Growing in the Spiritual Gym
"Working out our salvation" or "growing in the Spirit" is like hitting the gym for your soul—it’s about putting in the work, enduring the struggle, and pushing beyond your comfort zone to build real strength. Just like lifting weights requires intentional effort and discipline, spiritual growth demands time, dedication, and a willingness to embrace challenges. But here's the thing: just as there are shortcuts in the gym, there are shortcuts in our spiritual lives too—ones that seem easier but ultimately won’t lead to true transformation.
Take knee push-ups, for example. They're a modified version of regular push-ups, designed to reduce the intensity so you can do more reps with less effort. While they allow you to perform more repetitions, they don’t work the muscles as intensely as the full push-up. Spiritually, this is like taking the easy route—skipping over the hard parts of your faith, avoiding real growth, and opting for comfort. You might show up for church, say a few prayers, or read a verse, but if you’re not digging deeper or addressing the tough areas in your life, you’re not really building spiritual muscle. You may think you're growing, but you're only fooling yourself.
Now, let’s talk about the bigger trap—tricking your own mind into thinking you're doing the work. In the gym, some people will load up the bar with heavy weights, but then use terrible form to lift them. They might jerk their bodies or swing their arms to “get the weight up,” but they’re not engaging the right muscles or building true strength. From the outside, it looks like they’re working hard, but in reality, they’re just going through the motions, avoiding the real effort required for growth. Spiritually, this happens when we go through the motions—saying the right things, attending services, or reading a few verses—but without truly engaging with what God wants to do in our hearts. You can deceive yourself into thinking you're progressing, but when you look back, you’ll realize you’re still stuck in the same place because you’ve been faking your way through it.
This is the danger of activity without authenticity. You can spend a lot of time doing religious tasks and convincing yourself that you’re growing, but if you’re not genuinely facing the tough spiritual struggles, you’re not building the strength that lasts. Real growth isn’t just about doing more; it’s about doing the hard things with the right heart. It’s about facing your weaknesses and embracing the challenges, even when they seem painful or uncomfortable.
And when you do choose the harder path—the one that requires pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone—that’s when the real test begins. This is when you’ll hear the voices of the enemy telling you to quit. These voices will say, “You’re doing it wrong,” or “This is too hard, just give up.” They might even try to convince you that it’s not worth it, that the pain isn't worth the progress. But in those moments of doubt, that's when God comes in. He helps us pick up the weight. He strengthens us when we can’t go any further on our own. He guides us in the right technique and helps us push through the discomfort, ensuring we’re not just going through the motions, but actually building the spiritual strength we need.
This is where the real transformation happens: in the moments of struggle, when you feel like giving up, but choose to rely on God’s strength to keep going. Just like in physical training, when you push through the pain and continue to lift with the right form, you begin to see results. Spiritually, when you choose to endure, when you choose to trust God’s help and rely on His strength, you begin to see your faith grow deeper and your spiritual muscles become stronger.
Take fasting, for example. It might be tempting to think you're fasting just by cutting out one little indulgence, like soda, but still replacing it with another comfort food. That’s not real fasting—it’s just a swap. True fasting is about choosing to endure real discomfort, denying yourself of what you crave, and embracing the process of growth. It’s hard, and there will be moments when you hear the voice of the enemy telling you it’s too much. But that’s when you rely on God’s grace to get through the fast—not just physically, but spiritually.
In both physical training and spiritual growth, there’s no way around the hard work. You can’t trick your way into strength. You can’t cheat the process. But when you push yourself with the right intention, when you embrace the struggle and trust God to guide you through it, that’s when you experience true growth. It won’t always be easy, and it won’t always feel satisfying in the moment, but over time, the results will speak for themselves. Real progress comes when you face the challenge, rely on God's strength, and stay committed to the journey. That’s where the lasting transformation happens. And when you look back, you’ll see that the strength you’ve built—physically, mentally, and spiritually—is not just superficial. It’s deep, it’s real, and it’s lasting.