The Ignored Essential to the Strong Christian Man

Why should the Christian man elevate physical fitness to the level of “essential” to living out his faith?

I believe men are called by God to protect, provide, and lead. To do this well, a man needs to be strong in body, mind, and spirit. As men, we should be developing ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually in order to maximize our impact in this world.

Yet, as a result of my own experience, I have noticed something that has negatively impacted our ability to be as strong as we should be. The majority of men in the church have ignored what I now see as essential to our calling.

In my journey, I have discovered that we cannot ignore any of the three areas of body, mind, and spirit. These three are intertwined. To be strong, we must develop strength in all of them. All are needed to effectively navigate and lead through the hardships of life. The man strong in body, mind, and spirit is the man that will lead through these times as God designed him to do.

Times Have Changed

The issue I see today is that in the last few decades, the majority of Christian men have almost completely ignored the physical side of becoming a stronger man. Part of what we are dealing with is related to the times in which we live. I think the lack of emphasis today is related to the fact that it was not needed in the past as it is today. The world has changed and today is far different from years gone by. The most dramatic changes have occurred in the past several decades.

Physical fitness prior to this time was not nearly the issue it is today and for a good reason. In the past, most men were physically fit as a result of living. Life required hard work and routine exertion to survive. Most men had to work hard to protect and provide. The hard work resulted in strong bodies. The result was physical fitness happened as a part of life. But over the past several decades in the United States, life has become easier and easier. Comfort and ease have been the goal of many.

Read more about the lure of comfort in “Do Hard Things”

At the same time, food has evolved further away from natural meats and vegetables. Much of the food we eat today has little nutritional value. It is produced for taste, not for fuel for the body. Not only this, but many foods actually introduce harmful chemicals into the body.

As men, we have not adjusted well. When the physical side of living gave way to ease and comfort, we did not push ourselves to maintain our strength. Instead, we fell to our nature, which tends to gravitate away from what is hard. We were lulled into ease and comfort, and we lost our way.

I think ignoring the need to develop the physical side of strength has hurt the church. In general masculinity in the church has been waning away and this lack of focus does not help the situation. I think it is time we take a hard look at where we are today. We need to be purposeful about a holistic approach to developing strong Christian men. We need to recognize that physical fitness is far more than a narcissistic endeavor, as it is often portrayed in today’s Christian circles.

I believe there is more to this issue than what most consider. I believe there are compelling reasons why we need to draw attention to physical fitness in today’s church.

Here are a few more reasons why I think this is true.

Destruction of the Body

Heart Disease, Cancer, Stroke, Diabetes, Influenza and Pneumonia, Suicide, Kidney Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease are eight of the top ten killers of men in the United States. Physicians recommend the following preventive measures for all eight of these diseases; improve your diet, increase your exercise, quit smoking, and reduce alcohol consumption.

As Christians, we tend to recognize and speak out against smoking and excess alcohol consumption. We readily recognize their negative impact and how they destroy the body. We also know what God says about destroying the body.

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

We are quick to point out that destroying the body is destroying the temple of the Holy Spirit. We know how strongly God feels about this, as noted above in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17. Most agree that we should work to eliminate smoking and avoid excessive alcohol consumption.

Yet, a poor diet and a lack of exercise are key contributors to eight of the top ten conditions that are destroying men’s physical and mental well-being. In general, my experience is that as Christians, we rarely speak out against poor physical fitness. We do not draw attention to the impact of excess calorie consumption and a lack of exercise.

However, within Christianity, I would venture to say poor diet and a lack of exercise cause far more damage to Christian men’s bodies than smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. Think about how many Christian men you know that smoke and drink large amounts of alcohol. You probably do not know many, if any. Now think about how many Christian men you know that have poor physical fitness. My guess is you know several.

Though this is the case, how many times do we hear this issue being addressed within the context of becoming strong Christian men? Does this make sense? We are doing more damage to the “temple” through poor diet and a lack of exercise than in any other way, yet we rarely talk about it.

Over-eating – the Ignored Sin

Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags. (Proverbs 23:20-21)

When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. (Proverbs 23:2)

Gluttony is defined as habitual excess in eating. Excess is an amount of something that is more than necessary. Routinely consuming more food (more calories) than is necessary for optimum body function is gluttony.

Habitual excess has a definitive result, excess fat. Normally if we gain fat, this means our intake of calories exceeds the calories our body uses to function. We either need to reduce our calories consumed or increase our physical activity. We likely need to improve in both areas. This was the case for me. I was eating more than my body could use, eating the wrong things, and not getting enough exercise.

