A Personal Training Plan - Leaning on the Promises of God for Men

Self-control. Discipline. Getting in shape.

How many times have you written down these goals when committing to a new program of self-improvement? In a CNN report, it wasn’t surprising to learn that losing weight is the most common goal people set. And then we come to our senses—about a month later.

When I was a player, professional football wasn’t a year-round enterprise, and when camp began, some guys would show up totally out of shape.

As followers of Christ, we should maintain self-control and discipline, especially when it comes to taking care of our bodies. Getting in shape and making a commitment to stay that way honors God. He has given us our bodies through the miracle of creation. Taking care of them, watching what we put into them, and being careful about how we use them each day are responsibilities we shouldn’t take lightly.

But that mindset is not only important for our physical bodies. That desire and discipline also apply to the training we do and the commitment we make to ourselves and to God. We commit to learn more about Him and about how we can be better disciples. It’s not a passive endeavor. It takes resolve and repetition, consistently working at it for maximum results. And results will happen as we grow closer to Him.

Real success in achieving goals—no matter when we set them—comes when we know we can’t do it by ourselves and look to the Lord for strength.

His Promises

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.