099: The Writers Healthy Balanced Life You Want!

People have been on a health kick for some time.  We see on TV all kinds of ways one can lose weight fast.  Take this pill, drink this potion and if you don’t see a significant notice in your weight loss in two weeks get a total refund and keep the steak knives as our free gift for ordering.

In today’s episode, I’m talking about living a healthy, balanced life. It doesn’t matter what we’re writing or doing in our lives if anything is out of sync inside us, we will not be effective as communicators of the message God’s given us.

Acts [2:40]-47 (NLT)

40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”  41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.  42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.  43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity 47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

1.) Quality not Quantity

We have this mindset that the more push-ups, sit-ups we do the better our health will be.  In the F.B.I. the agents hold to harsh conditions in their exercise program.  Each exercise has a proper way to hold the body.  With the sit-up the agent has to hold their knees at a 90-degree angle, feet together toes pinned down by the partner.  Hands are to be interlocked behind the head elbows out in a horizontal position and maintain it all the way through.

The spine needs to be completely straight upon the apex of the sit-up, and upon the laying back down, the shoulders need to touch the ground.  Push-ups are to be done in a similar manner.  Starting position is chin to ground and push-up keeping back straight throughout.  The reason chin to the ground and not nose – the chin allows you to get closer to the ground and maintain a straight back and keep from over straining it.
The FBI looks for quality, not quantity.  Our goal as writers is to produce high quality material for people to enjoy. It doesn’t matter if you’re pushing out post after post, or book after book, if it’s not high quality, it will fail.

The more we practice making disciples through our work, we’ll help change their lives.

Jesus said, “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.”  Quality, not quantity. If we teach someone and disciple them and they, in turn, follow our pattern and do what we did with them, we’ve done our job.

I would rather see one person strong in their walk than a lot of new writers who know nothing about the art of patience and taking the time to produce something of quality.

2.)   Prayer and Reading.

This is the diet we need in our spiritual lives, prayer, and devotions.  If we do not have a healthy balance of both in our lives, one will falter.  If we have all of the Word and none of the Spirit we will puff up and dry up, if we have all the Spirit and none of the Word, we will blow-up, but if we have the Spirit and the Word we will grow up.Remember that the Word of God is like the seed and the nitrogen in the soil of our hearts, and the Spirit is the water that we need to bring life to the seed of the Word of God, our lives will be beautiful before the Lord and others will see it.

Remember that the Word of God is like the seed and the nitrogen in the soil of our hearts, and the Spirit is the water that we need to bring life to the seed of the Word of God, our lives will be beautiful before the Lord and others will see it.

What is prayer?  Prayer is that deep communication we have with God.  Without prayer, we cannot communicate to God.  Because of Jesus, we are now able to come before God without the aid of a priest.  As we write for others, pouring out our soul to paper, prayer should be a central part of our lives.

This is what our whole writing adventure stems from. Yes, reading the Word of God is important because it is a roadmap through life, but prayer is that communication.  It’s like OnStar! Prayer deepens our sense of belonging and it builds our inner self up.

The other thing we need to read.  Whether you have a devotional book or are reading another self-help book, it is important to read.  I encourage you to set to even try just reading the Bible and not just a book.  Without both prayer and reading working together as one cohesive thing in our lives we will falter.  Prayer is the water for our lives and the word of God is the bread for our lives.

3.)   Importance of community

In my church, the average person arrives at church anywhere from 10 – 15 min late for Sunday morning service.  If we are to be living lives that are healthy, some form of community is vitally important.  I’ve had conversations with numerous people that believe an organized and institutionalized church on a Sunday morning is not what the doctor ordered  For me, it is. In the book of Acts, we see a very institutionalized church, one with a leader, elders, and a finance holder.  Life in the body was encouraged through a variety of small home meetings throughout the week and synagogue attendance on the Sabbath.

To live a balanced and healthy life today requires us to not only pray and read, but also to have communion with one another.  Everything works together and you cannot do one without doing the other.  Here is a question.  If in our physical lives we eat, sleep, exercise and work daily to maintain our earthly lives why should it be any different with our spiritual lives?

Our jobs are important, but if they become more important than our fellowship with other like minded people we’ll find ourselves stuck in a place we wish we could avoid. Being involved in a community is one of the most important things we can do in our lives  We are to fellowship together.  The Bible says to not forsake the fellowshipping of the assembly together with one another.

If we are to see our lives become successful, we need to hold all these in perfect harmony – Relationship in prayer, reading, and supplication with the Lord, fellowshipping together. We do this so that we can receive all that God has for us and not miss anything, and the leading and discipling those whom we’re writing for.  If we do these on a regular basis, we live our lives in a balanced way and live a healthy spiritual life.

[reminder]What one thing are you struggling with in your writing, right now?[/reminder]