We had a good start to our 2019 Fitness Revival! Jim Walker was our speaker. I was able to minister with him at the First Free Will Baptist Church in Greenwood, AR, as his youth and children’s pastor for many years, and over those years, he became a good friend and a mentor to me. I’m so thankful for the things that I was able to learn from him during that time. Every now and again, I still will call and ask for his advice.
I took some personal notes during the sermon, and I’d like to share them with you. Please keep in mind that I don’t take notes by writing down everything that the person is saying, but only what I feel like I’m hearing or what I can apply to my life. These are by no means his exact words.
Question
He started off his message by asking a question: How much more spiritually fit are you than you were at the Fitness Revival last year? Great question! I really like questions that get me thinking about my life and the condition of it. I also appreciate Pastor Walker’s honesty. During his message, he mentioned that we all need to work on being more spiritually fit, including himself.
Thinking
This question got me thinking, and I honestly couldn’t remember anything from last year’s Fitness Revival that I personally applied in my life and still practice a year later. We need to be intentional about taking the things that we learn and applying them into our lives. My question to you is this: What can you do to be more spiritually fit?
Got an answer? Good. Now do it!
The Battle
Pastor Walker talked about the spiritual battle that the Bible tells us we each are in.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” —Ephesians 6:12 (KJV)
He also mentioned that in this battle, our enemy Satan knows where to attack each of us. He will do just that, and he will defeat us if we aren’t spiritually fit ourselves.
The Strength
During his sermon, Pastor Walker taught that our spiritual fitness is what gives us the strength to endure all of the problems and difficulties that life throws at us. If we’re spiritually fit, we can even face them, and because of them, our testimony will be an encouragement to others.
He went on to share a few stories of personal testimonies from friends who were dealing with cancer. One happened to be a preacher who was going through treatment and still planned on preaching next week despite what he’s going through.
So what does God’s word say to those who are struggling?
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” —Ephesians 6:10 (KJV)
The Protection
Pastor Walker talked about the armor of God and the importance of putting it all on, just as a wise soldier would for their protection. We don’t need to use just part of it or just use it occasionally. When we’re not spiritually fit, that’s exactly what we are doing.
So where does the word of God tell us we get our protection?
“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…” —Ephesians 6:11, 13-17 (KJV)
The Victory
Pastor Walker mentioned that the battle has already been won through what Jesus did for us at the cross. In Ephesians, we are told to stand and not to fight because we’ve already achieved victory through Jesus Christ. Let’s take a look at that verse:
“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness…” —Ephesians 6:14 (KJV)
We should all be thankful for what Jesus has done for us, and that should make us want to be more fit for him!
Final Thoughts
We had the honor of hosting Pastor Walker in both morning and evening services, and he continued to talk about the armor of God and the importance of each piece. It was a great sermon, but for the sake of being brief, I won’t recount it all here.
I would like to leave you with a question that he asked in the evening service. Pastor Walker gave us the image of a Fitness Ladder and asked, “What rung are you on when it concerns your spiritual fitness?”
And that’s my question for you. Where are you? Where would you like to be? What do you need to do to get there? Our desire should be to be on the top rung! I hope that my notes on Pastor Walker’s words might be of help to you in getting there.
Thank you for reading my recap of day one of the fitness revival! We’ll be continuing this event all week, so be sure to check back for another recap tomorrow.
One more thing: If you’d like to learn more about spiritual fitness, you should check out my ebook, A Simple Formula for Success. It’s available for free as a thank-you for subscribing to my newsletter. If you’d like to read by ebook and receive monthly updates from yours truly, sign up for the newsletter today! I’d love to have you onboard.
To your fitness!