Every Friday, I drag myself to the gym and stand in line for the most intense workout of my week—cycle class. It’s here that I know I’ll be pushed to my limits. I feel like I’m literally going to die or fall off my bike because my heart is going to explode from beating so fast.
I’m certain I’ve reached my limit until the instructor commands us not to listen to our minds screaming at us to stop.
Nope.
“You didn’t drive all the way here and drop your kids off in childcare to give up, did you?”
“Come on, even my Grandma can pedal faster than that!”
I look up at the Borg Rate of Perceived Exertion Chart that’s supposed to help estimate the intensity level of my workout.
Most of the time it feels like I’m at a level 10. I’ve done enough. Worked hard enough. I can’t raise the gear and go faster!
But then I push myself past my own perceived wall.
I discover that my perceived level 10 was actually an 8.
Sometimes when I’m cycling I can’t help but compare it to my spiritual life.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way to get the prize.
But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. (I Corinthians 9:24,27))
1 Timothy 4:7 says that we should train ourselves to be godly.
To be godly means to be devoted to God.
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present and the life to come. I Timothy 4:8
We must be in shape both physically and spiritually. Share on X
I’m convicted that my perceived level of exertion to gain scriptural knowledge is just that—perceived.
I know that I’ve barely touched the surface of the deep waters contained in the Bible.
There’s an ocean of treasures to find.
And unlike my grueling workout class, the time spent searching the word is enjoyable to me. I can’t get enough of it.
I’m always learning something new.
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul thirsts for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
Psalm 42:1-2
I long to really know and understand the Bible. And that takes discipline, time, diligence and digging.
It takes training and discipline to be spiritually fit. Share on X
As I read Proverbs 2:1-9 I noticed all the action words that show how deliberately and diligently we should be studying scripture.
My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding
indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom,
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Proverbs 2:1-9
I’m not writing this to make people feel bad or guilty for not spending time studying God’s word. God doesn’t want us to condemn ourselves.
But being convicted is different.
God often convicts our hearts towards something we can do or stop doing in order draw us closer to Him.
God calls us to a life of holiness and obedience and He gives us the spiritual resources we need to walk in righteousness.
The truth is, sometimes I get complacent. I need to push past my perceived wall of busyness.
If we aren’t studying the Bible, we’re going to miss out on the treasures found by actively searching for them.
And just like in cycle class,
sometimes, I need to hear the cold, hard truth.
That’s why I go to cycle class. I know the instructor will encourage me not to settle for less than my best effort and what I’m actually capable of.
When I leave cycle class, I’m usually glad I went. I feel good. I feel healthy.
Spending time searching the scriptures and hiding God’s word in your heart takes discipline, time and effort but it will make you spiritually fit.
The Bible doesn’t yield its treasures to the lazy soul. We can’t rush through each day and assume that spiritual nourishment will happen automatically. Chuck Swindoll
God isn’t interested in performance, He just wants us to become more like Him through reading His Word. He’s not trying to shame you and guilt you when you don’t, He just knows it’s where your soul will find nourishment.
When you honestly evaluate your spiritual fitness, have you become satisfied with your perceived level of intensity?
What could you do to dig deeper into His Word? I would love for you to share in the comments.
For me, I want to gain more knowledge by studying the context and history surrounding some of my favorite Bible passages.
I recently read Searching the Scriptures: Find the Nourishment Your Soul Needs
I’ve included the link below. You can read my review of the book here.
I understand busy schedules! If you’re busy and just need something to get you started, I recommend Praying the Promises of the Cross. You can read about it here.
Hello there! I'm Valerie, a mom of four and wife of 27 years. My writing inspires others to cultivate courageous faith and find solace in trusting God, especially in moments of fear and uncertainty. Join me on this adventure as we explore the beauty of trusting God when we are afraid. 
This analogy of the percieved wall is resonating with me. I’ve physically pushed myself over that hump many times in my workouts. My dedication to my fitness at the time made it possible to push past without the help.of a coach. Much like King Solomans analogy of the ant. The ant works hard without ruler, chief, or officer. She pushes past all distractions and percieved limitations (proverbs 6:6-8).
