Devotional Exercise: Fitness for Body, Soul & Spirit

Wholy Fit

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Book Coming Soon:
WholyFit Devotional Exercise: Fitness for the Whole You! 

The new book will address the issue of Christians and Yoga and why an alternative to Yoga is needed. 

What is WholyFit?
WholyFit is Devotional Exercise, a Christian Alternative to Yoga - a fun and meaningful fitness system incorporating Scripture memorization into each exercise routine for Biblical stress management.  WholyFit is designed to be done as worship and prayer as well as physical training.  With just 2-3 practices per week, you will get into the best shape of your life - body, soul and spirit.   

Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 
1 Corinthians 10:31   

This book will also give you a heads up on what it means to do spiritual warfare and to live in the Kingdom of God. We will meditate on and practice Scriptural concepts from the Bible through exercise.   I will also share with you why I started WholyFit after finding that joining in with Yoga was not the best way to reach Yogis or to grow in my relationship with Christ.   (Matt 12: 24-28) 

First we will need three equitable definitions which reflect common usage:   

  1. 1. Classical Yoga: Classical Yoga, is Yoga in the traditional sense, practiced on the basis of philosophies that could be described as "religious" by common definition. For example, belief in reincarnation, Karma and Kundalini are Yogic philosophies that are religious in nature. Do not be misinformed about what Yoga is and teaches. Classical Yoga certification requires the supervised study and PRACTICE of a Yogic lifestyle including Kryas, mantras and chanting in a traditional Yoga environment. Yoga philosophy embraces the teachings of Patanjali, the Bahgavahdgita, and is pantheistic in nature, acknowledging all religions and paths to God such as Buddhism and Taoism. Classical Yoga teachings deny that Jesus is the only way to heaven.

  2. 2. Christian Yoga: Christians who do Yoga practice Christian Yoga. (A "Yogi" is one who practices Yoga.) "Christian Yogis" identify themselves as a part of the Classical Yoga community, but claim to be a subculture. Training to teach Christian Yoga is done from within the Yoga community, or in alliance with the Yoga community. There are three types of "Christian Yogis" within the Christian Yoga subculture.

  3. * Christian Yogis who do not embrace classical Yoga philosophies and practices
  4. * Christian Yogis who "mix" the philosophies and practices of Yoga in with those of Christianity.
  5. * Yogis (Christian or not) who market to Christians

  6. 3. Classical Yoga practitioners: Those who practice according to the classical tenets of Yoga. All types of "Christian Yoga" benefit from the marketing power and intrigue of the classical Yoga culture. In exchange, all Christian Yogis place themselves in alliance with and under the supervision/ authority of the traditional Yoga culture.

Devotional Exercise: Devotional Exercise is a Christian alternative to Yoga does not involve Yoga practices or philosophies of any kind and is practiced outside the Yoga community. An alternative must bring all the same benefits or it is not a viable alternative. It must be just as effective as Yoga or it is not viable. It must appeal to the same people that Yoga appeals to. Teacher Training is done outside the Yoga community without the supervision or authority of the Yoga community. Christian alternatives usually (I would say 'should'), by definition, require the abstinence from classical Yoga. WholyFit is a Christian Alternative to Yoga. Alternatives do not rely on the marketing power of the Yoga culture, but instead each have their own unique appeal. Christian Biblical stress management is based on Christian lifestyle practices alone.

SAMPLE CHAPTER:
EATING LOCUSTS ... in an Olive Generation

The Elijah Spirit... that's the spirit we all have as the church in these Last and Final Days before the return of Christ. Elijah will come. The spirit and power of Elijah is on us now as we prepare the way of the Lord for Messiah. Amen. Come Lord Jesus!

Malachi 4
The Day of the LORD 1
"Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire," says the LORD Almighty. "Not a root or a branch will be left to them. 2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. 3 Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things," says the LORD Almighty. 4 "Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel. 5 "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse."

Mark 1
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
1 The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.[a]
2 It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way"[b]- 3 "a voice of one calling in the desert, Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' "[c] 4 And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with[d] water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

John the Baptist was a weird guy - I mean he ate locusts, dressed in sackcloth and lived in the wilderness. He was counterculture in His thinking and really heard God clearly. His interests were purely in the Kingdom of God. Jesus called him the greatest man born of a woman (Matt 11:11)! Oh that we could be so culturally independent in our thinking! Jesus said John the Baptist embodies the spirit and power of Elijah.

In our civilized, rational mindset, accepting the fact of demonic activity may be as difficult as eating bugs, but it is the truth. Yoga philosophies, practices and religions are a pathway of demonic activity and though Christians are covered by the blood of Jesus as Christians, we can still give demons an opening to attack us.

The reason that we need a retrospective mindset in this generation is the reason we need the spirit of Prophecy in this generation. John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus when He called the people of his generation to repent. Jesus said that John functioned in a sense, as the coming of Elijah to prepare the way for the Kingdom. The Spirit of Elijah is prophesied in the Bible to be an influence in the Last Days. We are to function in this attitude and prepare the way for the physical return of Jesus to rule and reign.

"It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." (Luke 1:17)

God has certainly made us to live in community and care about others, but there is a point at which we can care way too much about what others think of us. We are so dependent on how others view us that it's very difficult to see how God sees us sometimes. We need to ask for His Spirit of truth. Acting in a way that is counter culture may look weird to others in our time, in our culture, in our city. Yoga is very in style. Opposing fulfillment of that Yoga in our day is like eating locusts.

Olive Generation
We are part of a distinct generation with a specific calling. The spirit (attitude, calling) of Elijah is still at work calling our hearts back to God and especially now in our time. We are in the generation of Olive Tree. Jesus said that when we see the Olive Tree bloom we will know the time in near.

"Look at the fig tree, indeed, all the trees. As soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourself that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things taking place, you are to know that the Kingdom of God is near!" (Luke 21:32)

The nation of Israel is referred to throughout the Old Testament as an Olive Tree. Our contemporary generation has seen the Olive Tree (Israel) sprouting leaves (becoming a nation). The point is not to determine an exact date for the Lord's return, but rather to simply be ready for Him and to discern the days, times and seasons. We are among those in the Olive Tree generation. Israel became a nation in 1948 which was the fulfillment of that prophecy. The second coming is nearer now than ever before. In addition, there are no other prophecies that need to be fulfilled before Jesus comes back.

It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. (Joel 2:28, Acts 2:17)

In the Last Days I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh

The Watchers
It is His will that we watch, be alert and be ready. Still the spirit of Prophecy, the Spirit of Elijah, is saying "Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand".

What we used to do in another generation, we just can't do now in this generation of the "Watch". We need to whole heartedly return. We need to protect the Bride - prepare the Bride in holiness and righteousness for the coming of the Bridegroom. If we listen we will hear the Kingdom purposes of God in our generation, in our culture, in our jobs, in our communities, in our ministries.

We are to be watchmen ready for His coming. Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. Matthew 24:42
(read Matt 24:43, Matt 25:13, Mark 13, Luke 12:37, Luke 21:36, 1 Corinthians 16:13, Colossians 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:6, 1 Peter 5:8)

We are to be like the Watcher Prophet Ezekiel in these last days. (read Ezekiel 3:17-21)