Physical exercise profits a little.

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SERVANTedu

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So this is something that has been weighing on me for a while now.
I've been consistently working out for a little over a year now, anywhere from three to five days a week; jogging, boxing, weight training, all with an accompanying diet. Here's what I'm enjoying.
1. I feel a lot better both physically and emotionally. I've found exercise to relieve stress well.
2. I really like what it's doing for my body (how I'm looking) and my self esteem (how i feel about how i look)
3. it gives an extra layer of consistency in my life as some of my days off dont feel "whole" unless i work out.

where I'm convicted.
1. I've noticed it effects my speech, I find myself talking about exercising and extoling its benefits.
2. I've become more vain and more concerned with my appearance.
3. When I began a little over a year ago I heard the LORD clearly, "this wont change you"

I'm just wondering what y'all think about exercise and my relationship to this activity. I feel that i'm being a good steward of my body and i know it has great health benefits but i dont want it to become idolatry. I know @LadyofFireandLace loves it but would love me no matter how i look and simultaneously i have this lie in my head "you gotta be attractive to be loveable"
 

amigo de christo

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So this is something that has been weighing on me for a while now.
I've been consistently working out for a little over a year now, anywhere from three to five days a week; jogging, boxing, weight training, all with an accompanying diet. Here's what I'm enjoying.
1. I feel a lot better both physically and emotionally. I've found exercise to relieve stress well.
2. I really like what it's doing for my body (how I'm looking) and my self esteem (how i feel about how i look)
3. it gives an extra layer of consistency in my life as some of my days off dont feel "whole" unless i work out.

where I'm convicted.
1. I've noticed it effects my speech, I find myself talking about exercising and extoling its benefits.
2. I've become more vain and more concerned with my appearance.
3. When I began a little over a year ago I heard the LORD clearly, "this wont change you"

I'm just wondering what y'all think about exercise and my relationship to this activity. I feel that i'm being a good steward of my body and i know it has great health benefits but i dont want it to become idolatry. I know @LadyofFireandLace loves it but would love me no matter how i look and simultaneously i have this lie in my head "you gotta be attractive to be loveable"
its become an idol . How so . examine your own self . Are you more motivated to speak about Christ these days
or has the focus become on health and exercise . ANYTHING that takes the place of Christ has become an idol .
Working out aint evil , but when it becomes the center we got problems .
 

SERVANTedu

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its become an idol . How so . examine your own self . Are you more motivated to speak about Christ these days
or has the focus become on health and exercise . ANYTHING that takes the place of Christ has become an idol .
Working out aint evil , but when it becomes the center we got problems .
well i work in full time ministry so im always sharing the gospel and preaching and teaching
 

quietthinker

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So this is something that has been weighing on me for a while now.
I've been consistently working out for a little over a year now, anywhere from three to five days a week; jogging, boxing, weight training, all with an accompanying diet. Here's what I'm enjoying.
1. I feel a lot better both physically and emotionally. I've found exercise to relieve stress well.
2. I really like what it's doing for my body (how I'm looking) and my self esteem (how i feel about how i look)
3. it gives an extra layer of consistency in my life as some of my days off dont feel "whole" unless i work out.

where I'm convicted.
1. I've noticed it effects my speech, I find myself talking about exercising and extoling its benefits.
2. I've become more vain and more concerned with my appearance.
3. When I began a little over a year ago I heard the LORD clearly, "this wont change you"

I'm just wondering what y'all think about exercise and my relationship to this activity. I feel that i'm being a good steward of my body and i know it has great health benefits but i dont want it to become idolatry. I know @LadyofFireandLace loves it but would love me no matter how i look and simultaneously i have this lie in my head "you gotta be attractive to be loveable"
Having a trim healthy body has lots of benefits that those without wouldn't know about. Soldier on brother!

Vanity along with other self focused stuff is something all of us are afflicted with in some form. Everyone's battle is personal and working to beat it is a personal matter/pursuit.