I think there are reasons God identifies gluttony as a sin. It destroys the human body which God values greatly. It also reveals a love affair with food that is idolatry. But he expects us through the power of the Holy Spirit to gain control over our bodies like Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians 9:25-27.

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.

Paul understood it was critical to not allow the passions of the body to take control. Discipline was required so that a man never becomes a slave to anything other than God Himself. We can easily become a slave to food if we do not gain a level of self-control.

Food can become an idol in our lives. One way this shows itself is in how strongly we resist making changes in how we eat. Our resistance should throw up a huge red flag in our minds. Like anything in life, we need to ask ourselves, do we control the food that goes into our body, or does it control us? The strong man of God is a man of self-control. This power is given by the Holy Spirit. The man of God by the power of the Holy Spirit must strive continuously to ensure he is not a slave to anything in life. Instead, he disciplines his body and keeps it under control.

Stewardship

As Christian men, we believe all we have, has been given to us by God. We are called to be good stewards of these things. We are expected to use them in ways that honor God and achieve His mission here on earth. How we care for and use these things demonstrates our commitment to Him. This includes our physical bodies.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

We are considered God’s workmanship. We are the work of His hands created to do God’s work in this world. Our body is considered the temple of God. We have been bought with a price. Christ shed his blood to purchase us to eternal life which begins at salvation and continues for all eternity. Our bodies are now His, and we have been charged to bring glory to God in our bodies. We need to be mindful of how we are doing this.

What does the condition of our body say about our commitment to Christ?

Think about how essential our physical body is to carry out God’s mission here on earth. If we do not care for it, we will negatively impact the quality of our work and the length of time we can effectively perform that work. We cannot be a good steward of our bodies if we ignore diet and exercise.

The Low Energy Man

The man that ignores his physical fitness will negatively impact his energy levels. Energy levels impact our response to difficulties and the stresses of life. Our energy level is directly related to the fitness of our body. This impacts what we do and how well we do it. The physical is intertwined with the mental and spiritual. Having energy and the developed discipline that comes from taking care of our bodies enables us to respond in ways that align with what we believe even in the most difficult situations.

I have learned and continue to learn this lesson. Prior to my taking steps to change I ignored my physical fitness and started paying the price.

I was out of shape and did not have the energy to step up to the plate and lead well. When a man is in this situation he goes home after a long day at work and thinks he has earned two hours of checking out alone. The result is he stops leading in the lives that God has called him to lead. He forces his wife to take on tasks and roles that should be his and not hers. He does not engage with his children and creates a distance from them. This negatively impacts those relationships. He stops being a strong influence in his home.

If this continues before long, he will begin to develop and battle illnesses. He will no longer be on mission. He will completely miss the mark. He will chase comfort and find it. With comfort comes complacency and a lack of motivation.

This man is susceptible to sins and habits that will control him and lead him so far from his calling that those around him will suffer. The man that should be making his mark no longer does, and other influences take his place.

If this is allowed to continue and play itself out, the result will be the suffering of an entire society. We should be challenged by this. We need to do better. Christian men need to represent and honor better than this.

Much of what I described was me at one time. But I got to the point where I had enough. I started to do something about it. It is a journey I continue today. Today I work daily to develop my strength physically, mentally, and spiritually so that I am equipped to fulfill my life vision. This vision is to honor God, to be true to the man in the mirror, and to be a rock for those around me.

What about you? Are you on mission and growing stronger every day? Are you making the change from a low energy man to a strong productive man of God?

What is your vision? Read “A Simple Vision, Focus and Target for Improving Your Life”

Making Change

I believe it is time for Christian men to step up and lead the change. The change will happen in the church when Christian men make it happen in their individual lives. The reality is you are already leading right now. Whatever you are doing or not doing is impacting those around you. You have been created to lead by example. This is your calling. What is your example?

Look in the mirror. What do you see? What is the message you are projecting to those around you? How are you doing in caring for the body God has given you and purchased with the blood of His Son?

Think about how you feel. Do you feel good and have the energy to lead well from the time you wake up until the time you lay your head on the pillow?

Think about your habits. Are you eating and exercising in ways that fuel your body for health and strength?

Are you maximizing your impact?

As I have said, we are called to be leaders. If we lead by making changes as individual men others will follow. That is my chosen course of action. I’d encourage you to do the same.

A good place to start your change is here. “The Fuel Behind a Passionate Fire for Fitness” Included in this article are some helpful links from men I trust that can help you get started on the path to becoming physically fit. And as always you can email me.

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In your corner,

“As Iron Sharpens Iron, so one man sharpens another. “