Spiritual Fitness

Hello precious Reader, don’t tell me you are thinking of how many push-ups you will have to do to be fit spiritually.

Thank you for joining me today. I’m humbled. I pray you will be blessed by today’s post.

Today, I want to take you to the gym of the spirit… Some are so unfit spiritually and others are obese. Sadly, those that are not obese don’t know they are unfit and so they think they are fit for the race. I wouldn’t be too confident if I were you.

Now let’s begin… Give me 20 push-ups… Ahahaha

1 Corinthians 9:24-25 (KJV)
“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.”

Sometimes in the Bible, the call to discipleship (Christianity) is depicted as a race where athletes compete in. It is in this light I write today’s post and I pray it blesses you.

For an athlete, some things have an outright ban on them by the World Anti-Doping Agency while some things have no ban on them, yet you don’t see any professional athlete consume such things.

This is exactly the same thing with us Christians. As we walk with the Lord in the light of His word, it is obvious that some things are ban while some other things are “lawful but not necessary”. We as Christians are athletes in a race for a reward that can never be stale, stolen and whose glory will never pass away, therefore, we have to compete lawfully and must be moderate in every thing we do except those things that directly involve victory in the race (like running fast, if you get what I mean)…

The World Anti-Doping Agency definitely has a list of performance enhancement substances that must not be found in the body system of the athletes such as Amfepramone, Adrenalin, Adrafinil, etc and if they are tested and they test positive for any of the enhancement substances, they are disqualified from the competition… They must compete lawfully… Do you see that?

On the other hand, there are some things the regulatory body has no law against and will not set a law against because they don’t enhance your performance in the race. As a matter of fact, they slow you down, you can’t perform at your best. They reduce your performance. A good athlete who strives for victory doesn’t consume such things so he will keep fit.

A clearer explanation is this; The regulatory Body (WADA) forbids the consumption of certain substances because it, simply, enhances the athlete’s performance. However, the Body does not forbid the consumption of white bread, Diet soda, Pasta, Microwave popcorn, Bacon, etc, will the professional athlete then say because there’s no law against eating those things, he would eat them?? Absolutely not… it’ll take time and space to explain the effect of those things I listed on the performance of athlete, you can read them up

This is the same with the disciple.

The sin that is common to men is not expected to be seen in you if you will compete lawfully. Sin must not be found in you. Now, this is not what makes you fit enough for the race, this is what qualifies you for the race… Grace, therefore, has saved us from sin and we who are born of God can not sin. Hallelujah!!! Therefore, if you believe in the finished work of Jesus the Christ, that he is the son of God and the Messiah of the world, sent from God to take away the sin of the world by His death and resurrection and ascension, and you repent, you qualify for the race.

If you qualify for the race, you have to be fit to finish and finish well. This is where many Christians don’t pay attention and they fall by the way side. So they believe since they have qualified, they can take everything in because every other thing is now lawful. There is no restriction. However, a wise athlete knows what slows him down, he knows what weakens him, he knows what makes him get tired fast in the race, he knows what makes him almost give up easily and he stays away from it. He is disciplined enough to say to himself “though there’s no law against this, it is not giving me a better chance at winning my race, so away with it!! ” . The wise athlete knows that the consumption of the things that have no law against them will lead him to consume those that are against the law and bring about his disqualification.

As a believer, you must check yourself by the Holy Spirit, there’s something that is not a sin but you know it doesn’t aid your race, it is actually unnecessary, irrelevant, it doesn’t add to you, in fact it sometimes almost pushes you back to sin… You have seen that it is a door for that easily besetting sin that troubles you.

Friend, it may be gluttony, nothing wrong with eating… But you must be temperate in all things… You don’t satisfy every longing. Some times you control yourself from doing some things that are lawful.

Listen, you have to consciously part with things that literally hold you back from running your race… Friends, business contacts, “hobbies”, career path sometimes…. You must lay aside all weights today.

News flash!! This doesn’t happen once. At every point in your Christian walk, you will, by the Spirit, identify something unnecessary to your race. It could be your perception on dressing, fashion generally… It’s not immoral but because of the path God is taking you through, it’s not necessary. Ooohhhh, Hallelujah!! I’m glad because as you lay it down, you will see yourself running faster and better… You know Him more, you are closer.

How far can you go for the sake of the righteous race?

You, my brother, know that you could have been way ahead by now but you have decided not to be disciplined. Is it good to have breakfast? Of course, but you can say to yourself “I have noticed that once I take breakfast, I don’t want to sit at home again, I feel so energetic I want to go out, make calls do this, do that, anything else except personal time with God. Therefore, from now, No studying of the Bible, no breakfast“.

You, my sister, know that your faith should have grown but you don’t want to miss any “friends’ hangout” but you know that your trophy is “hanging out” of your reach with each passing moment you spend with those friends and the way you’re living, you don’t have to… Nothing is wrong with hanging out but right now, it is not good for your growth.

Let me summarize with this scripture from the Bible;

Matthew 5:30 (KJV)
“And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.”

Let me ask you a question friend, Will You buy righteousness, no matter the cost?

You can pray and ask God to help you be temperate in all things… It’s not every invite you honor, it’s not everyone you spend time talking to, ask God to help you discern when you have cast off restraint. In Jesus name. Amen.

I think I should talk some more about this next week.

Thank you for joining me this week, I believe you were blessed. Join me next week but before then, please share this with people, like, comment and you can follow.

Thank you and God bless you.

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