Living in Optimal Health: Putting Faith Into Action
The world is obsessed with weight loss, fad diets, quick fixes, and empty promises. Yet God is not calling us to chase smaller bodies, he is calling us to live in stronger ones. Health is not something unattainable, it is a life we step into by faith, expressed through works.
James 2:17 tells us, “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (ESV). True faith moves. It acts. It obeys. Your eternal salvation rests in Christ alone, but your physical strength, energy, endurance, and ability to serve, depends on how you walk out that faith today.
Paul declared,
“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus”
Running in this life isn’t an easy task. This scripture is pretty clear that we should push to meet and match the prize God has set before us. What has God called you to? God doesn’t set mediocre goals for his children, he set expectations that we cannot reach without his help. This means we must press, push and plow our way towards what is set before us.
Its not going to be easy, but the way you choose to live your life should give you strength to push, not hinder you from being successful. Pressing towards the mark can include saying “no” to choices that hurt your health, and saying “yes” to life and strength. Say NO to the extra piece of cake, say yes to setting and reaching a step challenge goal.
Press forward in discipline, refusing to be chained to the mistakes of your past. This is what it means to live in optimal health: putting faith in action every day.
Living in Health That Glorifies, Not Idolizes
Being physically healthy can be dangerous if your reason for looking good/feeling good is to be desired by others. I’m sure you see hundreds of social media models showing skin and selling all sorts of things as a result of their beauty and physique. You can fall down the slippery slope of desiring more and more of the love people give you as a result of your physical progress instead of becoming healthy and bringing others along for the glory of the Lord.
When Paul told the Corinthians, “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20 ESV), he was addressing people tempted to misuse their bodies for selfish pleasure. His words remind us that our bodies are sacred spaces, temples belonging to God.
Think of Daniel in Babylon (Daniel 1). He refused the king’s rich foods, not because they were simply “unhealthy,” but because the food dishonored God’s purity laws. Daniel chose to simply eat vegetables and water instead, this was his act of worship. And God honored his obedience, making him stronger and healthier than all the others.
We must reclaim that vision. Health is not about idolizing image. It is about glorifying God with energy, clarity, and endurance so we can live out His call. Just as a runner presses through the final stretch, sweating but determined, so we press through excuses and distractions to honor God with discipline.
Wellness & Fitness Steps:
I encourage you to take tiny steps towards better health.
Begin each day with prayer and a 5-minute stretch. Invite God into your health.
Replace one processed meal each day with whole foods (lean protein, vegetables, whole grains).
Train your body 3–4 times weekly with a mix of cardio and resistance training.
Journal one line nightly: “Today I glorified God in my body by…”
Drawing from the Wells God Already Provided
Genesis 21 shows Hagar in the wilderness, convinced her son Ishmael would die. Yet when she cried out, God opened her eyes to see a well already near her. The water was there all along. She simply needed to open her eyes and act.
Our health mirrors this moment. Too often we pray for strength, healing, or change while ignoring the simple wells God has already placed in reach. You do not need an expensive trainer or complicated plan to begin. You need willingness. Your well might be a gym membership you never use, a sidewalk outside your door, a dog who needs walking, or even the stretch of parking lot between your car and the office. Your wells are not hidden. You simply need to rise and work.
7-Day Wells Challenge:
I invite you to challenge yourself. Start small, and with something you can accomplish.
For the next 7 days, complete these activities eery hour at work:
20 squats,
20 push-ups (or wall push-ups), and
20 sit-ups (or marching in place).
If you need to, start with 5 or 10 of each exercise, then work your way up by one additional rep per day. By the end of an 8-hour day, that’s 80–160 reps per exercise. More than most people do all week!
Practical Wells You Can Draw From Today:
Gym Memberships: Commit to 2–3 visits a week.
Outdoors: Walk your neighborhood, trail, or park.
Pets: Turn dog-walking into power-walking.
Everyday Spaces: Park farther, take the stairs, stand instead of sitting when possible.
Your wells are already here. The only question is, will you draw from them?
Laying Aside the Weight That Hinders
Brothers and sisters, we must face the truth: sometimes the weight is not just circumstance. It is our excuses.
“Lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and run with endurance the race that is set before us”
We say, “I am too tired. I don’t have time. I cannot change.” But these are not reasons. They are sins of unbelief and disobedience. James 2:17 warns us: “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (ESV). To pray for health while refusing to act is not faith. It is presumption.
James 4:3 tells us: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (ESV). God will not answer prayers for health if He has already given you the power to steward it through discipline and daily action. Why pray for strength while rejecting the weights, foods, and choices that drain your strength? Why pray for change while refusing to get up and walk?
Israel cried out for deliverance yet longed for Egypt. Their prayers were delayed because their hearts were divided. Do not be like them. Stop waiting for God to do what He has already given you power to do. Rise. Move. Choose differently today. And remember, even as excuses are sin, God’s Spirit is your strength. You do not fight alone.
Practical Steps to Lay Aside the Weight:
Name your top 3 excuses. Write them out. Confess them before God.
Replace each excuse with one action step. (“I don’t have time” becomes “I will walk during lunch.”)
Ask an accountability partner to challenge you when excuses rise up.
Begin with prayer, but always end with action. Faith without works is dead.
Writing the Vision, Living the Race
Habakkuk 2:2 declares: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it” (ESV). Brothers and sisters, vision is not a dream. Vision is a plan written clearly enough to follow and bold enough to live out. Paul pressed toward the mark (Philippians 3:14) because he had a target. You cannot press toward what you have not defined.
Your health vision must not be vague. It must be strategic. Here is how to craft your own food and fitness plan:
Step 1. Write Your Why:
Tie your goal to worship. “I want energy to serve God with joy.”
Step 2. Choose Movement:
Beginner Plan: 20–30 min walks, 5 days a week, plus the 20/20/20 challenge at work.
Intermediate Plan: 3 gym sessions weekly (cardio + weights), plus 2 outdoor activities (walking, cycling, swimming).
Advanced Plan: Strength training 4 days weekly, cardio 3 days, mobility work daily.
Step 3. Choose Food:
Plate Method: ½ vegetables, ¼ lean protein, ¼ whole grain or starchy vegetable.
Avoid: Processed foods, excess sugar, and overeating at night.
Prep: Cook 2–3 big meals each week and portion leftovers for quick, healthy lunches.
Step 4. Guard Rest:
Sleep 7–9 hours nightly.
End screen time an hour before bed.
Pray and journal to settle your spirit before sleep.
Step 5. Write It Down & Share It:
Post it on your fridge, in your planner, or on your phone. Share it with someone who will check in with you. Make it plain, then run with it.
Reflection Questions
What vision for your health has God called you to write down?
What “weights” do you need to lay aside this week so you can run unhindered?
How can pressing toward the high calling in Christ shape your daily choices for food, movement, and rest?
Final Encouragement
Brothers and sisters, faith is not passive. It presses forward. It works. It obeys. Stop waiting for God to do what He has already given you the strength to do. The wells are already here. The power is already within you through His Spirit. Lay aside the excuses. Step into obedience.
Press toward the mark. Write the vision. Live in it. Wellness is worship. Every choice—every step, every bite, every moment of rest—is faith in motion and glory to God. This is Living in Optimal Health: Putting Faith in Action.
Call to Action
If you are ready to stop circling the same old habits and start walking in the health God has already provided, join our Lean, Live & Thrive membership. Inside, you will find structured fitness plans, meal prep guidance, weekly Scripture-rooted encouragement, and a family of brothers and sisters pressing toward the mark together.
Do not run alone. Do not wait another day. Join us now, and live in the wholeness God designed for you.