Regarding your appearance; Lol....give it a few more years and sooner or later the shrivelled prune/ soft muscle look will sort out the vanity. Maybe not this year or the next.....but it's coming .....just as Bob Dylan sang.....slow train! :)
 
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RLT63

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So this is something that has been weighing on me for a while now.
I've been consistently working out for a little over a year now, anywhere from three to five days a week; jogging, boxing, weight training, all with an accompanying diet. Here's what I'm enjoying.
1. I feel a lot better both physically and emotionally. I've found exercise to relieve stress well.
2. I really like what it's doing for my body (how I'm looking) and my self esteem (how i feel about how i look)
3. it gives an extra layer of consistency in my life as some of my days off dont feel "whole" unless i work out.

where I'm convicted.
1. I've noticed it effects my speech, I find myself talking about exercising and extoling its benefits.
2. I've become more vain and more concerned with my appearance.
3. When I began a little over a year ago I heard the LORD clearly, "this wont change you"

I'm just wondering what y'all think about exercise and my relationship to this activity. I feel that i'm being a good steward of my body and i know it has great health benefits but i dont want it to become idolatry. I know @LadyofFireandLace loves it but would love me no matter how i look and simultaneously i have this lie in my head "you gotta be attractive to be loveable"
Don’t ever stop. When I got in the 7th grade I went to a middle school and I was picked on, beat up and bullied. I discovered lifting weights and my body started changing. By the 9th grade someone picked on me and I hit him so hard it knocked him down and swelled his eye shut. Suddenly I was popular, Girls liked me. Lifting weights was part of my identity. In my career in law enforcement being stronger than the people I was fighting made all the difference. 13 years ago I went through a divorce and a lot of things changed I had ups and downs but I managed to stay in shape until 5 years ago. I got remarried, moved over an hour away from where I worked, had to sell all my equipment and I got no exercise at my job and quit working out. I gained 100 lbs over 5 years. Now I just started a job where I live that requires me to walk for two hours straight without a break, and then to walk throughout a 12 hour shift. My knee is killing me, I am taking Aleeve and using DMSO but I know this is going to be better for me than sitting for 10 hours a day. I’m going to start working out with light weights on my off days. My advice to you is to never stop working out. Don’t lift so heavy that you damage your back and knees like I have and don’t let anyone make you feel guilty about taking care of yourself. Put God first in everything, but don’t feel bad about exercising
 
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quietthinker

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So this is something that has been weighing on me for a while now.

Don’t ever stop. When I got in the 7th grade I went to a middle school and I was picked on, beat up and bullied. I discovered lifting weights and my body started changing. By the 9th grade someone picked on me and I hit him so hard it knocked him down and swelled his eye shut. Suddenly I was popular, Girls liked me. Lifting weights was part of my identity. In my career in law enforcement being stronger than the people I was fighting made all the difference. 13 years ago I went through a divorce and a lot of things changed I had ups and downs but I managed to stay in shape until 5 years ago. I got remarried, moved over an hour away from where I worked, had to sell all my equipment and I got no exercise at my job and quit working out. I gained 100 lbs over 5 years. Now I just started a job where I live that requires me to walk for two hours straight without a break, and then to walk throughout a 12 hour shift. My knee is killing me, I am taking Aleeve and using DMSO but I know this is going to be better for me than sitting for 10 hours a day. I’m going to start working out with light weights on my off days. My advice to you is to never stop working out. Don’t lift so heavy that you damage your back and knees like I have and don’t let anyone make you feel guilty about taking care of yourself. Put God first in everything, but don’t feel bad about exercising
Lol...knocking someone down and girls liking you might be flattering for the ego but it's hardly a good witness to those around you of Jesus.
 

