From his book ‘Receiving Personal Revelation,’Larry W. Tippetts shared a quote from Allan Bloom. . . .
“As it stands now, students have powerful images of what a perfect body is and pursue it incessantly. But deprived of literary [and spiritual] guidance, they no longer have any image of a perfect soul, and hence do not long to have one. They do not even imagine that there is such a thing.” (Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind [New York; Simon & Schuster, 1987],67).
Athletes, soldiers, and others train daily so that when the occasion arises for exceptional effort, their bodies are in a position to respond. C.S. Lewis made an interesting observation that can be applied to the concept of spiritual exercises. “When we carry out our ‘religious duties’ [spiritual exercises] we are like people digging channels in a waterless land, in order that when the last of the water comes, it may find them ready. (Reflections on the Psalms [New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1958, 97). As we have learned, the Spirit ebbs and flows in our lives. Those who exercise their spirits are more likely to be in a state of readiness to recognize and receive messages from God when they come. We use the phrase “exercise our faith” to describe our efforts to trust God and be faithful in all things. Think of it now in light of our discussion of physical exercise. All those activities which build and manifest faith can rightly be called spiritual exercises.
In the Word of Wisdom (Doctrine and Covenants 89), the Lord taught the Saints to care for the body so that it can become a fit tabernacle for our spirits and for the Holy Ghost. Paul taught, “For bodily exercise profiteth little [or for a short time]: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:8). My own paraphrase might read, “Physical exercise has value for this life, but spiritual exercise has value for both this life and for eternity.”
Some people who are very serious about physical exercise or need to overcome an injury employ the services of a personal trainer or therapist to customize a training program especially for their needs and objectives. Consider the Holy Ghost as your personal spiritual therapist. As you grow in your ability to recognize and hear His voice, you can draw upon the divine assistance God desires to give us. What kind of spiritual exercise program would assist you in overcoming a tendency toward cynicism or sarcasm, purify a mind obsessed with pornography, or develop a more forgiving heart? If you are weak in a particular area of your life, ask yourself (and your Heavenly Father) which spiritual exercises would address that weakness. If you desire a particular gift, such as patience, self-control, or charity, ask yourself (and your Heavenly Father) which specific exercises would enable you to cultivate that strength. ~Larry W. Tippetts, Receiving Personal Revelation (American Fork, Utah: Covenant Communications, 2017), 49-50
