Resistance Training

Resistance Training
by Ron Kardashian

It has often been asked of me as a strength and conditioning specialist, "Why do I need to increase my resistance training program to burn fat? It hurts too much!"

Are we proclaiming the same cry when God intensifies the weight of His Glory by asking you to STAND in faith or are we complaining, moaning, and groaning in the flesh instead of standing in the power of the Holy Ghost?

Well then...its time to resist!

James 4:7 reads "...resist the devil and he will flee!"

Simply put, we must begin to understand that every form of resistance in our life is only designed to do one thing%u2014make us stronger!

When you reach a certain weight in your exercise program you will remain at that level as long as you don't allow yourself to take on any additional weight. Do you know that even if you don't want to change yourself physically, God wants to change you spiritually?

Any way you look at it we must come to understand the importance of resistance training and its affect on each of us, both naturally and spiritually. For example, did you know that God uses weights? That's right as Proverbs 11:1 reads: "...a just weight is His delight."

Training And Preparation
James was a man who had some first-hand information on the Messiah. Being the brother of Jesus and in the household of faith, James knew exactly what Jesus was doing in His private time. Jesus was working out, doing resistance training, spiritually speaking.

God knew Jesus was about to bear the weight of this world on His body for you and me so He trained Jesus to endure. There was both spiritual and physical training and preparation.

There will always be painful times in your life, but don't give up or give in because they wont last. Remember: "Tough times wont last, tough people do!" The only way you get tough is to build up your strength through resistance training.

Train yourself to believe the cross made a way for each and every one of us to have victory in every situation. Say it with me: "Jesus bore my pains and He bore my sorrows! I am not alone! I've got a Helper!"

As a personal trainer, I will often times have a client in the gym that I will need to guide or spot through an exercise. For those of you who don't know what spotting is it is a technique trainers use to guide people through an exercise by watching them to make sure the weight is not too heavy for them to lift. If the weight is too heavy while they are lifting, we help them continue to lift the weight until they complete the exercise.

A good trainer who needs to spot their client will always make sure to let the client give it, "all they've got", so they get as much physical development from the exercise as possible. My patients will begin to call out, "It's too heavy, it's too heavy," and I'm there saying, "You can do it, you can do it, keep going, keep going!"

As trainers we know that when you resist the weight, your muscles begin to respond and take on a beautiful shape. What would happen if I gave into the cries of my clients and stopped requiring them to exert an adequate amount of effort?  My clients would not only lose ground, but would have to come back the next week to do it all over again!  I don't give in to the cries of my clients because we have a goal we're trying to hit.

Trainers and people who exercise regularly know that you can condition your muscles by doing several repetitions of a particular exercise. This is great, but in order to bring about noticeable change and go to the next level, you must keep increasing the resistance.

If you prematurely stop the endurance of an exercise you will get few results. Jesus said in Matthew 24:13, "Those who endure to the end will be saved!" The word endure means to stay under. Stay under the banner of God's favor. Stay in His presence for fullness of joy.

God's Command
God has told us to endure trials and to exercise patience because it perfects our souls (Luke 21:19). We would be extremely wise to listen.

If you prematurely start crying and complaining about the exercise God has you on, guess what? You'll have to do it again next week, next month, or maybe even next year. Ask yourself this simply question: "Why don't I just give it my all today?" Use your "spotter" of Life. We also call him Strengthener, Comforter, or Helper. He is always there with you, never leaves your side, and will always bears us up under any situation we are facing.

Say this right now: "I have a Helper, a Spotter of Life. My life may be filled with some serious resistance, but I'm strong and not alone. I've got a Helper, a Comforter, and a Strengthener. I'm only getting stronger through this training for I've got the Holy Spirit living in me and the devil must flee!"

Your Weapon: The Word
Stop letting the devil increase his resistance in your life. You resist Him by pushing him away with the Word of God. Let him know when he deals with you that he is dealing with the boss. After all, when they come against you, they come against the one who sent you. Let the devil know you are resisting him and he will flee.

Philippians 1:28 says, "...and not in any way be terrified by your adversaries." Here Paul is writing to believers who are walking the walk and not being afraid. It is time we as believers put on the full armor of God and stop being afraid. "Put ye on the Lord Jesus." Don't allow for anybody or anything to tell you how you should react to situations. React with the Word.

In the Amplified Bible Paul says, "Do not for a moment be frightened or intimidated in anything by your opponents and adversaries." This is a sign of your training program. This is the evidence of your salvation, your strength, and your deliverance from God.

This does not mean you have to be perfect or do everything the correctly. Thank God for His mercy.  It simply means to be devoted to Him, having a heart consecrated, dedicated, loyal, and faithful to God.

Are you holding on to the things of the past? Are you resisting forgiving someone or something you have done? Are you entertaining thoughts of worry and fear? Are you relying on food to alter you mood?  Stop right now, ask for forgiveness, and begin to resist or build yourself up against the devil with the Word of God. He will certainly flee because He must flee!  This is the first sign that your natural and spiritual resistance training is working.

Copyright © 2007 Kingdom Conditioning Ministries
All rights reserved. Used by permission.