Ouch! That Hurts!
I worked out with a new trainer yesterday. It did not go as I planned. My chiropractor recommended this trainer in hopes of strengthening some weak spots in my body that have been causing me pain and soreness, and pulling my spine out of alignment. Since I work out regularly and have led an active lifestyle since my Dad forced me to join the basketball team when I was in seventh grade, I was excited for the opportunity of new routines, surroundings, and a new trainer. I was ready to impress him with my fitness, graciously accept his compliments on my ability, and humbly laugh at his disbelief about my age.
Instead he began by carefully evaluating my posture, alignment, and tone. He zeroed in on my weak spots. He talked about them, pointing out each one and their implications. There was no complimenting, no banter, no praise, but rather he proceeded to exploit every one of them during the short workout that left me feeling weak and wobbly. It was not fun.
I was surprised at how quickly and efficiently those exercises bested me. I was shocked at how weak I felt and how poorly I performed. I realized that giving myself six months of “lower intensity” workouts and frequent “rest days” had allowed my strength and fitness to slip more than I realized, or perhaps more than I cared to admit.
My evening was spent hobbling around in my soreness, knowing that the next day would be even more painful and I thought how similar it feels when my true enemy, Satan, attacks me. Like my trainer, Satan and his forces are roaming, looking for weak spots. Their mission is to steal, kill, and destroy. They have not caused the weak areas in my life, but they love to exploit them. They love to shoot their fiery darts at those defenseless places and leave me hurting, weak, and wobbly in my walk of faith with Jesus. They seek to attack those weak spots to wound and damage my faith in God so badly that I cannot recover. These attacks are part of what the apostle Paul warns us about and why he so desperately encourages us to stand strong in the strength of the Lord, and stand fully protected by the armor of God.
“In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides]. Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil…”
Eph. 6:10-11 (AMP)
Our enemy is sneaky, and so is sin. If we relax our guard just a little bit it creeps into our lives almost without our notice. Just like I did not realize how weak my body had become in a few key areas, just like I did not realize how far my fitness had slipped, just like I proudly thought I was stronger than I really am, sin will deceive us the same way. Hebrews 3:13 says that sin is deceitful and plays tricks on us. Sin tells us we are not that bad, what we have done is not so wrong, and that it is okay to go along for a just a while longer.
Today I desperately encourage you to put on God’s full armor of protection and preparation over your body, mind, and spirit. Read through Paul’s full instruction on the armor of God in Ephesians 6 and ask God to help you put on the full armor and stand strong. As human beings we are notoriously fragile, weak, and limited. Let us learn to rely more and more on God’s strength by reading His Word and spending time with Him in prayer. And may our worship of Him build up the weak and wobbly areas of our life so we can walk in His strength and victory!
