Spiritual Fitness - Part 2

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

1 Timothy 4:7-8 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

Endurance.  This word strikes fear in the heart of every kid that shops in the "husky" section at JC Penny.  When it comes to endurance, some people are built for it and take to it naturally but for most of us it comes only through discipline.  It is gained slowly and lost quickly.

You may have heard the joke about the two guys in the woods who hear the roar of a grizzly bear.  At the sound of the roar one of the men sits down to put on his running shoes.  The other man laughs, "Do you really think you can outrun that bear?"  The first man replies "Of course I'm not going to outrun that bear.  I don't have to. I just have to out run you."

When it comes to the Christian life it's not how you start, it's how you finish.  The Christian journey is about endurance.  It is a marathon not a sprint. So, how do we gain endurance?  We train.  How do you train physically?  You discipline your body to exert more energy each time you train.  In our spiritual life our exercise is prayer.

Steve Farrar, in his book Point Man, states:

"Prayer is to the soul what exercise is to the body.  A spiritual self-starter is a person who is in good spiritual shape.  That means he/she does two things: (1) He/she consistently eats the nutritious diet of the Scriptures; and (2) he/she consistently spends time in aerobic kneeling (prayer)."

Although Scripture is silent about how much time a person should spend in prayer, it does stress the importance of time spent with the Father.  Please allow me to propose some tools for measurement.  How much time do you spend talking with those you love?  If our love for our family members is to look like hate compared to our love for Jesus, shouldn't we spend time with Him daily?  If you are in a relationship, would you be satisfied if the amount of time you spent with Jesus was the same as the time your husband/wife spent with you?

Let me encourage you to pray, train in godliness daily that you might run with endurance the race set before you.

Here are a few tips as you plan your spiritual exercise:

1. Plan a time.
2. Plan a place.
3. Make a list. What will you specifically pray about?
4. Begin with Scripture.
5. Make yourself accountable to someone.
*List found in Steve Farrar's Point Man

Start your spiritual workout this week!!  It will be tough at first.  Pace yourself, make a plan, stick with it and endurance will come.  Remember it's not how you start it's how you finish. 

Train to finish well.

Patrick