Keeping focused throughout November

Keeping on top of my chronic kidney disease is about limiting the effects of obesity and stabilising my blood pressure through a high-level cardio training programme and a restrictive diet.

It takes discipline, suffering, inconvenience and dedication but it's worth it. At this stage, my kidney function is stable and I am avoiding the need for dialysis or a transplant.

I know God's healing power and that He can heal in an instant. And to those who pray for that, keep praying. I am willing to be healed so that He gets the maximum glory. However, when I first prayed after being diagnosed, I was challenged by Him to be a dedicated and disciplined steward of what He had given me - my body and my mind.

Many of you know that in 2017, through a challenging season in our life, the combination of treatment and deliverance allowed me to find a new freedom from spiritual oppression. Nowadays, I daily focus on taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ, thus being a good steward of my mind.

I believe that the same has to be done with the body - of course, drawing some influence from Paul in 1 Corinthians 9 verse 27. I keep my body healthy to be able to serve - fulfilling the promise we made of spending and being spent for the sake of the gospel.

It's the physical discipline of this disciple and pushing to keep progressing. In the same way I renew my mind, I do the same with the body. Over November, I hit some significant targets.

1. I covered 270 miles on foot in running and walking.

2. This worked out to over half a million steps.

3. I burnt over 36,000 calories in exercise - which placed me 15th in the gym challenge across the entire country. That's over 1000 calories per day (much more when you consider rest days!)

4. I got my outdoor personal best running time down for 5k to below 22 minutes.

5. On December 1st, I ran 5k on a treadmill in the gym in under 21 minutes.

6. Finally, on December 2nd, my weight hit 76kg (12 stone in old money). That's down by 66kg (10 and a half stone lost from my top weight.)

These targets are great personally, but for me, they add kingdom significance. For when I run in a race, I have scripture on my back and our prayer warriors, when they see the leaderboard and results, we can see the names of those who were close by and possibly reading Romans 5.

When I work out in the gym, it's the same occassionally - when my clothes are not too sweaty! Who knows who is watching?

Plus I walk and I pray when I walk. To cover 270 miles, I've trampled over a fair few snakes and scorpions, but also roads in the area. I've met quite a few people out walking.

The weight helps promote discipline too. My high fitness levels enable me to work harder and longer, and the diet also helps avoid lethargy. We are challenged more about wise stewardship in diet and exercise, especially when you understand what different foods can do to the body. Stewardship takes discipline and often sacrifice - I've had to skip a few food fellowship events to prioritise my own needs but I know it is what is best for me.

This is often a lonely and unseen ministry with fruit that may only be known after I've moved to my rightful home in heaven. But hitting targets help you keep persevering. And on the days when you don't feel like it, especially for freezing cold runs where my old 66kg body fat covering would be welcome, I recite the same challenge I had when I competed in a Halloween run: "I have to go, because it is someone's turn to know"

And I remember the same thing written on my clothes: "Suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, character produces Hope - and that Hope will never, ever disappoint" - because for me, that Hope has a name - Jesus.