Out of Shape

“Don’t you remember those days right after the Light shined in your hearts? You endured a great marathon season of suffering hardships, yet you stood your ground. And at times you were publicly and shamefully mis-treated, being persecuted for your faith; then at others times you stood side by side with those who preach the message of hope.

You sympathized with those in prison, and when all your belongings were confiscated you accepted that violation with joy; convinced that you possess a treasure growing in heaven[e] that could never be taken from you. So don’t lose your bold, courageous faith, for you are destined for a great reward!

You need the strength of endurance to reveal the poetry of God’s will and then you receive the promise in full. For soon and very soon,

“The One who is appearing will come without delay!”

And he also says,

“My righteous ones will live from my faith. But if fear holds them back, my soul is not content with them!”

But we are certainly not those who are held back by fear and perish; we are among those who have faith and experience true life!”

Hebrews 10:32-39

“You need endurance.”

Living a life in Christ requires extreme endurance. Endurance is increased as one’s capacity becomes greater. Capacity increases the more an individual reaches their current limit or max. I “can’ts” become I “cans.” What was once impossible becomes possible. I “could never” becomes “I have.” I believe life in the Spirit creates these impossible moments on a daily basis. When you believe in the capacity of the impossible, your spiritual endurance is strengthened. What grace proved yesterday will become today’s reality. Just as you can become out of shape physically- you can become out of shape spiritually. When you don’t exercise your spiritual muscles, your capacity decreases. You start to believe the “cans” are “can’ts” again.

Be honest with yourself. It is discouraging when you can’t run a mile without stopping like you once could. I hate that feeling. It makes me want to quit. My lungs are trying to catch my breath. My stomach is in my throat. I don’t want to run another inch again. Never again. Did you know it is possible to be out of shape with the spirit?

I feel so spiritually out of shape right now. I don’t feel toned. I feel flabby. This kind of feeling makes me want to quit. I want that high euphoric feeling from the spirit again. Right now I am trudging through the trenches, out of breath and out of shape- longing for the moment when I was so in tune with the spirit. It is discouraging.

I have been there in my fitness journey before- at the point there is no use continuing. But then I remember, what it is like to feel in shape again- for my capacity to increase. And that fuels and encourages me. I want to be there again- and with some hard work- I know I will be, better than ever.

I need the same mindset in my spiritual life. How do I increase my capacity? Through daily going and growing. So how do I get there again? And how do I grow past this point? When I think about when I was in my spiritual “prime” so to speak- I need to remember how I got there.

I woke up with intention. I set my mind straight first thing in the morning. Committed my day to the spirit, never skipped my morning devos, engaged in deep scriptural study, filled my mind with truth, listened to Christian audible books, encouraged others, and worshipped my heart out through song.

This is how I became in-shape spiritually. I set my intention and didn’t allow my motivation to waiver. The stakes were too high.

Am I there right now? No. I became beyond complacent and let the things that were once considered nonnegotiables slide. So to become spiritually fit again- I need to reset my intention. The worst part is- I have become everything I hate- lazy and complacent in my kingdom work. But no more. Enough is enough. I am recommitting my heart and my mind. It is a day by day- moment-by-moment recommitment- and it is very easy to slide back into complacency.

Yes discouragement has caused me to backslide- but this is not my identity. Discouragement is not my name. Beloved. Daughter. Child. Chosen. Redeemed. Conqueror. Free. These are my true identity. I choose to live from this perspective. In time- my spiritual capacity will grow and I will experience true JOY and passion once again.

Galatians 6:7-9

“Make no mistake about it, God will never be mocked! For what you plant will always be the very thing you harvest. The harvest you reap reveals the seed that was planted. If you plant the corrupt seeds of self - life into this natural realm, you can expect to experience a harvest of corruption. If you plant the good seeds of Spirit-life you will reap the beautiful fruits that grow from the everlasting life of the Spirit.

And don’t allow yourselves to be weary or disheartened in planting good seeds, for the season of reaping the wonderful harvest you’ve planted is coming!”