Spiritually Fit Today

Spiritually Fit Today

By Back To The BibleReligion & SpiritualityChristianity
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Spiritually Fit Today episodes

  • What Grief Does to Your Faith, and Why It Isn't Failure - SFT

    Welcome to Spiritually Fit Today with Arnie Cole, spiritual fitness researcher and coach. In this episode Arnie explores how grief affects faith—not as spiritual failure but as a flood that takes the whole house of your heart. He shares a personal loss and reads Lamentations 3:19–20 Practical, compassionate guidance for navigating faith when you can't "feel" God.


    Four R action steps:
    - Read: Lamentations 3:19–20.
    - Reflect: Ask: Where in my life is my soul downcast? Give yourself one minute to name the feeling without defending it.
    - Respond: Set a 10-minute timer, sit quietly, and write three concrete ways grief has changed your daily attention or routines (sleep, appetite, church, work). Keep the list—this helps move feeling into clarity.
    - Reveal: Tell one trusted person a single honest sentence: "I'm grieving and may not feel God the same right now—will you pray with me or sit with me?" (You don’t need to explain; invite presence.)


    Keywords: grief and faith, Christian grief, Lamentations 3:19-20, spiritual doubt, spiritual fitness, grieving holidays, healing after loss, Arnie Cole,

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    6 min
  • What Is Your Life Teaching People About Jesus? - SFT

    Welcome to Spiritually Fit Today with Arnie Cole — spiritual fitness researcher and coach. In this episode Arnie reflects on Hebrews 10:24 and a story about living faith close enough for others to read. He warns against compartmentalizing Jesus, shows how spiritual fitness is whole-life training, and invites practical, humble ways to help one person grow through truthful love and visible example.


    Read: Hebrews 10:24

    Reflect: Think of one specific person in your life. How does the way you live reveal Jesus to them? Consider small, everyday moments where your faith is visible or hidden.

    Respond: Daily 3-minute honesty journal — name one area you tend to compartmentalize, write one concrete action you’ll take today to invite Jesus into that space.

    Reveal: Share one short, real example with a close friend or family member of how Jesus shaped a recent choice, and ask them to notice how you live this out over the next week.


    Keywords: spiritual fitness, Hebrews 10:24, Christian podcast, Arnie Cole, spiritual growth, discipleship, live faith, compartmentalization, everyday discipleship, faith in action

    Subscribe to get each episode delivered to your Inbox daily at: https://bttb.org/subscribe2sft

    7 min
  • That Grudge Might Be Training You Away From Jesus - SFT

    Welcome to Spiritually Fit Today with Arnie Cole, spiritual fitness researcher and coach. In this short episode Arnie explores Philippians 1:9–10 and invites you to train discernment so repeated thoughts, habits, and hidden “rooms” move you closer to Jesus instead of away. He shares a practical way to spot bitterness, grudges, and small compromises that quietly derail spiritual growth—and how to let Jesus open those rooms to heal you.


    Read - Read Philippians 1:9–10.

    Reflect - Notice a recurring thought or habit you replay each day and ask: does this move me closer to Jesus or away from him?

    Respond - Tonight, before bed, name one recurring thought or habit and pray one sentence asking God to help you either stop it or reorient it toward Jesus.

    Reveal - Tell one trusted person the one change you’re committing to and ask them to check in once this week to encourage and pray with you.


    Keywords: spiritual fitness, discernment, Philippians 1:9-10, spiritual formation, forgiveness, bitterness, Christian growth, daily devotion, prayer, Arnie Cole, Spiritually Fit Today

    Subscribe to get each episode delivered to your Inbox daily at: https://bttb.org/subscribe2sft

    7 min
  • The Bible Opens the Rooms You’d Rather Keep Locked - SFT

    Welcome to Spiritually Fit Today with Arnie Cole, spiritual fitness researcher and coach. In this episode Arnie talks about a barn‑fire he experienced to illustrate Hebrews 5:14: spiritual maturity comes from "constant use" of Scripture. He explains how daily time in the Word trains you to hear the Holy Spirit, opens the locked rooms of your life, and helps you move closer to Jesus rather than hiding in comfortable compartments.


