Would You Join me in a Spiritual Fitness Challenge?
First, I am just so excited to start this spiritual fitness challenge with you guys! I wanted to find a way to walk with you through this season and be in Gods word together. I wanted to quickly share a bit about why I decided to start this challenge. I truly hope you will come along with me for it!
The reality is that few of us ever expected to be in the middle of a world wide pandemic. Many of us are starting to realize that despite states slowly re-opening “normal life” is not just around the corner. Getting through this season of Coronavirus physically, mentally and spiritually intact will require a marathon mindset. There is a lot of wonderful and inspiring content out there right now about how to care for our physical and mental health during this time. That is all so important and I also wanted to encourage you to use this season to really strengthen your relationship with God and build your “spiritual endurance” with me.
Just like building physical muscles our spiritual fitness often correlates with the time we invest in our relationship with God. We all find ourselves starting this “COVID marathon” with different levels of spiritual fitness. That’s ok. We are where we are and God knows and loves us exactly where we are. I first want to say that God can, and very often does, show up without us ever lifting a finger. In fact, that’s the very essence of the Gospel. He always shows up first (and usually when we are at our weakest), provides what we need and invites us into closeness with him. Then, he keeps inviting us (and keeps showing up).
It is also true that the deeper our understanding and experience of God is, the firmer our foundation will be to stand on during shaky times. For example, if you have deeply walked with the Lord in prayer and the study of scripture for many years, my guess is your feeling a lot less anxious than many in this season. That is because just like working out a physical muscle, your spiritual muscles have been built up, giving you a deeper trust in Gods goodness and an endurance that gives you a sense of stability when things feel uncertain. Whether talking to God and reading the bible is totally new or a very consistent part of your life already, we find ourselves in a season where I believe God is inviting all of us to press in deeper.
There are some verses in Hebrews 12:26-27 that say:
“but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.”
My hope is that this can be a season where together we can pursue investing in the things that cannot be shaken.
This leads me to my “Spiritual Fitness Challenge”. Would you consider spending 30 min a day at least 5 times a week reading your bible and praying with me to build up our spiritual endurance for the days ahead? If you already spend that time with God, would you consider spending an additional 30 min? I would love if you would fill out the template below each week and share what your reading with me! You can use the hashtag #spirituallyfitwithKT and tag me when you share on Instagram Stories (try to remember to tag me just to make sure I see it!). I will also be choosing a few people who participate to bless along the way with a little gift as a way to say thank you for coming on this journey with me and encouraging others around you by sharing! You can save this template to your photos and easily share to your IG stories:
Please know that there is no pressure around this! This is meant to be an encouragement to you as well as to those around you. I know I am often more consistent with new habits when I am forming them along with others and I am always encouraged to see what my friends are reading. This challenge is in no way to make you feel bad if you miss days or only get 5 minutes in. My hope is really just that you would experience God’s heart for you in a deeper way over the coming weeks and know you are not alone. Thanks for joining me! I can’t wait to see what your reading and hear about the ways God is encouraging you and strengthening you in this season!! I am also including a few of my favorite bibe study resources below!
Xo,
Kelly
Bible study resources
1.ESV Study Bible: This is my favorite bible to use for study. The commentary is so helpful and informative (especially if your just starting to read your bible). I find I get a lot more out of what I am reading when I use this resource.
2. Believing God workbook by Beth Moore: This bible study is actually designed to be done in a group setting but I did the study on my own and found it to be so life changing. In a season that feels so unpredictable I could not recommend this workbook/bible study more. If you commit to finish this study I can pretty much guarantee you will trust Gods goodness and have a tangibly stronger faith in God by the end of it.
3. Hudson Taylors Spiritual Secret: Ok, the title sounds a bit cheesy (I almost didn’t read it myself) but this has been my all time favorite biography. Hudson Taylor was a missionary to china and his faith and life will absolutely inspire you to trust God’s goodness in trying times in your own life. It’s so important to read about Christian’s lives who not only ran the marathon of faith but remained faithful through suffering and finished it well.
4. Desiring God: If you are not familiar with John Piper then this is a fantastic place to start to get to know him. He is one of my favorite modern day pastors and this book is so full of truth and wisdom. It answers some hard questions and will likely change how you relate to God in some beautifully profound ways.
5. Jesus Calling: This is a great 3 minute read for a morning devotional. I love the way it is written and it’s hard not to feel encouraged daily by these words.
6. Prayer by Richard Foster: This is a bit of a deeper dive. If you are looking for a great book on prayer that will give you a lot to chew on then this is a fantastic read.
Resources for kids
1.The Storybook Bible: I can not say enough good things about this bible. We read it every day with Ayla and Cosette and they both love it! This is by far the best children’s bible I have ever found and even the old testament stories are written in a way that help you to see Jesus in them. It often speaks to my own heart in profound ways.
2. Jesus Calling For Kids: I absolutely love this devotional for kids. It’s sometimes a bit over Aylas head (she is 4) but she still seems to love it. It may be better for elementary age kids but I think it can still be applicable to younger children as well.
