MB #095: The Enemy Wants You Divided

Read Time: ~5 Minutes

I need to tell you something - I'm not really a "fitness coach," at least not in the way most people think. Even with 13 years of experience and various certifications, that title misses the point entirely.

Why? Because focusing solely on fitness is part of the problem, not the solution.

The enemy loves nothing more than watching us excel in one area while completely neglecting another.

He celebrates our fragmentation because he knows that a divided man has diminished impact and effectiveness.

C.S. Lewis captured the underbelly of this demonic strategy perfectly in ‘The Screwtape Letters’:

"Let him begin by treating the Patriotism or the Pacifism as a part of his religion. Then let him, under the influence of partisan spirit, come to regard it as the most important part. Then quietly and gradually nurse him on to the stage at which the religion becomes merely part of the 'cause'..."

This reveals something profound about how fragmentation happens in our lives. The enemy doesn't typically attack through obvious evil - he works through good things that become ultimate things. He delights in watching us excel in one area while completely neglecting others, knowing that imbalanced devotion leads to devastating fragmentation.

Look around and you'll see it everywhere:

• The pastor whose ministry flourishes while he’s 40 lbs overweight

• The dedicated fitness enthusiast with a malnourished soul

• The successful businessman whose career soars while his children grow distant

• The spiritual leader whose marriage is falling apart

The strategy is always the same: Take something good (ministry, fitness, business, spiritual disciplines), gradually elevate it above all else, and watch as that singular devotion creates blind spots that fragment the whole person. The enemy celebrates these fractured successes because he knows a compartmentalized man is a compromised man.

But God's design is entirely different.

This week on our weekly coaching call for ​Mission-Fit Dads​, instead of our usual workshop format diving into transformation strategies and teaching, we took a different path.

I spent 30 minutes simply praying over our men, asking God to reveal where He's at work and what He wants to do in our lives. Asking the Holy Spirit to identify fragmentation, friction, and subconscious obstacles. Why? Because we understand that true transformation and integration starts with God and His presence.

We’re not just after fitness. We’re after wholeness.

As John Eldredge writes in ‘Experience Jesus. Really’:

"Putting things together with intricate beauty and order is the work of God. I find it delightful that the Hebrew word shalom means 'complete' or 'whole'. As theologian Dr. Tim Mackie explains, 'Shalom refers to something complex, with lots of pieces, that's in a state of wholeness, completeness.' When used as a verb, shalom means, 'to make complete or restore.' The purposes of God are wholeness, completeness."

This integration isn't optional. As Eugene Peterson reminds us, "Matter matters. The physical is the place we begin to comprehend the spiritual. We can no more mature in our spiritual life by disparaging or ignoring our bodies than we can understand the world by cutting off our heads."

Dallas Willard reinforces this truth: "The life of the spirit and the life of the body make up the one life of faith. The spiritual and the physical are by no means opposed in human life - they are complementary."

Take a Moment to Consider:

• When was the last time you felt truly whole, not just successful in one area?

• Is there a part of your life you’re secretly proud of, while another part quietly crumbles?

• What would your wife or kids say about the gaps between your best and worst areas?

• Where are you settling for excellence in one thing while making excuses for another?

Where to Go From Here:

• What conversation have you been avoiding that could begin healing the divide?

• Which part of your fragmented life, if made whole, would change everything else?

• What's the real cost to those you love if nothing changes?

• What's the first step you know you need to take but have been resisting?

The enemy wants you fragmented - achieving in ways the world applauds while failing in ways only those closest to you can see. His strategy is working far too well in far too many lives.

But God's intention has always been wholeness. Not in theory, but in the raw reality of daily life.

This isn't about perfection. But it is about refusing to accept division as normal.

The enemy wants you divided.

God wants you whole.

The choice is yours.

Standing with you for shalom,

-Chris

P.S. If this message resonates and you're ready to pursue genuine integration, not just better fitness or surface-level spirituality, I invite you to join us. We’ve designed the content, community, and coaching calls and workshops that a busy father needs so he can become whole again. Not through quick fixes, but through honest conversation, targeted action, tested methods, and most of all, seeking God's presence and guidance together. We’ve got 2 days left on our Founders Pricing offer before the doors close. ​Join us here.​