Ive been finding myself at that spiritual hump lately. Thank you for helping me realize that I’m not yet at my best or my limit. I can grow to be more spiritually fit as long as I dont give up.
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. While there is always room to grow, God is very gracious towards us. And ironically, this side of heaven we will never “reach” completion until the day of Christ (Phil 1:4-6). The Holy Spirit enables and empowers us to become more like Jesus. I believe Jesus knows learning more about him and diligently pursuing knowledge of the holy one (much in line with learning to fear and trust God in our lives) is for our personal benefit and spiritual health. And another amazing spiritual truth and principle is that in Him we ARE already complete and it is Him who fulfills His work in our lives. “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me, your love, O lord, endures forever Psalm 138:8” “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:9-10).”
I feel that no one, at any time, feels like they are exactly where they want to be or should be in their walk. There will always be something to feel guilty about…always more we could be doing…
More than a year ago, I decided that I was going to start reading God’s Word every night before going to bed. I start with my nightly prayer and then read my daily devotional. When I read my bible, I tend to read two chapters each evening. If I miss a night, I double up the following night, because I feel as though I missed out on blessing the Lord (or maybe it’s plain and simple guilt). I do enjoy reading the bible and being able to memorize scripture (my favorite being Jeremiah 29:11).
I have read the bible many times in the past five years, but the last time I started it, I wrote down the date so that I could determine how long it would take me to read through the New Testament beginning with Matthew by reading two chapters daily. I started in mid July, and am just beginning Revelation tonight, which should take me a couple of weeks; bringing it to 4-1/2 months, which isn’t bad. Once I finish Revelation, I start over.
I love the teachings of David Jeremiah †
Today has been day 3 I have not gotten out of bed and I’m not sure why I tell my self it takes one step of effort and God will be there I am disabled and go thing through a rough patch right know so after 3 days in bed I rolled over grabbed my tablet and here your post is I read every word of it and all I can say is Lord help me I’m desperately needing you right know thank you for this article and your faithfulnessness
I’m so sorry you are going through such a hard time JoEllen. After I read your comment this morning-I took this class again. And when it got hard and I wanted to give up I thought of you and prayed for you. I’m praying this Psalm for you…”The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit”. I pray that when you feel like you are crushed that the Lord would rescue you and give you hope and peace. Thank you for sharing your heart here today.
Love this. Thank you for this message.
Thank you, Debbie! Blessings to you!
Love this message today. +
Prayers & Blessings!
Thank you, Meghan! I appreciate your kind words.
Valerie, I feel the same way when I run. I get pumped up to go, but not too long after I start, I think, “This is so hard. I hate these hills. I can’t do this. Why am I even bothering? Can I just turn around and go home?” But that’s not an option. I’ve already come this far.
Then the endorphins kick in, my breathing becomes more steady, and I find my pace. Then I hit a hill again, and the pattern starts all over.
I think our physical workouts can show us so many parallels to our spiritual life. My spiritual life has peaks and valleys just like my running route. I have highs, lows–places where I feel the burn, places where it seems easy–and times when I’m just coasting. Great post and I love the parallels.
Yes, I feel the same when I run up hills and think of the parallels of our trials and having to keep going when you want to give up. Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment, Mary!
Oh, Val! This is soooooooooooo good!!!! I wish you were here to kick my bum into gear physically and spiritually!!! For now, I’ll just take these incredibly motivating words, though!
Blessings, my friend!
Lori
Ha! I would love to live near you and go running with you, Lori! Blessings to you, too!
Perceived level. I like how you put that. It is so true that that isn’t reality. Thanks for the push!
Thanks for commenting, Sarah!
Sweet Valerie what a great informative and inspirational post. Ya know, that’s what I want…just to be inspired. I’m in an awkward season and thats all I really want right now. Truth!
Awe, friend! Praying for you dear one! The truth will set us free. May the truth of God’s love and hope surround you!
Love your wisdom here, Valerie. It does take diligence and intention to devote ourselves to God’s word. And that can be hard sometimes, but those daily choice bear so much worthwhile fruit. As for your cycling/spin class – awesome! It sounds mildly terrifying to me and I’m more of a workout-alone-in-my-room kind of gal, but heaps of props!
