My Freedom Coach

Spiritual Training Cycle: Submission (wk. 4/13)

Galatians 5:13-23

There’s a few different reasons people typically seek out a personal trainer, group fitness class, and/or a nutrition coach. They’re either just beginning their fitness journey and need some external motivation and guidance to help them be consistent; others just want to be part of a community, and some know what to do and what to eat but they need the extra accountability to execute what they already know.

I’ve been in the health and fitness industry for over twenty years. I know what to do and I know how to eat well yet there is a freedom in having a coach, going to a class and being a part of a community. It’s one less decision I have to make in my day. I show up, the workout has already been prepared for me, I get the motivation and coaching I need, I work hard, I leave, and I can better serve those around me the rest of my day.

If you’ve put your faith in Jesus, you have freedom that is only found in Christ. The Holy Spirit is your freedom coach. You don’t need to earn it; it’s already been given to you. “It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom”. -Galatians 5:13 (MSG). The presence of the Holy Spirit living in our hearts is a gift from God.

This sounds amazing, doesn’t it? All I need to do is follow Jesus and I’ll be free from my sinful ways? I’ll never be tempted? Life will be smooth sailing from now until forever? Not so fast…

“For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are contrary to each other, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on a given day.” Galatians 5:17 (MSG).

“You cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on a given day.”

Motivation to go to the gym wanes. Some days we want to eat well; most days we want to eat with abandon throwing all caution to the wind. Our self-control starts draining the minute we wake up. The average adult makes around 35,000 decisions each day. By the time dinner rolls around, or the task of going to the gym after work, our natural, mentally exhausted desire is to grab a bag of chips and sit on the couch the rest of the evening. This is where discipline takes over. When motivation fails you, you have to rely on the discipline you’ve built over time. When your free spirit (the flesh) fails you, you need to rely on your Freedom Coach.

Our freedom coach, The Holy Spirit, extends these spiritual gifts to us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. These gifts are available to us every minute of every day. We just need to implement them, practice them, and cultivate them so they become our natural response when life and situations beyond our control come at us.

How do we do this? Consistently seek God and his word, go to a Bible study, church on Sundays, surround yourself with a community of believers. The more you engage with your freedom coach the more these fruits begin to show up in all areas of your life. When you show up to the gym consistently for yourself you show up in other areas of life as well. You build “fitness fruits” like work ethic, grit, determination, resiliency, self-confidence, a strong mind and a strong body.

“Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives” - Galatians 5:25 (MSG).

When you choose the fitness life it’s not enough to just talk about it; you have to be about it. It’s not enough to talk about wanting and wishing you were more loving, patient, kind, etc…you have to be about it. Check in with your freedom coach daily and see these spiritual gifts become part of your daily discipline.

Questions for Reflection:

How important is consistency in your life?

What areas of your life do you feel you are consistent in?

Would you say you struggle sometimes with your freedom? What do those struggle look like?

Guidance

Spiritual Training Cycle: Submission (wk. 3/13)

John 16:1-15

ACE. ISSA. JODCC. L1/L2/L3/L4. MPT. NASM. NCSF. USJF.What do all these acronyms have in common?  Every one of them reflects a professional organization that trains and certifies coaches in specific athletic disciplines such as CrossFit, gymnastics, judo, or strength training. Through these training and certification programs, coaches can earn a level of expertise that ensures they guide their athletes toward improved performance.

As an example, the CrossFit gym I belong to requires all our coaches to have earned their Level Two (L2) CrossFit certification. To earn this L2 certification, each of our coaches signed up for a program where they spent significant time under the watchful eye of a more capable CrossFit senior coach. This senior coach trains, mentors, observes and ultimately tests L2 applicants to ensure they can bring the best out of the athletes they coach.

Guidance is necessary for physical growth

As an athlete with some limitations who needs to modify my workouts periodically, I’ve benefited from the guidance these L2-certified coaches can give me.  Indeed, for a particular high-intensity workout one day last week that included repeat sets of rope climbs, wall-walks, handstand push-ups and toes-to-bar, I needed to modify all four exercises.  My coach knew my limitations and he also knew what guidance to give me so that I would get the maximum benefit from these modifications.

