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“Spiritually Fit - Ready to Serve: Sailor” Copyright © 2020 Campus Crusade for Christ, Inc. All rights reserved.
THIS BOOKLET IS NOT AN OFFICIAL U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLICATION.
Published by Cru Military, a division of Campus Crusade for Christ, Inc. Cru Military, 100 Lake Hart Dr, Orlando, FL 32832, USA. For more information visit our website at www.crumilitary.org, call 757-928-7200 or 800-444-6006 (toll-free in the USA).
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), © 2001, Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishing. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (TLB) are taken from the Holy Bible, The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved
ISBN 978-1-57334-137-0
Printed in the United States of America
SFRS SAILOR
WWW.MILITARYSFRS.ORG
Spiritual fitness is critical both for mission success and for your own personal success. As a United States Sailor, you will face many challenges—personally and in your military service. This guidebook and the website, www.militarySFRS.org, offer resources and guidance to enable you to be spiritually fit and ready to serve. This guidebook defines being “spiritually fit” as being in a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ, which empowers you to be “ready to serve” those around you.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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3 Spiritually Fit - Ready to Serve .................................... 1 Navy Core Values........................................................ 4 Navy Warrior Toughness ............................................. 6 The Bible ................................................................... 8 1.0 Identity of a Faithful Warrior ................ 10 2.0 Becoming Spiritually Fit ........................... 16 • 2.1 Who is God?.................................................................................. 18 • 2.2 How to Know God..................................................................... 20 • 2.3 The Power Source ..................................................................... 32 • 2.4 Spiritual Breathing .................................................................... 38 • 2.5 Six Key Promises ........................................................................ 45 3.0 Building Spiritual Fitness ........................ 52 • 3.1 The Battle Ground ..................................................................... 54 • 3.2 Your Enemies in this Spiritual Battle ................................ 55 • 3.3 Strategies for Victory .............................................................. 58 • 3.4 Spiritual Fitness Drills .............................................................. 62 o Drill #1 — Put Jesus First ...................................................... 63 o Drill #2 — The Word ............................................................... 64 o Drill #3 — Prayer ....................................................................... 66 o Drill #4 — Witnessing ............................................................. 68 o Drill #5 — Fellowship .............................................................. 70 o Drill #6 — Obedience ............................................................. 72 4.0 Ready to Serve ............................................ 74 • 4.1 The Great Commission ........................................................... 76 • 4.2 Marriage and Family ................................................................. 78 • 4.3 Dealing with Adversity ............................................................ 80 • 4.4 Suicide Awareness.................................................................... 84 • 4.5 Resistance to Combat Trauma ............................................ 86 5.0 Spiritual Ammo Bunker .............................. 87 Endnotes ................................................................. 96
Navy Core Values
Honor Courage Commitment
The Navy Core Values1 reflect the values that God desires for you to live out. Sailors are called to live out these core values in every area of their lives. What you will discover in the following pages is that God embodies these core values; you can even say that they come from him. You will see that true honor is not just living with integrity, it is righteousness bestowed upon those who are connected to God and his family. As you read about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, you will understand what ultimate courage looks like. The whole teaching of the Bible communicates God’s relentless commitment to his creation, and excellence in all he does.
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Honor — “I am accountable for my professional and personal behavior. I will be mindful of the privilege I have to serve my fellow Americans.”
• Abide by an uncompromising code of integrity, taking full responsibility for my actions and keeping my word.
• Conduct myself in the highest ethical manner in relationships with seniors, peers and subordinates.
• Be honest and truthful in my dealings within and outside the Department of the Navy.
• Make honest recommendations to my seniors and peers and seek honest recommendations from junior personnel.
• Encourage new ideas and deliver bad news forthrightly.
• Fulfill my legal and ethical responsibilities in my public and personal life.
Courage — “Courage is the value that gives me the moral and mental strength to do what is right, with confidence and resolution, even in the face of temptation or adversity.”
• Have the courage to meet the demands of my profession.
• Make decisions and act in the best interest of the Department of the Navy and the nation, without regard to personal consequences.
• Overcome all challenges while adhering to the highest standards of personal conduct and decency.
• Be loyal to my nation by ensuring the resources entrusted to me are used in an honest, careful and efficient way.
Commitment — “The day-to-day duty of every man and woman in the Department of the Navy is to join together as a team to improve the quality of our work, our people and ourselves.”
• Foster respect up and down the chain of command.
• Care for the personal and spiritual well-being of my people.
• Show respect toward all people without regard to race, religion or gender.
• Always strive for positive change and personal improvement.
• Exhibit the highest degree of moral character, professional excellence, quality, and competence in all that I do.
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Navy Warrior TOUGHNESS 2
Four Core Attributes
Toughness — We can take a hit and keep going. We maintain a culture of warfighting excellence. We are never out of the fight. (1 Timothy 4:8; 2 Timothy 1:7)
Integrity — Our behaviors as an individual and as an organization align with our values as a profession, actively strengthening each other’s resolve. (2 Corinthians 8: 21; Colossians 3:23-24)
Accountability — We are a mission-focused force. We achieve and maintain high standards. Our actions support our strategy. (Acts 24:16; 1 Peter 3:13-16)
Initiative — We strive to accomplish what needs to be done, even in the absence of direct orders. (Matthew 25:14-30, Ezekiel 33)
When faced with high-stress situations, it is imperative you execute tasks at your peak performance by utilizing the Warrior Mindset. This commitment gives you the discipline to prepare mind, body and SOUL for what is ahead. Known or unknown.
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THE WARRIOR MINDSET IS AN UNENDING CYCLE OF COMMITMENT, PREPARATION, EXECUTION, AND REFLECTION.
IN THIS BOOKLET YOU WILL BE FOCUSING ON YOUR SPIRITUAL
TOUGHNESS
The ability to keep going, even when the world is pressing down on you. The spiritually tough Sailor is able to go on, even when it feels like there is no motivation left. True spiritual strength comes from relying on Christ’s strength, not yours. A spiritually tough Sailor will remember the Warrior Mindset and Core Attributes as they are tied to spiritual principles.
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
— 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
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TRUE SPIRITUAL TOUGHNESS IS THE ABILITY TO BOAST IN CHRIST’S POWER AND RELY ON JESUS.
The Bible
OUR FOUNDATION
The Bible is more than one single book. It contains 66 smaller books within 2 sections: The Old Testament and the New Testament. The books in the Old Testament were written before Jesus was born. The books in the New Testament record the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus, and the early years of the Church.
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