But that is not the way you learned Christ! —assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:20-23

Who likes to get up and go workout? Sure, you have those super rare and slightly bizarre people that actually enjoy this type of practice. But generally, most mortal men and women prefer ease and comfort over sweat and pain. The same can be said for our spiritual lives. But for some reason we often fail to equate the same effort of physically working out with a spiritual workout. In truth, physical workout pales in comparison to a real spiritual workout that stretches you, tries you, and strengthens you. So what is a spiritual workout and why is it needed?

A spiritual workout is the process of allowing God to do and work in you in ways previously thought impossible. A spiritual workout is the process of continued growth and sacrifice in the believer’s life. In order for life to exist, growth MUST happen. And good growth only happens through intentional living for Christ. Think about it. People can live without doing much exercise. But when our physical intake (eating), out-paces our output (exercise and activity) we become out of shape. Can we live while out of shape? Yes. But does the “growth” we are experiencing enable us to do all that we would like to in order that we might enjoy life? No.

So it is for many believers in Christ. They have wrongfully thought they could eat and eat and eat, but not work/out. Yet, scripture paints a gloriously different picture. In Ephesians 4:20-23, Paul directs the believers to see that they can’t live like the world and eat and act however they would like. They must put off the old ways and put on the new. And so it is to be every day in the believer’s life. It is the process of putting off the old of yesterday and putting on the new things in Christ today. And as we fail to put off the old, we become spiritually obese and fail to live in the new ways God wants for us. As we shed the dead spiritual weigh of old and put on the new fresh things of Christ, life begins to abound. PUT OFF, PUT ON, PUT OFF, PUT ON.

So do we get to pick and choose which exercise we will practice, or which old things we will put off and let on? NO! The Word of God directs us to practice specific exercises to show that we are growing and alive. For once again we must be reminded, where there is no growth, there is no life. The spiritual workouts we are to be practicing are scattered all over the Bible. We are to put off lying and put on truth telling. We are to put off sinful anger so that we do not give place to the devil. We are to no longer steal, but instead to work hard so we can share our blessings with others. We are to change our hearts so that no words that tear others down, come from our mouths. Instead, we are to build others up with our lips. We are to rejoice always and put off grumbling. We are to pray always with thanksgiving and put off worry. We are practice blessing and loving difficult people, remembering we too were once a difficult person. We are to change our minds from thinking what’s best for ourselves to what’s best for God and others.

The reason we must persist in our spiritual workout is because God is real and wants us to live by faith in real ways. In Philippians 2:12-13 we are told that we are to work out our salvation with fear and trepidation, knowing that it’s God in us doing the work. The point is, if we do not work out spiritually and grow continually, then what assurance do we have of God’s presence? Sure we suffer moments of sickness and difficulty that hinders our workout, but generally speaking is our lives in a continual process of growth. Think of it like an expecting mother. One of the greatest joys of a new mother’s life is having the baby move inside her womb. This movement is the assurance of the baby’s health and presence. And when the baby stops moving for a period of time, a new mother is concerned. Is the baby ok? Why has it stopped moving? The same thoughts should flood the believer’s life and mind. If I am not working out the almighty power of God in me, what’s stopping me? We want to live with joyful assurance and promise that God dwells in us. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our salvation, so work Him out. Let Him work in you to make you spiritually fit and to know He is at work in you. For where there is no growth, there is no life.