America is on a health kick. The fitness craze is sweeping the country! Homemakers are joining aerobics classes. Business people are joining health clubs and spas. Every"body" wants to get in to the act and get into great physical shape.

But in the midst of it all, perhaps we should take a break and ask ourselves a very important question: Are we concentrating so hard on the physical part of our lives that we are neglecting the spiritual? It may be that we have forgotten the importance of that inner being who resides inside our physical bodies -- the "real" you and the "real" me -- our spiritual selves!

When we put our faith in Jesus Christ we are born again into the family of God, and the spiritual side of our lives comes alive. That's when we begin to realize the importance of regular spiritual exercises in order for us to reach our full spiritual potential.

Here are twelve daily exercises designed to build our spiritual muscle and keep us in peak spiritual condition.

KNOW THE LORD. The Bible is filled with marvelous things about our majestic God. Each new day we should be reading and learning more about Him. We should get to know Him. -- I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day -- 2 Timothy 1:12

LOVE THE LORD. The old songwriter wrote, "To know him is to love him," and that's especially true of Jesus Christ. The more we read of Him and His Word, the more we love Him. To love God is the main reason we are alive. We need to do it every day. -- Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength -- Deuteronomy 6:5

OBEY THE LORD. As we begin to know our Lord and to love Him more each day, it's only normal that our heart's desire would be to please Him, to do those things which He expects of us. It is a daily exercise which produces real faith in our lives. -- If you love Me, you will obey what I command...To obey is better than sacrifice -- John 14:15; 1 Samuel 15:22

TRUST IN THE LORD. We can't really obey our Lord until we have learned to trust Him. The old hymn says it best, "Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey." We obey because we trust...and we trust even more because we obey. It is the finest spiritual exercise "cycle". -- Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. -- Proverbs 3:5-6

WAIT FOR THE LORD. Some days all the circumstances of our lives seem to be against us. That's when God says to "wait" for Him, which really means to keep on trusting Him when there is no apparent reason to keep on trusting Him. It's an exercise to strengthen our faith. -- I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope -- Psalm 130:5

REST IN THE LORD. There comes a time in every day when we need to take a little "breather"; to have some time to ourselves and to be alone with our thoughts and God; to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and just be quiet for awhile. -- Be still, and know that I am God...Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest -- Psalm 46:10; Matthew 11:28

PRAY TO THE LORD. The old saying simply says, "Seven days without prayer makes one weak!" And how true that is. Prayer is one of the greatest privileges given to mankind by God. It is our communication with God which gives us a great peace in our lives. Prayer changes things...and people...and us! -- Pray continually...do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus -- 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Philippians 4:6-7

HOPE IN THE LORD. The physicians like to say, "Where there's life, there's hope!" But it is equally as true that, "Where there's hope, there's life!" As long as you and I have hope, we can make it one more day...take away that hope and there is no reason to continue. Jesus is our hope. -- Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassion never fails. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness -- Lamentations 3:21-21

SERVE THE LORD. Each new day is an opportunity to serve God...to make a contribution to the cause of good and the Kingdom of God. We need to look for ways to serve our Lord and bring honor and glory to Him. -- Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. -- Joshua 24:15.

THANK THE LORD. The greatest exercise of our faith will be those days when we don't feel thankful for anything or anybody. To give thanks and praise to God on an everyday basis takes real faith, and it is an exercise that frees us from the shackles of self-pity and releases us to bring glory to God. -- Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus...Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ -- 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Ephesians 5:20

GROW IN THE LORD. Someone once said, "God wants us to be better today than we were yesterday, but not as good as we will be tomorrow!" God's plan for our lives is a growth plan. If we're not going forward, we're going backward. Exercise to grow! -- Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good -- 1 Peter 2:2-3

SHARE THE LORD. Probably the most fulfilling and rewarding exercise of the Christian life is when we share our Lord with others. With the dawning of each new day, we should be looking for ways to share His love with the world. With our lives. With our lips. -- Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have -- 1 Peter 3:15.

There they are -- The Daily Dozen-- guaranteed to make us be more of what God wants us to be and do more of what He wants us to do. Let's not forget to take care of our bodies, for they are the temples of the Holy Spirit of God, and He is the one who energizes us in the successful exercising of our lives. However, as we live our lives one day at a time, we should remember what the Bible says about our overall exercise program: -- Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come -- 1 Timothy 4:8.