    Read: Hebrews 5:14. Take 5–10 minutes to read the verse and its surrounding passage.
    Reflect: Where do you instinctively retreat when life gets hard? Name one “locked room” that feels safe but separates you from Jesus.
    Respond: This week, schedule a daily 10-minute Scripture appointment and record one conviction or next step that arises each day.
    Reveal: Share that conviction with a trusted person and invite them to pray with you and hold you accountable to one small change.

    Questions or comments: [email protected]

    Keywords: Hebrews 5:14, daily Bible reading, spiritual discipline, hear the Holy Spirit, spiritual growth, Arnie Cole, Spiritually Fit Today, Scripture training, overcome sin, Christian podcast

    Subscribe to get each episode delivered to your Inbox daily at: https://bttb.org/subscribe2sft

    7 min
  • Busy for God, but Not Close to God - SFT

    Welcome to Spiritually Fit Today with Arnie Cole. In this episode Arnie explores the “comfort room” — how public usefulness can mask private drift — using his dinner-table story and 1 Corinthians 9:26–27 to challenge listeners to stop coasting and move one step closer to Jesus.


    Read - Read 1 Corinthians 9:26–27.

    Reflect - Ask: Did today move me closer to Jesus or was I coasting? List the “rooms” of your life and mark where Jesus is welcome and where He isn’t.

    Respond - Choose one concrete change for tomorrow (e.g., replace 10 minutes of screen time with focused Scripture and prayer first thing in the morning).

    Reveal - Share your chosen change with one trusted person and ask them to pray and check in this week.


    Keywords: spiritual fitness, spiritual struggle, comfort zone, coasting, 1 Corinthians 9:26-27, spiritual growth, Christian podcast, Arnie Cole, accountability, prayer, Bible study

    Subscribe to get each episode delivered to your Inbox daily at: https://bttb.org/subscribe2sft

    6 min
  • What Room Have You Kept Locked From Jesus? - SFT
    Welcome to Spiritually Fit Today with Arnie Cole. In this episode Arnie explores dysfunctional spiritual lives, the house-as-heart metaphor, and how compartmentalizing parts of your life keeps you from growing closer to Jesus. Drawing on 1 Timothy 4:7–8, he defines spiritual growth, spiritual fitness, and spiritual formation, and challenges listeners to train daily rather than treat growth as passive.

    Read: Read 1 Timothy 4:7–8 and notice the call to "train yourself" and the lasting value of godliness.
    Reflect: Consider one area of your life where Jesus has limited access (a “room” you’ve kept closed). Ask whether your actions today moved you closer to Him or away from Him.
    Respond: For the next 7 days, spend 5 minutes each day in focused prayer and read one verse aimed at that one area.
    Reveal: Tell a trusted friend or accountability partner which area you’re working on, explain the single step you’ll take, and invite them to pray and check in with you for a week.


    Keywords: spiritual fitness, spiritual growth, 1 Timothy 4:7-8, spiritual formation, compartmentalization, Christian discipleship, spiritual disciplines, prayer, Arnie Cole, Spiritually Fit Today

    Subscribe to get each episode delivered to your Inbox daily at: https://bttb.org/subscribe2sft
    9 min
  • You Forgave Everyone Else—Why Can’t You Forgive Yourself? - SFT

    Welcome to Spiritually Fit Today with Arnie Cole — featuring guest Dan Whitney (Larry the Cable Guy). In this episode Arnie and Dan talk about forgiveness: releasing bitterness, forgiving others, and learning to forgive yourself through the lens of Ephesians 4:31–32. Practical, faith-centered conversation and a simple, tangible next step to move closer to Jesus.


    Read Ephesians 4:31–32 — “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

    Reflect Ask: Who or what is keeping me stuck in bitterness? Spend five minutes naming the feeling and where it lives in your life; then bring that truth to God in short prayer.

    Respond Pick one name (it can be your own). Write it on a scrap of paper, mark the word “forgiven” across it, then tear or discard the paper as a physical act of release. Say a one-sentence prayer of letting go.

    Reveal Share the truth of Ephesians 4:31–32 with one person this week—either by sending a brief, non-confrontational text offering prayer or by telling a friend how forgiveness changed you and pointing them to the verse.

