Have you ever seem a super buff person? We’re talking someone that looks like The Rock- muscles popping out everywhere.
Did you know that the Rock doesn’t stuff down desserts, binge watch Netflix on the daily or have an inconsistent workout schedule. He is disciplined to invest in his body through welcoming resistance?
Muscle is not built through the occasional stress to the body- but scheduled doses of pressure.
Muscle is formed through CONSISTENT resistance, consistent stress, consistent diet of lean proteins and veggies and a consistent rest schedule.
Repaired and replaced muscle after it’s been torn through stress, pressure and resistance causes it to layer on top of each other and form new muscle fiber connections - millimeter upon millimeter, day after day.
Muscle growth occurs during rest- not actual strength training. So sleep and days off are imperative to muscle repair and increase.
The Apostle Paul must have had a “Rock” like spirit through all his suffering, jail, beatings and persecution. He was under constant stress and pressure and even welcomed it in his life.
Romans 5:3-5 talks about the process that spirit muscle is created:
“...but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
Without sufferings- without hardships, there is no perseverance- no endurance, no grit, no Rocky-like heart to take a punch and get up every time .
Without perseverance, there is no character- you lose credibility with people, your integrity becomes shot and you leave no legacy.
And without character- there is no hope- dispair grips you, anxiety overtakes you-you become a shell of a person.
So welcome pressure. Welcome stress DAILY- don’t hide from it or be overwhelmed.
Get in a consistent spiritual muscle building routine of building character through disciplined resistance training- welcoming sufferings, a consistent spiritual diet of his Word and a consistent rest schedule of waiting on the Lord .