A teaching by Rev. Barbara Williams, President of the Ministry of the Watchman International
Week of December 26-30, 2022
MONDAY
Reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.
1 Timothy 4:7-8
You are a spirit. How does one exercise one’s spirit? Does the spirit need to be exercised daily? I think so. The bible tells us that bodily exercise profits little, but godliness is profitable unto all things (1 Timothy 4:8). How do we exercise Godliness? We do so by allowing the exercise of our spirit. At the beginning of each New Year, we tend to want to make resolutions to insure a prosperous year. These resolutions usually include some type of plan for self-improvement. Many people buy their exercise equipment as a result of a New Years’ resolution. We know that we need to improve, but how do we start?
If you are in need of healing, there is good news! Proverbs 4:20-22 SAYS:
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
So there is life and health in God’s word. Since God’s word is medicine, we must take it like we would a prescription. I suggest three times a day, like you would your food. Remember, healing is the children’s bread. Consider this your “dose” for today. Remember, read, and meditate three times a day the following:
Rx: Psalm 107:20 ~ He sent His Word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 2:15
If you’ve never studied the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, we invite you to join us as we read through the Bible in a year. Read and meditate on these chapters this week:
December 26: 2 Chronicles 31, Revelation 17, Zechariah 13:2-9, John 16
December 27: 2 Chronicles 32, Revelation 18, Zechariah 14, John 17
December 28: 2 Chronicles 33, Revelation 19, Malachi 1, John 18
December 29: 2 Chronicles 34, Revelation 20, Malachi 2, John 19
December 30: 2 Chronicles 35, Revelation 21, Malachi 3, John 20
December 31: 2 Chronicles 36, Revelation 22, Malachi 4, John 21
January 1: Genesis 1, Matthew 1, Ezra 1, Acts 1
TUESDAY
Reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.
1 Timothy 4:7-8
We start by honest reflection and self-evaluation. We must evaluate our beginning point so that we can know if we’ve made any progress. This is the way problems are resolved. They are remedied by allowing ourselves a time of honest reflection and self-evaluation. We must judge ourselves. If we find ourselves lacking, then we must design our program to alleviate our problem. How are we dong with our prayer lives? Are our prayers being answered? How are family relations? How about salvation among friends, family and loved ones? We must evaluate the amount of spiritual “muscle” vs. “fat.” Muscle is that portion which is used for labor. “Fat” is the unused portion.
WEDNESDAY
Reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.
1 Timothy 4:7-8
How many of us listen to the Word, buy books, tapes and so forth, and then never share Christ with others? Are we too fat, or have we simply lacked opportunity to share what God has fed us? Both may be true, but we can only resolve to change what we have control over. We can exercise our spirits more to accommodate a greater workload. We want to be used of God, but after we have fed ourselves, do we look for God to open doors of prayer, witnessing and helping others, or do we simply “lie down” and not think of sharing the good news? Often we can undertake the ministry of encouraging others, giving them hope or a kind word. All of these activities are spiritual exercise. They eliminate the fat from the Body of Christ.
THURSDAY
Reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.
1 Timothy 4:7-8
After we evaluate our need for exercise, we can seek the Lord for ways that He would like to use us. The parts of the human body that need toning get worked on first, so the parts of the spiritual body that need toning get worked on also. If God desires that we begin sowing our unused teaching tapes, then we need to see this as a necessary spiritual exercise. This may be a little painful, as we may have to part with some of our “favorites,” but this will trim some of the excess from our lives. We then embark on a more challenging spiritual journey, and develop greater spiritual stamina.
FRIDAY
Reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.
1 Timothy 4:7-8
We must stay in a position to be used by God, so one of the best “readiness” exercises I know is that of praying in tongues. This one really stretches us. We keep ourselves in the love of God by praying in the Holy Ghost (Jude 20-21). It is a type of toning or “isometric” exercise. Praying in tongues refreshes us and builds us up on our most holy faith. By praying in tongues, we yield ourselves more fully to God and are able to pray mysteries in the perfect will of God. We are edified by praying in the spirit, and we know that God is working everything out for our good. This is a good resolution for us for this year. Exercise daily by praying in the Holy Ghost.