I’m relaunching my blog and I’d love to invite you to join the celebration. So glad to meet you here and visit from #coffeeforyourheart.
Congrats on your blog relaunch. I will have to check it out! Thank you for taking the time an leaving such a thoughtful comment. God bless you!
Valerie, this is so full of rich scripture and truth! I remember when my kids were very small….and any amount of time in the scriptures was small increments. I would often feel guilt, and then I realized this was misplaced, and not from God. When I released myself of the guilt, any time I found became a much more freeing experience and one I began to crave even more. “Diligence” – one of my favorite words and one I thing characterizes the life of a follower of Christ.
Amen! It’s His kindness that leads us to want to spend time with Him and often times we place our own guilt upon ourselves when really He just loves us and wants us to know Him. God bless you Crystal! Thank you for your thoughtful comment!
Conviction is such a gift, isn’t it? An invitation to become more like our Savior, to know Him more fully and to surrender to Him more completely. Thank you for sharing this nudge, and for opening the door for the Holy Spirit to convict as He sees fit. I appreciate your analogy about physical/spiritual fitness, and you’re right – no matter where we are in our spiritual journey, we’ve only just begun to know Him! Thank you for sharing this with us at Grace & Truth!
Thank you, Jennifer. Conviction is such a sweet gift of love and so often times we don’t see it that way because we place false guilt on ourselves. Thank you so much for your kind words!
You’re right, Valerie, I was convicted in a good way, especially when I read Chuck Swindoll’s quote. It’s easy to rest on my laurels spiritually and think that I’m doing okay, but the goal is to be like Christ and I am no where there yet. Thankfully He’s not interested in my ‘doing’, rather than in my ‘becoming’ and spending time with Him is how I’ll get there.
Love you, friend!
Yes, I love your words that He’s not interested in my doing but rather my becoming. Love you,friend!
We all know we *should* spend time studying God’s Word, but sometimes we need someone else to come along and gently convict us. Thank you for reminding us to get into the Word, to study it, and to grow from it!
Thank you for reading the post Julie! You’re such a blessing!
Ive actually been struggling lately with my bible reading. I really long for it, but sometimes find my self not fulfilling that longing. Thanks for the reminder, I needed to hear it today. ~ Sue| mama of three boys.
Yes, our souls thirst for it. And He’s always there full of love ready to quench our thirst with His living water. God bless you, Sue. Just start small….maybe 5 minutes a day. I know it’s hard when you’re a busy mama.
Love this, we can find so many parallels between spiritual fitness and physical fitness. The biggest one being, start small and be consistent!
That’s a great one…start small and be consistent! Amen!
It’s easy to fall into a rut or to give up when you neglect study of the Word for a little while. We have to avoid the trap of complacency and the temptation to condemn ourselves for perceived failure. Wherever you are and how vibrant or stagnant your relationship with the Lord is, press on, as Paul says. There is always more for you if you will continue to seek Him! Thanks for your post!
So true! Sometimes we place guilt on ourselves when we haven’t spent time in God’s word and then want to give up. But I love that God is not about guilt…but His love spurs us on, His love invites us, His love welcomes us with open arms! Draw near to God and He will draw near to you! He has so much for us!
I love that quote about the Bible not yielding its treasures to a lazy soul. Yes, my perceived exertion and what’s actually true, when it comes to Bible study, are probably not as close as they could be. Spin class is a great analogy here.
Thanks, Dawn! Have a great weekend!
Valerie- you had me laughing at the beginning, because it sounds like me. Honestly, I’ve never had to push myself through the pain in exercise. I wasn’t in sports, and I’ve been accountable only to myself when exercising. If it gets hard, I give up.
I think I transfer that over to my faith. I want to be bold and confident. I’ve prayed to become this way, but then God sends testing to make it happen, I want to give up.
Results happen through the pain, fatigue and the feelings of giving up, don’t they?
You spoke to my heart today sweet sister!
Your #Faith’nFriend neighbor,
Julie
Hi sweet Julie!
So glad you were my neighbor today. Yes, so often the moments of growth happen at those exact times when we want to give up and we have to dig deep within ourselves to persevere. May we both be bold and confident in the face of testing. Thank you for your kind words.