Endure: Tools, Tactics & Habits for Optimizing Spiritual Stamina

by Ben Greenfield

Do you struggle with temptation, and often find yourself succumbing to it? Do you get confused or overwhelmed by the variety of ways one can pray, meditate, read the Bible or “be spiritual?”Do you lay awake at night feeling as though although you checked a lot of productivity boxes, at the end of the day, you are still restless and unfulfilled?Do you want to live a fully impactful life that inspires others to greatness and defies the sad status quo of what the world accepts as adequate spiritual health?Do you want to ingest more beauty, dance more, sing more, dream more, create more, and experience with a fuller sense of peace, love and joy all of God’s creation?Fact is, when it comes to dealing with temptations, we all crave help, meaning and direction. However, it doesn’t just happen. You must be equipped with the full armor of God, and understand that you are fighting a battle for your very soul. And you must come prepared.

As a sequel to the wildly popular book Fit Soul, Endure, written and inspired by the author Ben Greenfield’s own personal temptations, struggles and failures, and informed by what he’s studied and learned along the way, will serve as a key resource and guide for that very preparation.

Within the pages of this book, you’ll discover common temptations, obstacles, pitfalls and struggles you’ll face along the way, and learn exactly to deal with them; learn mastery of passions and desires, and how to strike a balance between savoring God’s creation and stoic self-discipline; delve into purpose and productivity, revealing how to work deep, create beauty, and simultaneously experience rest and refreshment; learn how to love others and love God more fully, while creatively weaving the Golden Rule into your life; discover what happens at the end of your life, and how to find meaning in both life and death; and ultimately learn how to be most glorified in God by being most satisfied in Him.

By the conclusion of Endure, you will have discovered and learned how to implement the same tools, tactics and habits for spiritual stamina that were inspired by great philosophers, thinkers and theologians of ancient and modern ages. If you truly desire more spiritual stamina and endurance – along with joy, meaning and purpose in life – then this book will serve as your practical blueprint and guide.

403 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2022

About the author

Ben Greenfield spent most of his childhood years with his nose in a book. President of the chess club, violin player, and a complete nerd in school, he especially loved writing fantasy fiction.

After graduating high school at fifteen and university at the age of twenty, Ben’s life took a turn as he delved into another passion: fitness. He was soon named as America’s top personal trainer, one of the world’s top 100 most influential people in health and fitness, and also penned the New York Times bestseller Beyond Training, along with 13 other books.

After years of success in the health and fitness industry, Ben has returned to his love of fantasy. The Forest, the first in his new fantasy series, takes its inspiration from Ben’s own twin sons, combined with his deep knowledge of survival, wilderness, adventure, intrigue, health, suspense and a true hero’s journey.

Ben resides in Spokane, Washington with his wife, Jessa, and twin boys, River and Terran, where he can be found caring for his goats, chickens and organic vegetable garden, playing the ukulele and penning his next fantasy tale.

Reviews

[Jarmo Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ben Greenfield is known as a health enthusiast, and one of America's leading personal trainers. He is also a so-called biohacker and digs deep into how to live a healthiest possible life. A couple of months ago I started reading through his large and long health book; "Boundless", and since it is as long as it is, I thought it would be rewarding to read a shorter book in the meantime by the same author. Before starting readng this one I knew he was a Christian and from "Endure" you get a good insight into his Christian lifestyle, his views on different topics and how he e.g. compares physical endurance with spiritual endurance.

What I also like about Greenfield is that he is honest and speaks straight from the heart and perhaps with a use of words that may be considered a little over the edge by other more conservative believers. The book can seem to be written in a more "talking" way and it can seem somewhat fragmented at times, even though it deals with a relevant topic in each chapter.
For some, his use of writing can be somewhat confusing. He uses regular font in black and red, but also several italic paragraphs in both red and black. On the whole, I liked his style, and the fact that he is so clear about the spiritual life, and what as believers will face in the spiritual battles he describes. This is a book that deals with slightly different everyday topics and connects them to the main theme which is endurance in the Christian life; themes such as prayer, lust & desire, sex, self-control, marshmallows (the test), the golden rule, temperance, flow, death, hell and much more. In addition, he comes with several book tips and other references. He also constantly refers to his book "Fit Soul" which seem to be about something in the same category as this one. I've not yet read "Fit Soul", but I got it available as an e-book.

What I reacted a little critically to was, among other things, his view on heaven. He believes that heaven is ultimately an eternity on a new earth, and he tempts, especially the non-believers, with how much earthly things can be done on this earth, such as reading all the books you didn't get to read on the old" earth and everything else you didn't have time to do during your short life on this earth. Unfortunately, the focus was on earthly things on this topic on heaven, and not on meeting Jesus face to face on this new earth (heaven) he believes in. Furthermore, there was a slightly exaggerated focus on "sinners prayer", as if there were some magic words one could utter to be saved. But he does not hide the fact that one has to mean these words from the deepest of one's heart.
Apart from this, there may have been a few other small things I stumbled across, but mostly the book is radical to be written by someone from the American fitness industry. I also like Ben's down-to-earthness and simplicity, and his focus on a healthy family life. We often tend to complicate the spiritual life, but Ben tries to give it direct relevance to our ordinary everyday life with several useful and concrete tips, while also challenging both believers and non-believers all the way through the book. Read this if you are interested in a slightly different Christian book than the standard ones you get in a Christian bookstore.

[dsreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad at all. It almost seems a little rushed or unfinished. But maybe that follows Ben Greenfields style of dumping tips and data as efficiently as possible.

I’ve enjoyed Ben’s fitness podcasts and books for years, but always took them with a grain of salt. Opinions often shift or outright flip flop. New trends come and go, rotating from the best thing since sliced bread, to “um let’s just never mention that again” You can find a study to support pretty much anything these days, and packing a podcast with study-supported and novel fitness advice EVERY week results in a lot of misses if we’re being honest.

But on to this book. Ben’s latest rotation (because I hate to just call this a trend) is very biblically based Christianity, not the watered down version many of his podcasting counterparts are on board with. It’s a bold choice that ends up denouncing some other trends like plant medicine and polyamory that have arguably done more harm than good.

I’m speaking very generally about trends of other authors in the same spheres of influence, everyone is entitled to their opinion of course

But hey, reading the Bible doesn’t sound as instantly gratifying as tripping at an ayahuasca retreat, or drivel like Sex at Dawn, so I don’t foresee this catching on among other wellness authors’ fans.

My main point: I think it’s worth a read because of how incredibly often authors, podcasters, and especially the audience, are influenced by the Bible without even knowing it. I mean in the wiiiide wellness, spiritual, new age, fitness, self help sphere. Happens again and again. But whenever the Bible or Jesus actually comes up, it’s dismissed as fairy tale, or acknowledged but watered down to the extreme. Ben Greenfield cuts out the kaleidoscopic filter and goes straight to the original source of SO much good advice. The path is narrow but it’s straight, the answers are easier than you think. A lot of people are wandering off the trail chasing every new spiritual-but-not-religious trend/book/“plant medicine” doing everything in their power to avoid touching the Bible.

3.5 stars, the guy has an interesting thought process that won’t be for everyone

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loaded with scripture and good advice on a lot of topics. It felt like a download of Greenfield's heart. Deducting 1 star for audiobook issues. It has not been edited and it created turbulence for me while listening.

Great content but mediocre performance. Greenfield has a great voice, but there were sections in the audio version where he said "edit..." and that was it.

[Matthew Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading this because it's so practical. It's a very DO mindset, versus just reflect.