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Author: [[Ben Greenfield]] Full Title: Endure Category: #books from the famed 72-hour Agoge Race (previously called the “Spartan Death Race”) at 38 degrees below zero in the backwoods of Vermont to over a dozen of the hardest Ironman triathlons on the face of the planet to days upon days spent suffering through Navy SEAL training for civilians on the beaches of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, and much, much more. you can also train your spirit to resist temptation, to master carnal passions and desires, to combat lust and pride and to hold fast with perseverance, persistence and patience when all the allures of the world seem to be working in cahoots to derail your spiritual health and your ability to make full impact for God with the purpose you’ve been given for life. In his book Disciplines Of A Godly Man, author Kent Hughes writes: “…the statement from Paul to Timothy regarding spiritual discipline in 1 Timothy 4:7—‘train yourself to be godly’—takes on not only transcending importance, but personal urgency. There are other passages which teach discipline, but this is the great classic text of Scripture. The word ‘train’ comes from the word gumnos, which means ‘naked’ and is the word from which we derive our English word gymnasium. In traditional Greek athletic contests, the participants competed without clothing, so as not to be encumbered. Therefore, the word ‘train’ originally carried the literal meaning, ‘to exercise naked.’ By New Testament times it referred to exercise and training in general. But even then it was, and is, a word with the smell of the gym in it—the sweat of a good workout. ‘Gymnasticize (exercise, work out, train) yourself for the purpose of godliness’ conveys the feel of what Paul is saying. In a word, he is calling for some spiritual sweat! Just as the athletes discarded everything and competed gumnos—free from everything that could possibly burden them—so we must get rid of every encumbrance, every association, habit, and tendency which impedes godliness. If we are to excel, we must strip ourselves to a lean, spiritual nakedness.” The concept of putting on our spiritual armor and equipping ourselves to withstand all the temptations and flaming arrows that the world inevitably flings at us each day; training our spirit to, by the grace of God, withstand the pride of life, the pride of the eyes and the lust of the flesh; and viewing our spiritual life as a training ground for battle is, sadly, often an afterthought. needed to follow the instructions of Ephesians 6:10–18, which says: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” I can give you a brief glimpse now of how I became fitted with the full armor of God: belt, breastplate, boots, shield, sword, helmet and prayer. See, I pride myself on maintaining a streak of physically rigorous workouts nearly 365 days a year, taking a cold shower or cold soak daily, doing three or four brutally hot sauna sessions a week, walking at least 15,000 steps per day, foam rolling at least ten minutes per morning, getting a massage at least twice per month, taking a carefully selected handful of supplements both morning and evening, stopping every 30 minutes of work to move or stretch for two minutes, reading at least three books per week, writing at least 200 words per day, practicing guitar for a minimum of ten minutes per day, etc., etc., etc. Why not apply that same determination, temperance and mastery of passions and desires to my spiritual fitness? And what would happen if I did?

AI Summary

Endure by Ben Greenfield presents wisdom from the contemplative traditions.

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