God Showing UpSample

Everything is Spiritual

You may recognize John Prather from his work as a fitness model and trainer. Perhaps you've seen him on TV or watched his popular Instagram reels. Or maybe you've read his award-winning novel The Nephilim Virus. John is indeed a man of many talents — and he uses each one to give God the glory.

But beyond his work as a model, actor, and author, the role that matters most to John is that of a husband and father. After fostering and adopting several children, John and his wife have become passionate adoption advocates, a role John never expected God would lead him to take.

Today, John shares the deep spiritual truths that keep him going day by day.

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I think any activity can be sacred if it is done for the right reason. As a fitness model and trainer, I spend a solid amount of time working out. I've come to think of my exercise time as a sacred character builder. It teaches me consistency, patience, hard work, self-control, and courage, all traits God wants me to have.

People too often think of exercise as a selfish or a self-centered endeavor that leads to egotism or pride, but the opposite is true if it is done for the right reasons. The thing that makes an act sacred or secular is the heart behind the activity, not the activity itself. So, in a way, sometimes I find more spiritual renewal working on the Lord's temple than being in the Lord's temple.

I don't believe God wants people who want him to be portioned off into some parts of their lives and secluded from others. I believe that a waitress who works for the right reason and has the proper motivation is doing more of "God's work" than a preacher who is working for the wrong reason. I find it interesting that in the Bible, every time someone asked Jesus about actions, he started talking about motivations. He insisted on discussing people's hearts.

Humans are spiritual creatures, so everything we do is spiritual. I don't think the question is between spiritual and non-spiritual or between sacred and secular, but between spiritual life (things that bring us closer to God) and spiritual death (things that lead us away from God). Almost anything can fit into either of those categories, depending on the person's heart.

—John Prather, fitness model, as told to Rapt Interviews