RLT63

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Lol...knocking someone down and girls liking you might be flattering for the ego but it's hardly a good witness to those around you of Jesus.
Maybe Jesus saw the way I had been treated for 2 years and took mercy on me. I was a Youth Minister for 10 years and the fact that I lifted weights and was strong helped me connect with those kids I performed with the Power Team and reached kids that way. LOL all you want judging people is not reaching anyone for Jesus
 
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quietthinker

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Maybe Jesus saw the way I had been treated for 2 years and took mercy on me. I was a Youth Minister for 10 years and the fact that I lifted weights and was strong helped me connect with those kids I performed with the Power Team and reached kids that way. LOL all you want judging people is not reaching anyone for Jesus
We've all got that ego beast to contend with; so there's no judgement young fella.
Jesus always takes mercy on you even at your worst but that doesn't justify it. Recognise it for what it is, a beast!.....then you have a choice...... to justify it it or to flee for help.
 
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Dropship

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I was active in sports in my younger days but was hit by a terrible spell of depression in 1978, so I slowed right down and have felt great ever since.
With hindsight I think I was living too much of a sporty materialistic lifestyle and my mind was telling me to think more about spiritual things to give myself some spiritual depth.
 

RLT63

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We've all got that ego beast to contend with; so there's no judgement young fella.
Jesus always takes mercy on you even at your worst but that doesn't justify it. Recognise it for what it is, a beast!.....then you have a choice...... to justify it it or to flee for help.
I wish I was a young fellow. I have been humbled greatly the last few years
 
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dev553344

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I lifted weights for years and know it can cause vanity and a false sense of security. I think that is just something that comes along with exercise. But it is healthy for people. Keep up the good work. The Lord wants us to be healthy.
 
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Lizbeth

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There does seem to be a sense of "worldliness" with society's current obsession with personal health overall. And it can become a bondage. Worth considering how the ancient Greeks and Romans were really into exercise and sports.....and with pampering spas on every street corner. Reminds me of our society today.

Since God has spoken a word to you, I would definitely and purposefully seek His understanding of what He meant, and prayerfully examine motives and what you're getting out of it. It might be a case of simple human vanity, or maybe there is something that needs healing emotionally. Society and the devil are causing a lot of people to not feel "good enough" and to only feel good enough when they're going out of their way to do self improvement things (which causes a focus on self - and therein lies the problem for believers). It's one way the devil makes tries to make us slaves, constantly chasing our tails.

All that said, since the modern lifestyle tends to be too sedentary, some people probably do need to make a point of taking some exercise. Since the bible says bodily exercise profits little, then it seems prudent to just exercise a little in that case if one needs to. :)
 
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Lizbeth

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Maybe Jesus saw the way I had been treated for 2 years and took mercy on me. I was a Youth Minister for 10 years and the fact that I lifted weights and was strong helped me connect with those kids I performed with the Power Team and reached kids that way. LOL all you want judging people is not reaching anyone for Jesus
Maybe this brother's problems and situation aren't the same as yours...we're all unique individuals before the Lord. The thing is we must not overlook that God spoke to this brother directly and he is honestly sharing the things that are troubling him about his working out. He needs to seek the Lord to go to the root of his own difficulty. Ask, seek and knock...the Lord will answer.
 

amigo de christo

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well i work in full time ministry so im always sharing the gospel and preaching and teaching
Yet deep down you know there is a problem . You did notice a truth .
You said your conversation has become more on exercise . If you had peace about this
you would never have felt convicted nor came to ask advice .
Dont let folks fool you into thinking all is well . When even you knew it was not all well .
Seek GOD deeply about this .
 
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Enoch111

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I'm just wondering what y'all think about exercise and my relationship to this activity.
Exercise is a necessity for health. As long as it is not elevated to vanity or takes up more time than necessary, you should be OK. So just don't let it preoccupy your mind.
 
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RLT63

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Exercise is a necessity for health. As long as it is not elevated to vanity or takes up more time than necessary, you should be OK. So just don't let it preoccupy your mind.
Ditto. I wish I had never stopped.
 
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amigo de christo

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Exercise is a necessity for health. As long as it is not elevated to vanity or takes up more time than necessary, you should be OK. So just don't let it preoccupy your mind.
ol klaus is not a necessity for this world . These people are seriously tanked in the skull big time .
zis is needed for sie structure of sie society . This man sounds like a toned down version of hitler .
toned down not in his plans , but i mean just more calm . These folks are tanked this is all about the beast system .
 
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