Working Out Your Inside World!

By Renee Burt

When I began working out regularly about a year and a half ago, I was surprised to find out just what a significant difference it made in the way I felt physically. I still didn’t love to exercise, and to be frank, I’m not sure if I ever will. But what I do love is the strength and stamina it’s given me. But I’m not just a body…and neither are you. And I’ve found that the very same principle of exercise that works for my body works for my mind and heart. Because there are times just about every day when my mind wants to “do its own thing!” It takes discipline to think nice thoughts about someone who has hurt my feelings, or to not let my thoughts become fearful over difficult situations, or to not let my thoughts get sad over disappointments. And then there’s my heart! It doesn’t always want to do what’s right, even though I desperately love God! Come on, you know what I mean without my having to lay it out for you! So what do I do? I’ve learned to apply the same principles to my mind and heart that I do with my body, because I know what a difference it will make. I discipline them both and tell them what they ARE going to do. God can’t do that for me or for you. You’ve got to get tough with yourself…and when you do? You’ll have the strength and stamina it takes to deal with the difficult circumstances of life we all face…and instead of those troubles clouding your vision and robbing you of your peace and joy…your vision will be filled up with our big God who makes a way when there is no way, who takes the impossible and makes it possible, who has more than enough to supply our EVERY need! And when we get it right with our inside world – our mind and heart? We’ll see Him taking care of our outside world!

Matthew 5:8 MSG ~ You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

More devotions from Renee’s Fresh Manna