Lord, give me strength

He knows when you sleep in, eat junk food or skip a workout.

He’s God, and according to Gil Yurly, he wants you to be in good shape.

Yurly hopes to spread the gospel of health and wellness through his new Holy Spirit Gym, a Christian-themed full service workout center opening at the site of the old Superbodies Gym across from Triangle Square in Costa Mesa. Yurly said the new facility will be a Christian-friendly place where those of faith can work out and “honor the glory of God.”

A lifelong Catholic and former Mr. Natural California bodybuilding champ, Yurly said he got the idea after speaking with clients about their experiences with national gym chains. Yurly, who also owns Body Wise Fitness in Newport Beach, said many of his customers were distressed by gyms that played secular music and brought together men and women in tight-fitting clothing.

“The Bible says that if you look at a woman and lust after her, it’s a sin,” said Pastor Gaylord Tohill of Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa. “It presents a problem for young men who want to go to a gym but are surrounded by women in skimpy clothing. A lot of guys get home gyms so they don’t have this problem.”

According to Yurly’s website, www.holyspiritgym.com, men and women will be required to follow a dress code that bans skimpy clothing, like spaghetti-strap tank tops and ultra-tight bottoms. He said the new facility will also play Christian-themed music.

Yurly thinks his new gym concept will appeal to the thousands of Christians living in Orange County, an area known for its growing church communities such as Saddleback Church and Calvary Chapel.

Linking exercise to religion is nothing new. Christian exercise music and workout clothing lines with names like “Witness Thru Fitness” are available on the Internet, and the YMCA ? the Young Men’s Christian Assn. ? has workout facilities in nearly every community in America.

Yurly said he often feels closer to God when exercising.

“The Bible says our bodies are temples, and protecting that temple is one way to bring glory to God,” he said, adding that Christianity can inspire people to improve themselves through exercise.

Yurly plans to adorn the walls of the gym with Biblical passages, including a favorite, Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Besides the wall decorations, Yurly is considering affixing magnetic scripture verses to his exercise equipment to inspire people performing a set of pull-ups or a difficult squat.

He’s even considering holding ministries at the gym and offering discounts for churchgoers. Like other gym owners, he needs to hold promotions to bring customers in the door.

Yurly said he hopes to open the gym next week.