At about a hundred push-ups, flutter kicks, mountain climbers and jumping jacks in to our work out last week, I got that feeling that I just couldn’t go any longer, and sacrificed my form to make the work a bit easier.

We were holding a plank for minutes on end, over and over again, to the point that I lost complete feeling in my arms. I gradually started to let up: every few seconds I would drop my knee to the ground. I think, “It’s not that big of a deal.”

About five 100-yard sprints in to the workout, I stopped running my hardest on every rep, going just hard enough so it appeared like I was trying.

I am a firm believer that 90 percent of working out is mental and 10 percent physical, and its very difficult to give 100 percent, 100 percent of the time.

Has anyone else ever noticed that as the workout ends, within a couple minutes you catch your breath and look back at that workout, the same one that seemed so hard in the moment, and you think that maybe you could have pushed yourself just a little bit harder?

I hate that this happens, and I wonder why it does? The best conclusion I have is that it is simply in my human nature. Not only in workouts, but I see this apply to other areas of my life.

Change the scenario to a point that you are tempted to sin or turn away from God. In the moment, it feels like we cannot resist. We think “just this once,” or “it’s not that big of a deal.” Later, I know I always look back with regret, wishing I had not fallen into temptation.

Romans 12:1-2 says:

“Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—This is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

How do we offer our bodies as a holy and living sacrifice?
How are we to not be conformed to the world, but instead, renew our minds?

As I mentioned, this is our human nature, and we can do nothing holy, nothing righteous by our own control. Rather, this verse calls us to offer our bodies to the Lord as an act of worship and be transformed by God.

Romans 8:37 says:

“We are all conquerors through Him who loved us.”

We are conquerors not because of anything we do, but because of what HE does THROUGH US. We present our mind to Him and let His mind become our mind; His thoughts, our thoughts; His actions, our actions.

If there is anything I have learned lately, it’s that I can do nothing holy, nothing righteous, and absolutely nothing that gives Him glory on my own. I am desperately dependent on Him to do this through me.

It is impossible for us to give 100 percent, 100 percent of the time in our day-to-day lives. Thus, it is not me giving 100 percent, bringing glory to myself, but rather, God’s perfection is displayed through me, bringing Him every bit of the glory. For it is by Him that all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27, Luke 18:27)