Page 22 - Faith-Based Workbook 8-27-18

TOPUCU Adult Faith-Based Workbook
LESSON 3: PART 1
PAIN IS A MUST
David is one of the most well-known and
discussed figures from the Old Testament.
The Bible recounts many aspects of his life
and we see that although he eventually
became a mighty and respected king, things
were not always easy for him. In fact, it was
after the prophet Samuel had prophesized
young David’s future kingship that his story
takes a number of dark turns. King Saul, who
David was in line to succeed, proceeds to
make David’s life a living hell. On several
occasions Saul even attempted to kill David.
“…while David was playing the harp with
his hand, as usual; and a spear was in
Saul’s hand. Saul hurled the spear for he
thought, 'I will pin David to the wall.'
But David escaped from his presence
twice." 1 Samuel 18:10-11 (NASB)
With Saul’s wrath growing more each day,
and his attempts to kill David getting more
frequent, the future king had a choice to
make: Would he be prideful and stay - which
would mean he’d have to endure the pain of
constantly being on the defensive, guarding
himself against Saul’s men and fighting
for his life each day until he became King.
Or would he flee from Saul’s kingdom and
endure the pain of living in the wilderness
for years, maybe decades, until Saul’s death?
Either way, David would have to deal with
some hardship. Either way, he would have to
experience pain.
That’s the concept we’re going to talk about
today: pain. It’s a scary word, isn’t it? The
vast majority of people listening to this will
immediately associate the word pain with
something negative from the past, and so it
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would be only natural that we would actively
try to avoid things that cause us pain. Indeed
there are some painful aspects of life that are
truly unavoidable and unpleasant, such as
the loss of a loved one or a life-altering injury.
Those are the types of pain we wish we never
had to deal with. But that’s not what we’re
talking about here. Today we’re going to
learn that some types of pain are not only
beneficial, but a necessary part of life. In fact,
if you’re serious about this program and you
want to see true transformation in your life,
you’re going to have to accept the fact that
pain is a must. That’s right. Today’s Lesson is
entitled, “Pain is a Must.” Without pain there
is no growth. We’ve all heard the expression,
“No pain; no gain." Well, it’s not just a catchy
phrase; it’s absolutely true.
Now, as with all the lessons, the first part
will teach you about the principle and break
it down. Then the second part of the lesson
will teach you how to go through a mental
transformation by giving you the secrets and
tools that champions and successful people
use in order to not only make pain bearable,
but embrace the pain that leads to amazing
positive results.
So let’s get down to it. In the story of David,
we know he eventually becomes one of the
greatest kings of all time. He went through
the trials and tribulations and when it was all
said and done he was exactly who Samuel
prophesied he would be. Imagine, however,
if David would have tried to avoid the pain.
Imagine, if he had given up on becoming
king, and instead went back home where he
would be a shepherd raising his family
in peace. That would have been infinitely
easier for David, right? Of course it would.
We can all agree it would have been less
painful. And as human beings, pain is often
a tool used to tell us when to run away from
something that can hurt or is hurting us.
And while that is necessary in some cases,
the mistake many of us make is we run away
from all pain - even the pain that can help
us. In many circumstances pain is beneficial
and necessary for growth. We’re going to
discuss why you don’t want to avoid all
pain in the future.
Change can be difficult. We’ve discussed
that several times over the first few lessons.
When you’re creating a new habit you’re
literally rewiring neural pathways in your
brain. It’s uncomfortable and challenging and
we often wonder, “Is the goal I’m trying to
accomplish worth the pain it’s going to take
to get there?” There’s an easy answer to that
question: YES! It’s worth it every single time.
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every
branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit
he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." — John 15:2 (NIV)
Don’t you remember? Whenever you start
something and you don’t finish it – The Only
Person U Cheat is U. That’s what TOPUCU is
all about. It’s about transformation and it’s
about finishing.
In John 15:2, Jesus says, “I am the true vine,
and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off
every branch in me that bears no fruit, while
every branch that does bear fruit he prunes
so that it will be even more fruitful.” (NIV)
This scripture reveals a poignant truth about
growth and change – if you’re going to be
like a tree that bears great fruit, you will
have to deal with some pruning; some
cutting; some pain.
Lesson 3: Part 1
Pain is one reason why people don’t
complete the change they set out to
accomplish. It’s the reason why so many
people never achieve weight loss, overcome
their addiction or other challenges. When
something starts to hurt or there is mental
discomfort many people shy away. They
don’t understand that pain is a must.
Let’s look at fitness as an example.
Bodybuilders experience two distinctive
types of pain – pain of effort, the workout,
and the day-after soreness. Think about
someone doing bicep curls with a 25 pound
dumbbell. They go through a series of
repetitions; pumping that weight, feeling
good about what they’re doing. But then as
their muscles begin to really burn, they put
the weight down and take a break. That’s a
huge mistake. All the work that was done in
the initial repetitions is actually preparing
the muscle for those tough repetitions at the
end. The painful reps are the most important
part of the workout. The pain you experience
in the last few reps, if done properly, should
hurt tremendously, because what you are
feeling is the tearing down of the muscle. As
the muscle heals over the next day or two,
it will become stronger and more resilient,
resulting in more strength and durability.
This is the day-after soreness. The pain of
effort is encountered when someone is
unaccustomed to exercising certain muscle
groups or training with heavier weights. The
effort required causes pain to the point that
an inexperienced bodybuilder may quit right
then and there, not allowing for the tearing
down of the muscle which is necessary in
order to achieve increased strength and
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