Guidance is also necessary for spiritual growth

When we think of God, we often imagine the powerful creator of the universe, sitting on a heavenly throne.  We also often think of him in human form as Jesus our savior.  It is frequently more difficult for believers to have a clear view of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the trinity.

However, Jesus spoke about the Holy Spirit in the last lengthy conversation he had with his disciples before his death, during what is known as the Last Supper.  In this discussion, as Jesus is letting his disciples know he will be leaving them, he promises to send the Holy Spirit to be with them forever.  In this passage of Scripture, he calls the Holy Spirit “The Spirit of Truth.”

The good news for the disciples

Throughout this Last Supper, Jesus’ disciples were confused about where he was going and what the future looked like. Jesus himself even acknowledges that they still had many things they didn’t understand. The good news for them?  Jesus promised that when the Holy Spirit came, they would no longer need to be confused:

“When the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things to come.  He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” – John 16:13-14

The good news for us

If we identify as followers of Christ who have been reunited with God through Jesus’ death, we are spiritual descendants of those disciples who attended the Last Supper.  The same Spirit of Truth promised to them is available to guide us in our spiritual growth.

Questions for Reflection:

What is your understanding of the Holy Spirit?

What does it mean to realize the Holy Spirit is our spiritual guide?

How do you better connect with the Holy Spirit?

New Power

Spiritual Training Cycle: Submission (wk. 2/13)

Acts 1:6-11

In your pursuit to live a fit and active life, you’re going to need some benchmarks. Benchmarks are an essential component of measuring fitness over time. If your goal is to improve your fitness, and I have no doubt it is, you need a way to chart your progress which is where benchmarks come into play. In CrossFit, there are a number of benchmark workouts, known as “The Girls.” First introduced in 2003, these workouts were designed to test a broad spectrum of fitness and function as repeatable workouts for benchmarking. Sometimes, just hearing the word “Fran” is enough to raise an athlete’s heart rate. But no matter how much you love or despise thrusters and pull-ups, every time you complete Fran, your goal is to do better than you did last time. And when you do, congratulations, you’ve got new fitness. And with new fitness comes new power.

Power is simply a function of what you’re moving, how far you’re moving it, and how fast it’s moving. As weight and distance increase so does power. As the amount of time it takes to do a workout like Fran decreases, your power increases. New power comes from moving larger loads longer distances in shorter periods of time. Which is why consistency is so critical to building fitness. Fitness is the biproduct of increased power. And the best way to build power is to be consistent. For some of you, that’s being disciplined to be in the gym Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. For others, it’s the discipline to push the longer workouts, even when you don’t “feel” like it. When it comes to power, the output is the result of the input.

When it comes to power, the output is the result of the input.

Our spiritual lives function in a similar way. In some sense, I think we all want to be able to do more reps in life. By that I mean things like acts of kindness or letting go or learning to say no instead of being over planned. Sometimes we need to move more weight, like dealing with added responsibilities or addressing new difficulties or caring for others who are struggling. All of these require power. They take effort, which can leave you feeling drained or inadequate. You see, the output of living your best life is the result of the input. And the input of your spiritual power must come from God.

It is God’s grace that enables us to receive power at all. By His grace we are active and living human beings made in the image of God, created to do great things which God has already prepared for us. This is the power of our Father, the Creator. Jesus prepares our hearts for this power. His resurrection is the ultimate defeat of death, guaranteeing eternal life for all who call on His name. This is the power of the Son, the Restorer. And it is the Holy Spirit who gives us this power. The power to embrace difficulty, to love others, to weather the storms, to live the most satisfying life possible. This is the power of the Spirit, the Sustainer. As you develop the capacity to handle life better, remember the output is a result of the input. You don’t just have new spiritual fitness; you’ve got new power.

Questions for Reflection:

What power does God’s Spirit allow you to do?

Have you seen the power of the Holy Spirit at work in someone else’s life? What did that look like?