Fitness Goals

Posted On February 6, 2022

“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”

1 Timothy 4:8 NLT

February is about the time any new year’s resolutions I’ve made to get in shape start to wane. If this is true for you as well, don’t feel too bad. This year I never even got started! I ordered a couple of books about strength training for women, but they’ve been sitting unread on my night stand for over a month now. As I get older I realize how important it is for my health to add some strength training to my exercise routine, and this is still a goal I have for this year, but I haven’t made it a priority. Consequently, I am no closer to reaching my fitness goals than I was at the end of last year.

If you are in the same boat, I completely understand. Physical fitness is hard work! It takes time and effort, and we have to keep at it. This is tough, especially when we have a million other things competing for our attention. But the payoff is worth it. As many of us are painfully aware, getting in better shape won’t just happen. We have to decide to be committed to it every day if we are going to make any progress. It has to become a habit. The same is true for our spiritual fitness goals. We can’t expect to improve if we don’t train consistently. And as Paul reminds us, training for godliness yields benefits that last beyond this life into eternity.

The Benefits of Getting in Shape

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Hebrews 11:6 NIV

Most fitness books start by explaining the importance of exercise. After all, why would we bother to push ourselves if there’s no reward? One of the strength training books I recently bought discusses the benefits of completing just two 30-minute sessions per week:

“You’re about to start a program that will improve the quality of your life — not just for now but for years to come. It’s an exciting program because progress is so rapid and so visible. As you become stronger, everything you do will become easier. Like many women, you may find this applies to more than physical activities. Strength training challenges your muscles. But it also dares you to venture beyond limiting stereotypes and to develop in unexpected ways. As your muscles grow, so will your self-confidence and self-esteem.”

~Miriam E. Nelson, Strong Women Stay Young

Just a small investment of time and effort can reap huge rewards and even unexpected benefits. The same is true for spiritual training. When we become Christians, we begin a fitness program that will improve the quality of our lives — not just for now but for eternity. When we come before God and trust Him to coach us, He develops our faith and transforms us in amazing ways. As we get stronger, we become more confident and more resilient. Things we struggled with before become easier for us. And our progress becomes visible to others, giving us opportunities to bless them and share our faith.

“Are you in shape both physically and spiritually? In our society, much emphasis is placed on physical fitness, but spiritual health is even more important. Our physical health is susceptible to disease and injury, but faith can sustain us through any tragedy. . . . Are you developing your spiritual muscles?”

~Chronological Life Application Study Bible

Spiritual training is challenging. But it also dares us to move beyond the plans we had for ourselves and dream God-sized dreams. The goal of our spiritual development is to become more and more like Christ. And as we grow, God uses us in unexpected ways to do things we never thought possible!

“A disciplined follower of Jesus — a ‘disciple’ — is not someone who has ‘mastered the disciplines’ and never misses a daily regimen of spiritual exercises. A disciplined follower of Jesus is someone who discerns when laughter, gentleness, silence, healing words, or prophetic indignation is called for, and offers it promptly, effectively, and lovingly.“

~John Ortberg, The Life You’ve Always Wanted

“You will be rewarded when the time is right, if you don’t give up.”

Galatians 6:9 CEV

I Can’t Do This!

“Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”

Ephesians 6:10 NLT

So we understand the benefits of getting in shape, and we’ve made a resolution to do it. . . . But then some time goes by and we find out this is going to be a lot harder than we thought. We try to do what God wants us to do, but then we have a bad day and it all goes out the window! The more we progress, the more the enemy seems to tempt us to backslide. We give in, the guilt overtakes us, and we become painfully aware how far away from God’s ideal we really are. That’s when we realize that we just can’t do this! So do we just throw in the towel and give up? No. Believe it or not, this is exactly where God wants us.

“Somewhere inside of you, you’ve come to the realization that you’re just not strong enough to live the holy life that Christ has called you to. Good! God never meant you to live the Christian life by your own resources.”

~Charles F. Stanley, 30 Life Principles

As soon as we let go of the idea that we can do this on our own, we are ready to learn how to depend on God. And that’s the first step in our spiritual training. We’ve got to learn the painful lesson that we are not able to do this on our own. Willpower is not enough. We’ve got to learn how to rely on God’s strength every day.

“Today, remember that you belong to Jesus. . . . Jesus wants to lead you and teach you to do things His way — a better manner than you could ever imagine on your own. However, it is very important that you acknowledge that He is God and you are not. You can stop trying to be strong and sufficient before Him. . . . He is the Lord, the Sufficient One, your Redeemer. It’s not only okay to admit that you don’t have it all together; it is crucial if you want to take hold of all He has for you.”

~Charles F. Stanley, God’s Purpose for Your Life

We can’t fake our way through our faith journey. We can’t just go through the motions. Being transformed into an image of Christ requires supernatural power that we do not possess — it’s got to come from God. He promises to give us everything we need to do this. But we have to learn to step out in faith and receive it. God hears us when we cry out to Him, I can’t do this! . . . He lovingly responds, Yes, you can. You just can’t do it alone.

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:19 NIV

What It Takes to Reach Our Goals

“And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. But don’t begin until you count the cost.”