    Need to connect with Arnie? [email protected]

    Keywords: forgiveness, forgive yourself, Ephesians 4:31-32, Arnie Cole, Dan Whitney, Larry the Cable Guy, Christian podcast, spiritual growth, faith, let go of bitterness, forgiveness practice

    Subscribe to get each episode delivered to your Inbox daily at: https://bttb.org/subscribe2sft

    15 min
  • Are You Spiritually Stuck Without Realizing It? - SFT

    Welcome to Spiritually Fit Today with Arnie Cole and guest: Dan Whitney (Larry the Cable Guy). In this episode we unpack Hebrews 12:1-2, name spiritual laziness and stagnation as the same obstacle, and hear Dan’s testimony of rededicating his life to Christ.


    Read - Read Hebrews 12:1-2.

    Reflect - Ask: What “weight” or excuse is most likely to make me drift away? Picture the direction your faith is moving—up or down—and why.

    Respond - Pick one concrete, tiny habit you can keep even on your worst day (one verse, 90 seconds of prayer, or a short Bible passage), write it somewhere visible, and do it every day for the next week.

    Reveal - Tell one person your chosen verse/habit and ask them to pray for you; share one insight from Hebrews 12 when you talk with them.


    Keywords: Hebrews 12, spiritual growth, Christian podcast, Arnie Cole, Dan Whitney, Larry the Cable Guy, spiritual laziness, spiritual stagnation, Bible study, daily devotion, faith, discipleship, practical Christianity

    Subscribe to get each episode delivered to your Inbox daily at: https://bttb.org/subscribe2sft

    13 min
  • Can You Go 24 Hours Without Complaining? - SFT
    Welcome to Spiritually Fit Today with Arnie Cole and guest Dan Whitney. In this episode Arnie walks through James 3:5–6—how the tongue, “such a small fire,” fuels complaining that shifts our focus from God.

    Read - Read James 3:5–6 aloud and note the image of the tongue as a small fire.

    Reflect - Spend 5 minutes asking: When have my words shifted blame from circumstances to God? Journal two real examples.

    Respond - Simple step: For one week, keep a short speech log—each time you complain, note it and write one sentence describing a constructive next step or a truth from Scripture you can lean on.

    Reveal - Share James 3 and one insight from your speech log with a friend. Invite mutual accountability and a short follow‑up conversation about what changed.

    Questions or feedback: [email protected]

    Keywords: James 3, tongue is a fire, complaining, gratitude, Christian podcast, Arnie Cole, Dan Whitney, Spiritually Fit Today, spiritual growth, Bible study, Christian living, no‑complaint challenge, tongue and speech, faith and behavior

    Subscribe to get each episode delivered to your Inbox daily at: https://bttb.org/subscribe2sft
    14 min
  • The 3-Word Prayer for When You’re Drowning in Worry - SFT

    Welcome to Spiritually Fit Today with Arnie Cole and guest Dan Whitney (Larry the Cable Guy). In this episode Arnie and Dan talk honestly about worry and anxiety through the lens of Matthew 14:30 — how fear shifts our focus from Jesus and practical ways faith and Scripture help steady us.


    Read: Read Matthew 14.

    Reflect: Ask, When fear rises, what am I watching—the wind or Jesus? Notice where your focus shifts and why.

    Respond: Tonight, write one page listing every worry you have; mark any items you can act on and pray "Lord, save me" aloud over the rest.

    Reveal: Share your one-page list with a trusted friend and explain how trusting Jesus changed one worry; pray together and encourage each other.

    Questions for Arnie: [email protected]

    Keywords: worry, anxiety, faith, Matthew 14, Peter, walking on water, prayer, spiritual growth, Christian podcast, Dan Whitney, Larry the Cable Guy, Arnie Cole

    Subscribe to get each episode delivered to your Inbox daily at: https://bttb.org/subscribe2sft

    15 min

About Spiritually Fit Today

From the publisher's feed

Welcome to Spiritually Fit Today, where every day is a workout for your soul—one step, one choice, one spiritual rep at a time. Join Arnie Cole and guests as we talk about how to improve how we behave as a Christ followers. Because how we act tomorrow depends on getting spiritually fit today.