The word “fit” is defined in Webster’s dictionary as:
1. adapted or suited; appropriate as in ‘this water isn’t fit for drinking.’
2. proper or becoming: fit behavior.
3. qualified or competent, as for an office or function: a fit candidate.
Interesting isn’t it?
Nowhere in that definition do I see the words muscle, cardiovascular, body fat, strength, calories, or exercise.
This leads me to believe the original design for fitness was for God’s created beings to become more competent, adaptable, and suited for their truest identity as children of God and ambassadors of King Jesus as His radical ministers of reconciliation.
Talk about training. I need some serious training if I am going to be fit to fulfill his great vision for my life.
In the past two blog posts I have been exposing the culture of extreme fitness; workouts, and nutrition that has taken the logical principle of “eat less and move more” to the extreme. My heart bleeds for those who just want to get moving, but see high-intensity workouts and shocking before and after images and assume that’s the only picture of fitness and health.
You and I both know that there is an enemy of our minds and hearts ALWAYS at work convincing us that anything less than extreme fitness and dieting is truly healthy. I pray we can overcome those deceitful voices with the truth that if God is calling us to health in a truly healthy and whole way.
Here at Revelation Wellness we use fitness as a tool to spread the gospel. On RevWell TV, you’ll find plenty of challenging workouts, but the difference between our workouts and theirs is our end goal…Christ. (Make sure to sign up today if you haven’t already – it’s FREE!)
Extreme Fitness That Works!
In light of what we just learned about the word “fit”, what it means to be fit, and all my research about extreme fitness training, there is one area in life that I emphatically encourage you to train and BE EXTREME!
Let’s look at Matthew 19 to learn some extreme fitness training by Jesus – the best personal trainer and all-time fitness guru!
And someone came to Him and said, ‘Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?’ And He said to him, ‘Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.’
Then he said to Him, ‘Which ones?’ And Jesus said, ‘You shall not commit murder; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
The young man said to Him, ‘All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?’
Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’
But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.” – Matthew 19:16-22
This is EXTREME! This is radical! Really Jesus? Really? You asked that man to sell EVERYTHING and to come and follow you. That is seriously crazy! Why would you ask Him to do that? Because Jesus was offering him completeness. Wholeness. Shalom.
Why do we ultimately desire to be fit? To be complete in who we are and what we were created to do.
Jesus uses the word SELL because it denotes ownership of something. In other words, he is saying to the rich young man “The things that you think you own are actually owning you.”
Fitness has the ability to do that. What starts out as something we pursue with a good heart “to be fit and healthy and strong”, something we would like to own and have our feet on top of, has the ability to flip on us and pin us to the mat. You know you are being owned, pinned to the mat, if great stress, fear, and anxiety would enter your life if you did not have access to your fitness rules, tools, wares, and practices.
This young rich man was living a religious life. A life of formulas. A life of food logs and calorie counting. He was following the nutritional guidelines and was keeping them all in check. The rich man asked Jesus “what am I still lacking?” because he knew he was still lacking. He was not at peace. He still felt at war with his life and unsatisfied with the payoff he was receiving. For some of us, it’s our thighs, or our stomachs, or even the wrinkles that come with the gift of laughter and sorrow. Still, we lack.
Jesus is, was, and will be the guru of fitness once and for all. Every expert that says they know the way or have the formula, or supplement, or workout plan, is selling you something that you can own. If your goals aren’t Gospel-centered –to grow you in the ability to exercise God’s wisdom and discernment for the health and well-being of your life – it has the ability to flip on you and own you. Please, be careful.
“I’ll turn conventional wisdom on its head, I’ll expose so-called experts as crockpots. So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn’t God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb – preaching, of all things!- to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.” –1 Corinthians 1:18-21 The Message
Unless Gospel living is the center and end goal of our fitness, we might as well purchase our own 14k gold, custom made, personally engraved, and monogrammed hamster wheel, because that is exactly what we are on. And it’s owning us.
The culture of extreme fitness has the ability to lead us to extreme poverty. Physically (i.e.injury, burnout, adrenal fatigue, and damaging degeneration) as well as spiritually (i.e. pride, greed, covetousness, envy, selfishness, conceit, and idolatry).
And YET in our extreme poverty, Jesus will still be willing to give us everything.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3
His love is so flipping extreme! Isn’t it?
Don’t wait to be completely broken to be made new.
The solution: Be extremely devoted to the God who extremely loves you, who went to the extremes of putting himself on the cross for you. Be extremely devoted to Him, and His ways above all things.
Fair warning…you can expect to be sore (in heart and in mind) most days. And you can expect to be renewed day by day. You can expect to be made fit for your role as more than a conqueror in all things, through Him who has overcome. And you can expect to be a world-changer by giving away the extreme love you have been given. Now that’s EXTREME!
Are you ready to train extreme? Consider registering for RevWell TV, our extremely Gospel-centered faith-based fitness on demand, or better yet, enroll in our EXTREME Christian fitness instructor training program! NO experience necessary!
Comment below to let me know you are ready to start training in extreme fitness that works!
Alisa is the founder of Revelation Wellness and the author of The Wellness Revelation. She was born for the battle of freedom! She is an ordinary woman who spends time with Jesus who empowers her to rise up and do extraordinary things.
