A View from the Pew: The Divine Fitness Plan

I often find myself thinking about how casual we can be with something as serious as faith. We treat it like a membership card instead of a workout plan. As long as we have it, we assume it’s working.

But faith doesn’t grow by association. Faith grows by application. Faith is a muscle. And any muscle you refuse to use will weaken, stiffen, and eventually fail you when you need it most.

Church, in many ways, is the gym. It’s the place where the equipment is available, the instruction is given, and the atmosphere is right. But let’s be honest—walking into the gym doesn’t change your body. Standing next to the weights doesn’t build strength. Watching somebody else sweat doesn’t burn your calories.

At some point, you have to lift something. So what are the weights God puts in our hands?

Trials are the weights. That thing you keep praying would go away—the financial pressure, the diagnosis, the strained marriage, the delayed dream, the unanswered question—that’s resistance. And resistance is how strength is built. If life never pushed back, your faith would never grow forward.

Every trial is God saying, “I trust you with this weight.” Not because it’s easy—but because it’s necessary.

The Word is the strength training. Scripture teaches you posture. It teaches you balance. It teaches you how to lift without hurting yourself or dropping the load on someone else. When you’re in the Word, you’re not just inspired—you’re prepared. You learn how to carry pressure without panic and endure strain without snapping.

Prayer is the daily routine. Not the once-a-week workout. Not the emergency-only stretch. Daily. Consistent. Quiet. Repetitive. Prayer is what keeps your spiritual muscles flexible and responsive. Miss it too long and your faith tightens up. You get sore quicker. You get tired faster. You start avoiding weight you were once strong enough to lift.

Here’s the part we don’t like to hear: Muscles don’t grow in comfort. They grow in discomfort. And faith is no different. When life feels heavy, it’s not always because God is testing you. Sometimes He’s training you. He’s increasing your capacity. He’s strengthening what you’ll need for what’s coming next.

So don’t rush to drop the weight. Don’t quit mid-rep. Don’t mistake strain for failure.

God is your trainer. And a good trainer never gives you weight to destroy you—only weight to develop you. He knows your limits better than you do. And every time you choose trust over fear, obedience over excuses, faith over feelings—you’re adding another plate of resilience to your soul.

Keep showing up. Keep lifting. Keep breathing through the burn. Because heaven isn’t looking for spectators in the pews. It’s building strong believers for the work ahead.

Let’s get our faith in shape.