home > Pastor’s Desk > 2023 > January 13th > 3 EXERCISES THAT WILL MAKE YOU HEALTHIER, FITTER, & STRONGER, Part 1

Part 1, Aerobic Exercises

Who likes exercising? Who has attempted something that you thought would be relatively easy only to discover that you didn’t quite have the energy needed to do it? The benefits of exercising are not always immediately obvious – especially when you think there’s somewhere else I’d rather be and there’s something else I’d rather be doing! Exercising is often (if not always) inconvenient. It takes time. It can hurt. It can be tiring. It can even be injurious. But it has undeniable benefits. Exercising, (whether it be physical, emotional, psychological, academic, spiritual, financial, social, or intellectual) done correctly, increases an exerciser’s stamina, concentration, strength, capacity, confidence, and enjoyment. It requires consistency, routines, and self-discipline. Many people spend a deal of money and time just exercising their bodies (which 1Tim. 4:8 commends by the way). Others spend even more money and time exercising their minds. But only a few people spend any money or time exercising their spirits. As a result of this lack of spiritual exercise, too many people do not have spiritual reserves, and consequently lack spiritual strength, capacity, confidence, psychological contentment, or the emotional happiness that they would otherwise have had. Yet, this is so unnecessary considering that there are three very simple spiritual exercises that everyone whose spirit has been regenerated can do to remedy this malady. 

 

AEROBIC EXERCISE FOR YOUR SOUL

Every physical fitness coach will tell you that daily exercise which causes you sweat and puff is the kind of exercise that is doing you long-term good. Vigorous physical exercise such as running will cause you to need more air in your lungs which will cause you to puff. Puffing, the act of heavy breathing to replenish your need oxygen helps your respiratory and cardio-vascular systems to become healthier. Interestingly, breathing is the word that the Bible uses to describe how God created the First man.

Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,
and the man became a living creature.
Genesis 2:7

For nerds like me, I find it interesting that the word for “spirit” — in both the language of the Old Testament (Hebrew) and in the language of the New Testament (Greek) — the word used means: breath (Heb. ru’âch; Gr. pneuma). Thus, breathing is intrinsically spiritual – especially when we are talking in prayer to God. In Genesis 3 we get an indication that God would regularly meet with Adam in the “cool of the day” by walking and talking with him (Gen. 3:8). Both activities require breathing. In fact, I would encourage anyone to try this aerobic spiritual exercise by incorporating the physically aerobic aspect of walking while trying this spiritual exercise. 

 

EXERCISE #1: BREATHING AEROBIC PRAYER

All people have been created to pray (talk to God). While nearly all religions consider prayer a necessary part of their religious activity, only Christianity sees prayer as a relational connection – a conversation – with God. Praying effectively must be learned. It also requires practice like any exercise. It was when Christ’s disciples had spent weeks with Him that they had observed that Jesus did not pray like their religious leaders. When their rabbis and priests prayed they simply read prayers from books, or recited them from memory—and always did them in public so that others could hear and see them. Jesus condemned this heartless praying!

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites.
For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners,
that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do,
for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
Matthew 6:5-7

This led His disciples to approach Jesus with the request “Lord, teach us to pray.” This is what He taught them and it has been embraced by all Christians as The Lord’s Prayer. Here is my analysis of this powerful spiritual exercise –  

Here’s how you can practice this spiritual exercise –

  1.  Start your praying with worship and thanksgiving.
  2.  Prayerfully express your surrender to God and His Word.
  3.  Ask God to meet the needs of those you love (family, friends, church, neighbours), and also to meet your own needs.
  4.  Confess your sins and seek God’s forgiveness for them.
  5.  Ask God for the grace to forgive those who you struggle with.
  6.  Pray for God to give you a hate for sin and the strength to avoid and resist temptation.
  7.  Close your prayer with worship seeking God for Him to be glorified in your life. 

If you should ever draw a blank on #3, then please remember me in your prayers that I might be loving, godly, caring pastor and a Spirit-filled preacher of God’s Word. For experienced pray-ers, this outline of a routine prayer exercise takes around one hour. Some use it as an exercise to pray to our Father throughout their day.

In my next Pastor’s Desk I’ll share Spiritual Exercise #2. In the meantime, happy praying.

Your Pastor,

Andrew

Let me know what you think below in the comment section and feel free to share this someone who might benefit from this Pastor’s Desk.

4 Comments

  1. Louise Richardson
    Louise Richardson on 2023-01-13 at 10:22 PM

    Thankyou for your suggestions re praying.
    It was very helpful.

    Reply
  2. Roger
    Roger on 2023-01-13 at 10:25 PM

    Excellent Andrew – it’s a very similar model to how I often expound on the Lord’s Prayer and assists in shutting out the concerns of the day as I head off to sleep – meditating, and focusing on the various aspects that the prayer embraces. Very helpful!

    Reply
  3. LYDIA
    LYDIA on 2023-01-14 at 11:14 AM

    One day, a few years back, I was talking to my Scripture in School’s grade two class. These little people were around about seven years old. One young boy sat at the back of my class and turned away from me on his chair. He had difficulty looking at me and felt safe at such a distance, even though he would take a peek every now and the, when all the others on the other hand were in a semi-circle gathered around me. Then one day I said to all my pupils that the Lord never sleeps. Well that was something new for them. He neither slumbers nor sleeps Scripture says. He does not go to sleep! Then I added that because He never sleeps we can talk to Him any time, day or night. Then as the weeks rolled by this little man called out in class one time and said to me “Miss Lydia, I woke up in the middle of the night and talked to the Lord”. Even as I am writing this I still get goosebumps. This beautiful little boy ended up knowing the kernel of the relationship where God always sees and always hears and always listens no matter what. In time this young man was wrongly accused in my classroom, which was out of my control, and I stood up for him, which he learnt. From then on I knew that I needed to be on control 100%, or not. Nothing has changed there. I invited him to sit right next to me. He did. It wasn’t that I was anyone special, but he felt safe. I don’t know where he is today and as his name comes to memory I pray that he will still remember that God listens always, which is what Jesus knew as well. So thank you Andrew for this visual map of prayer.

    Reply
  4. Jenny Webb
    Jenny Webb on 2023-01-19 at 8:13 AM

    Love your piece on: Aerobic Prayer. Over the years, I have often felt that my prayer life is not what I would like it to be. Even though I long for communion with our Father, prayer has been a bit of a struggle. I believe this teaching will greatly benefit and improve: my prayer life, my relationship to Jesus, and the lives of those prayed for. Thank you, Andrew. Praise the Lord. The God of love and peace be ever with you.

    Reply

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