Spiritual Fitness

The definition used by the military says that “spiritual fitness” is about core values, beliefs, and the source of one’s meaning in life. The U.S. Army’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program lists five domains in which each soldier needs to be established: PHYSICAL – EMOTIONAL – SOCIAL – FAMILY – SPIRITUAL.

It is particularly important to the Christian servicemembers to strengthen their Spiritual Fitness and that of their family. Spiritual fitness helps ensure positive growth after exposure to the stress and trauma of combat.

You are defending your country. As part of this duty, you will encounter many challenges on the home front and on the battlefront. The Spiritually Fit Ready to Serve Guidebook and Military SFRS online community offer key tools to develop strength and find hope for your battles. Read through the guidebook from start to finish, or use it as needed to remind you of God’s love and promises given especially for you.

Definitions

Spiritual

This refers to the aspects of our lives that interact with God, His kingdom, and the kingdom of Satan. The effects of these interactions will govern our relationships, priorities, perspectives, goals, attitudes, actions, and responses to adversity and trauma.

Spiritual Fitness

This refers to qualities build into us through our relationship with God which enable us to strongly resist harmful influences or assaults (physical, mental, or spiritual) and to recover quickly when our defenses are breeched, eventually taking us to a state that is stronger than we had known prior to our wounding. This gives us the ability to do things like:

♦ Bounce back after the tragic death of a close friend.
♦  Gain meaning and strength, even from tragedy.
♦ Convert pain and stress into purpose and productivity in service to others.
♦ Rise above and triumph over adversity we encounter.

Faith

This describes the conviction that an eternal, loving, all-powerful, trustworthy Creator-God exists and that He desires to interact with us, care for us, guide us, and transform us to be like Him. We hold these convictions even when they cannot be verified by our five senses. Faith enhances spiritual fitness, prompting us to love, obey and worship God out of a sense of gratitude and to love other people as we love ourselves.

Christian Faith

This is the conviction that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Christians believe that His willing sacrificial death on the cross paid the penalty for sin and made it possible for us to experience an eternal relationship with God through faith in Him. Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead verified His claims. True Christianity isn’t “pie-in-the-sky-by-and-by” or mere philosophy, but a vital day-by-day, moment-by-moment interactive friendship with God which enhances spiritual fitness.

Spiritually Fit Ready to Serve Guidebooks are branch-specific.

The SFRS booklets will assist military men and women to grow in spiritual fitness. The reader will learn how they can become spiritually fit by knowing God. They can lay the groundwork to build spiritual fitness over a lifetime.

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