Faith and Fitness: 5 Lessons Strength Training Taught Me About Spiritual Growth
Strength Training and Spiritual Growth: A Biblical Perspective
When I was in high school, like many young men, I wanted to get bigger, stronger, and faster to improve my performance in sports—especially football.
One of my coaches introduced a summer weight-lifting program, and I joined immediately. Decades later, I’ve never stopped training.
While missionaries and pastors haven’t always been known for their commitment to fitness (though that has changed over the years), I quickly realized that strength training wasn’t just about physical growth—it held valuable lessons about spiritual growth and personal development in faith.
The Bible often uses everyday experiences to teach deeper spiritual truths. Athletics and training are powerful metaphors for the Christian life:
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly. I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:24–27, ESV)
Paul recognized the parallels between physical discipline and spiritual discipline. Over time, I learned that my lifting capacity tripled within just two years of strength training. But more importantly, I discovered that my faith in God and my spiritual endurance grew in a similar way.
Here are five powerful lessons I’ve learned from strength training that apply directly to spiritual growth.
1. You Can Get Much, Much Stronger—Spiritually and Physically
It’s common for the average person to increase their physical strength by 300% through consistent training. I experienced this firsthand—if I started lifting 50 lbs, I was soon lifting 150. If I began at 100 lbs, I progressed to 300.
The same principle applies to spiritual growth.
When I first started learning how to pray, I ran out of words in just five minutes. After years of practice, I found myself praying for hours without struggle. Similarly, my understanding of God’s nature and my life’s purpose grew tremendously in a short time.
However, while our physical bodies eventually reach genetic limitations, our spiritual growth has no ceiling. In Christ, we are called to keep growing “from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV).
2. Growth Requires Both Stress and Rest
In strength training, we stress the body by lifting weights. This forces adaptation, making the body stronger. However, muscles don’t grow during the workout—they grow afterward, during rest.
If we don’t allow for proper recovery, we hinder our progress. Likewise, God understands that too much spiritual pressure all at once would overwhelm us. Instead, He works on specific areas of our lives in seasons.
James 1:2-4 teaches us that the testing of our faith produces endurance.
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2–4, ESV)
Just like strength training has cycles of stress and recovery, God gives us seasons of growth and renewal to prepare us for greater things.
3. Consistency Matters More Than Intensity
You don’t have to work out every single day to get stronger, but consistency is key. Training once every three monthswon’t lead to results.
The same is true for spiritual growth.
Jesus taught us to pray for our “daily bread” (Matthew 6:10). Small, consistent efforts—like reading the Bible daily, praying regularly, and serving others—lead to long-term transformation. It’s better to spend 15 minutes a day with God than to wait and try to make up for lost time with hours once a month.
4. The Fastest Growth Happens Early, But Progress Never Stops
The greatest improvements in strength training happen within the first two years. After that, gains come more slowly—but they still come.
Similarly, new believers often experience rapid transformation. Early on, I noticed huge shifts—bad habits were broken, and my faith felt fresh and alive. But as time passed, I realized that the deepest spiritual growth happens internally—in our thoughts, motives, and character. These changes take time, but they are just as important as the initial breakthroughs.
Even when progress seems slow, God is always at work.
5. You Can’t Outwork a Poor Spiritual Diet
Did you know that to burn off just one pound of fat, the average person would have to run a full marathon? Many people try to exercise more instead of adjusting their diet. But in reality, 80% of weight loss is nutrition and only 20% is exercise.
In the same way, we can’t outwork a poor spiritual diet. If we fill our minds with negativity, fear, or worldly distractions, we can’t expect to thrive spiritually—no matter how hard we try.
Jesus said:
“Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4, ESV)
To grow spiritually, we must nourish our souls daily with the Word of God. Just like a bad diet prevents physical fitness, a lack of Scripture, prayer, and Christian fellowship hinders spiritual health.
Final Thoughts: What Is God Teaching You?
These are just a few lessons I’ve learned about spiritual discipline through strength training. But the journey of faith is unique for each of us.
What is God teaching you through your experiences?
Let’s continue to train—both physically and spiritually—so that we may run the race well and grow into the people God created us to be.
My goal is to help busy believers experience God more deeply, grow consistently—both spiritually and personally—and confidently live out their unique purpose.