Luke 14:27-28 NLT

Before we begin any endeavor we must determine what it’s going to take to get it done. We must count the cost — the time, money, effort, and commitment that’s required to accomplish our goal. Jumping in without a plan for success often leads to disappointment, unexpected hardships, and a high chance of failure. Buying exercise books and just setting them on my nightstand does nothing to help me reach my fitness goals. I didn’t read the books. I didn’t learn how to do the exercises. I didn’t gather the necessary equipment. And I didn’t plan how to fit the training sessions into my schedule. In short, I set myself up to fail. The same thing often happens in our lives as Christians. Just saying we want to have a stronger faith isn’t enough. We’ve got to understand what that’s going to take and what we’re getting ourselves into. We’ve got to be prepared.

“Following Christ means total submission to him . . . . Following Christ does not mean a trouble-free life. We must carefully count the cost of becoming Christ’s disciples so that we will firmly hold to our faith and won’t be tempted later to turn back.”

~Chronological Life Application Bible

The Christian life is not always easy. Jesus never promised that it would be. It’s rewarding in ways we can’t even imagine and it leads to eternal life in heaven with Him, but right now we still live in a fallen world. In fact, we’re living in the middle of a spiritual battle, and Satan is determined not to make this easy for us. One thing I’ve noticed in my own life, and I’ve also heard from others, is that the more progress we make in our faith journey, the more we seem to fall under attack from the enemy. I know that sounds dramatic, but it’s true. Have you ever been on a spiritual high one day only to find yourself in darkness or despair the next? Have you ever vowed to be committed to your spiritual growth only to be immediately tempted to give up? I don’t believe that’s coincidence. It’s happened to me so many times now that I’ve come to expect it. And that’s exactly the point. We’ve got to understand what we’re in for so we’re not blindsided. We’ve got to be prepared to fight back.

That’s why the first step is to realize that we can’t do this on our own. To fight supernatural powers of evil, we’ve got to rely on the supernatural power of God. When we become Christians, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and He’s the One who gives us this power. But we have to learn how to access it. How do we do this? I’m certainly no expert, but I know we have to start by staying connected to Him through Scripture, prayer, and worship. We can’t receive power if we are cut off from its source. We must be committed to developing a close, personal relationship with God. And we must develop habits that help us to do this. We must be intentional about seeking Him and learning to hear His voice. The Holy Spirit is our personal Trainer, but we’ve got to listen to Him and do what He says. We can’t slack off when things get tough or we won’t make any progress. Like physical training, spiritual training requires discipline. That’s why followers of Christ are called disciples.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 1:8 NIV

The Race Before Us

“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.”

1 Corinthians 9:24-25 NLT

I doubt that the athlete in the photo above just showed up on the day of the race and hoped for the best. He had to train for it! We are required to do no less.

“Winning a race requires purpose and discipline. Paul uses this illustration to explain that the Christian life takes hard work, self-denial, and grueling preparation. As Christians, we are running toward our heavenly reward. The essential disciplines of prayer, Bible study, and worship equip us to run with vigor and stamina. Don’t merely observe from the grandstand; don’t just turn out to jog a couple of laps each morning. Train diligently — your spiritual progress depends upon it.”

~Chronological Life Application Study Bible

We can have good intentions, but we also have to have a plan. Spiritual fitness won’t just happen. No matter how hard we try to “run with endurance the race God has set before us” (Hebrews 12:1 NLT), we won’t get very far if we don’t train for it. Let’s learn the fundamentals of faith by reading God’s Word and commit to practicing them every day. Let’s schedule time to meet with our Trainer in prayer, listening to His instructions and faithfully doing whatever He tells us. And let’s develop strategies ahead of time to deal with struggles and to fight temptations, especially the temptation to quit. At times we will stumble and fall, but we can’t ever give up.

“Trying hard can accomplish so much.
If you are serious, . . . you will have to enter into a life of training.”

John Ortberg, The Life You’ve Always Wanted

This week’s Scripture passages remind us to seek the Lord’s strength and to persevere in faith. God is committed to our success, so we should be, too. The power of the almighty Creator of the universe lives inside each believer, and He promises to give us everything we need. So with God’s help, we can do this. Spiritual training is hard work, but the reward is great!

“This is the race for which we were born.
But we will not drift into such a life. We must decide.”

John Ortberg, The Life You’ve Always Wanted

References:

• Chronological Life Application Study Bible, New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 2012.
• Nelson, Miriam E. Strong Women Stay Young. Bantam Books, 1997.
• Ortberg, John. The Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People. Zondervan, 2002.
• Stanley, Charles F. 30 Life Principles Study Guide: A Study for Growing in Knowledge and Understanding of God. Thomas Nelson, 2008.
• Stanley, Charles F. God’s Purpose for Your Life: 365 Devotions. Thomas Nelson, 2020.

Images:

• Woman Running featured image by Josiah Weiss on Unsplash
• Pen and Paper image by Polina Kovaleva from Pexels
• Dumbbells image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay
• Towel image by me
• Man Carrying Cross image by Erik Mclean from Pexels (edited by me)
• Man Preparing to Race image by Braden Collum on Unsplash
• Man Running image by lucas Favre on Unsplash