“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths… It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.” Proverbs 3:5–8
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says… whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they’ve heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” James 1:22–25
For most of my life, I’ve had to be pretty disciplined about eating right and exercising. But there have been times when I carried extra weight for years. I hated how I looked, but nothing changed until I wanted the results enough to commit. The hard truth was: the more I cheat at dieting and exercise, the more I defeat myself.
I can start my day determined to follow my diet, but by evening that box of cookies starts calling my name and I give in and eat one. Then I figure, “well since I broke my diet why not eat the whole box?” Sound familiar?
Cheating on a diet doesn’t just slow my progress—it reinforces who I don’t want to be.
Spiritually, the same is true. We all have unhealthy habits—the ways we speak, think, act, or entertain ourselves—that keep us from being ALL God created us to be. Every choice we make either pulls us closer to God or pushes us further away. There’s no neutral ground.
God’s presence is the healthiest place we can live. And just like dieting, obedience requires consistency. Reading or hearing God’s Word isn’t enough—it’s in doing it that transformation happens. We must spend time studying His Word; we must take time to pray; and we must discipline ourselves to transform our mind. We must discipline ourselves to allow healthy content into our brain. And We must make the effort to give of our time and resources for the furtherance of the Gospel. Physical discipline and spiritual discipline have clear parallels.
Truth: If I eat it; I wear it.
Truth: If I live by God’s Word, I’m blessed; If I don’t—I won’t be.
None of us can cheat and expect good results. But once you start seeing the fruit of real obedience, you will like what you see. You will like who you’re becoming—because God makes us the best person we are capable of becoming.
A deep relationship with God makes our life extraordinary!
Today’s Challenge:
What’s one habit that’s keeping you from growing closer to God? Identify it—and replace it today with an act of obedience
