this morning (Wednesday), shed 2 pounds already! Lord, come get your glory!
I found your blog through reading your lovely prayers on Facebook! I was excited to see your work with IJM. My son and daughter-in-law feel called to adopt a little girl from India, out of a future like many of those IJM ministers to. Here's a link to a video where they share their hearts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5H6Qw4plQg
Glad to have found your blog!
I really need this book. I'm striving to build a business in doTerra CPTG essential oils so I can take my family of 5 to Israel with my church group this Christmas. I get a little discouraged when I look at my bank account. But my God is bigger than any of my problems. And I will just keep striving for the goal of Israel.