Articles with spiritual fitness

Spiritual Fitness Self-Defense: Seeing Temptation as a Threat

The 2nd element of the five SemperVerus components, and the resulting 6th element—from the sum total of the previous five elements—are AWARE and SELF-DEFENSE respectively.

Being AWARE means heightening your daily attentiveness to be alert to—and anticipate—dangerous potentialities and temptations, as well as edifying opportunities.
 
Practicing SELF-DEFENSE is the strategic, tactical, and intelligent ability to responsibly protect yourself from menacing spiritual and physical threats.

Notice the inclusion of the spiritual aspect that is often overlooked when considering awareness and self-defense.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Situational Awareness: Spiritual Self-Defense ]

We must not prepare ourselves merely for physical dangers, but also for situations that endanger our moral standing and the strength of our soul; that lead us away from uprightness and down into dishonor. Those situations begin, perhaps innocently enough, with temptation.

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Fewer American Adults Are Engaging the Bible

In a time when 90% of the world’s population has access to the Christian sacred text of the Bible, a declining number of adults consider it a foundation of their lives. “Today, just 1 in 10 Gen Z adults regularly engages with the Bible,” says John Farquhar Plake, chief ministry insights officer of the American Bible Society.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Spiritual Fitness: How Long Does It Take to Read the Bible? ]

Alistair Begg, author and senior pastor of Cleveland’s Parkside Church, laments the diminishing role of Scripture in congregational life, warning that modern churchgoers often arrive not with a sense of reverence but with a consumerist mindset and calls for a return to “serious engagement with the Bible.” He says, “I’m not sure that America understands just how deep the problem is, in relationship to biblical illiteracy. You cannot continue to make your journey through life without your Bible—not as a talisman, not as something just to be revered in a corner—but without the Bible as our daily source of knowledge and encounter with God.”

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Spiritual Fitness: Top 12 Acts for a Christian ]

America’s preteens are not being raised in an environment that honors the Bible or presents its message, according to George Barna, director of research at the Cultural Research Center of Arizona Christian University. The lack of such spiritual formation means “we are on the precipice of Christian invisibility,” he says. His research shows just 21% of preteens believe in the existence of “absolute moral truths” that “are unchanging and knowable.” Only one in four agree the Bible is the true word of God.

[ Read how SemperVerus encourages you to live all facets of your life with a biblical worldview ]

“Biblical worldview incidence has declined with each of the last five generations. During that time, the national incidence of adults holding a biblical worldview has plummeted from 12% to today’s 4% level.”

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Mental Health Toolkit: A Free Resource for Self-Defense and Church Security

Mental illnesses are common in the United States, affecting more than one in five US adults (57.8 million in 2021), according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Estimates suggest that only half of people with mental illnesses receive treatment.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Security: How to Identify 25 Common Mental Health Behaviors ]

With your involvement in church security/safety, you’ve likely witnessed the growing struggles with mental health evidenced in unusual behavior by some in your services and among people in your congregation, since church is where broken people are drawn to find meaning in their lives.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Prayer for Church Security Team Members ]

Recognizing the signs of common mental health challenges is crucial for responding appropriately when disruptions occur.

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What a Leaf-Sweeper’s Answer Teaches About Personal Leadership

President John F. Kennedy introduced himself to a man sweeping leaves at NASA during a 1962 visit and asked him what he was doing, to which the man replied, “I’m part of the team that’s going to put a man on the moon.”

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Every Small Decision Leads to Winning or Losing in Spiritual Warfare ]

The man knew that clearing debris that could affect the engines of aircraft was an integral part of the overall mission of NASA.

It’s a lesson in how to properly view the big picture of the lives we live, the work we do, and the decisions we make every day. To properly succeed in our personal meaning and leadership, we must avoid thinking small and having tunnel vision in who we are and what we do.

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