Do you know what you can you do to stay healthy? You can eat vegetables, drink water, get enough sleep, exercise, and go to the doctor for checkups. Whew! That’s a lot! It takes effort, right? But it’s so worth it, because a healthy body helps you do everything else better.

But did you know your soul needs to stay healthy too?

In the Bible, the apostle Paul wrote to his young friend Timothy and reminded him that Timothy had been learning the Bible since he was a little kid, because his mom and grandmother had taught him. Because Timothy grew up knowing God’s Word, it made him healthy—on the inside!

A healthy soul comes from knowing God. And the best way to know God is through the Bible. When you learn the Bible while you’re young, it builds something strong inside you that doesn’t easily break. You start to know what’s true and what’s false. You start to understand who God is and who He says you are. You grow in wisdom, courage, and love.

Just like it takes consistency to stay physically healthy (you don’t just exercise once and you’re done forever!), it takes consistency to keep your soul healthy. Regular Bible reading, prayer, worship, and community with other believers are the “exercises” that keep you spiritually strong!

Take Action: Create a “Soul Workout Plan” so you stay strong on the inside. Write down on a piece of paper what you’re going to do this week to exercise your soul. Plan when you’re going to read your Bible, pray, worship, spend time with other believers, go to church, and tell others about Jesus. Keep “working out” and you will see how strong your soul becomes!