Physical Education 101: Training in the Spirit with the Spirit - Physical Health & Body Awareness

Joshua 1:9 NIV

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Be strong and courageous.

Building strength, building your spirit man. The Bible talks about our soul, as a result of the fall, being dead in sin; that is in Ephesians 2:1–4. However, because of Jesus Christ, we are now back alive in Christ, being forgiven (Colossians 2:13). Because we are now made new in Christ, we have to continue to walk in the Spirit and no longer choose to walk in things that have passed away. It’s a daily choice to pick up your cross.

Though we have the precious Helper, the Holy Spirit, the more you feed your flesh, the more of a burden you will see in picking up your cross—the same cross that our Savior did not hesitate to pick up. And so now, yes, you’re saved, but because you’ve been feeding your flesh, refusing to grow and mature in the things of the Spirit, the more you will think that those who are living a biblical life are “doing too much” or are too “extreme.”

But if your spirit were stronger than your flesh, then you would understand they’re just living out the work that has been done in them by God.

The good news is that if you still have breath in your lungs, you can still run to God to realign you, form you, and journey with you.

When it comes to building strength or getting stronger, I have learned a couple of things, and you can learn from my mistakes: You cannot go from being able to lift a 10-pound weight to a 70-pound weight. It will crush you, and you might break your back or wrist in the process. Though you may be able to hold on for a minute, shaking, realizing it’s too heavy, what do you do? You drop it. And even in dropping it, it might injure you.

So, where am I going with this? You cannot rush or “microwave” the process. You can only surrender and partner with God daily, whether people are watching or not, because when you journey with God, the growth that will take place will rarely be tested in a room full of people. It will also take you being vulnerable with God about where you are and truly desiring to be what He wants you to be.

For this devotional, I want you to be honest with the Lord, because the race is not with anyone else. Trying to do everything all at once in your own strength, without consulting God first, will only cause you to start things you cannot finish, start things prematurely, and start things you were never called to do in the first place. Then, when it gets too heavy, you drop the ball. You may even injure yourself in the process.

So, before you start to build strength, you need to consult the Lord. Take your pen and pencil, go to the secret place, and allow Him to tell you exactly what you need and how you need it when it comes to your own goals. He’s the one who’s going to tell you if 10 pounds is enough or if you need to up the weight. He’s the one who’s going to tell you if you don’t need to build muscle strength right now; maybe it’s your bones that need strength.

And just because you see someone strong does not mean that their set is for you! Because what you are to lift for some season is where you will learn consistency and begin to see the result of what showing up and partnering with God looks like. And then more weights get added as you become stronger over time.

You will also learn that nutrition matters and that it’s not just what you do but also what you consume, and how there can’t be a cheat day because you now have an understanding of what it takes. And that is a daily choice of partnering with God in public and behind closed doors. To know that the Holy Spirit will be with you every step of the way should keep you from being discouraged.

So, happy training!