Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
1 Corinthians 9:24-25
Life is a race.
Unlike marathons on earth, there is a crown for everyone. Therefore the race of life is not about competing against anyone. Life is a solo race.
The goal is to run your race to win your crown. The ultimate prize has been paid by Jesus, so the race of life is not about qualifying for heaven. Jesus granted us access to the Father when He shed His blood on the cross of Calvary. All we need to do to get to heaven is accept the gift that Jesus purchased with His blood (What a great deal God offers to mankind!).
In the race of life, the track is littered with distractions from the devil. There are so many obstacles and hurdles of increasing complexity along the way. The devil is not a spectator on the sideline watching the race of life; he is actively strategizing to deceive and disqualify as many people as he can.
Athletes go through months of training, discipline, practice, and intense strength exercises to prepare for marathons. They spend hours working out to train their bodies, and they are particularly careful about the food they eat. The intense preparation and ultimately the marathon requires energy, so there is a critical need to balance eating well with eating quality food to provide the energy required to keep the body going under such intense pressure. Athletes endure the stress for a perishable crown and just one winner gets the gold medal.
Our spiritual walk is compared to a marathon. We are required to be highly disciplined. We need to eat good spiritual food to develop the stamina required to stand against the wiles of the enemy and to be stay spiritually healthy. We need to be diligent and persistent in our spiritual development. We need to be yielded to God. Actually, we need to do so many things that are humanly impossible…
However, the greatest joy of our journey in life and our spiritual walk with God is that we are not expected to do anything by our own strength! The Holy Spirit quickens us and provides the strength that we need. The Lord puts the desire or will in us and He is the one who works through us to accomplish His will! What a divine set-up for success!
[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.
Philippians 2:13 (AMP)
All God requires is willingness.
The greatest discipline of our calling is to spend quality time with God. There is no power available without being constantly plugged into the power source (Jesus!). You and I determine how much of God we allow in our lives. The Holy Spirit is available without measure. The grace of God is available for each day. We can safely rely on His grace for life.
Are you trying to do it all or are you relying on the Grace of God?
Your capacity to receive from God is directly correlated to your revelation of God. For example, when you have a revelation of God as Jehovah Jireh; you are empowered to stand upon His word for the supply of all your needs. There is no situation in life that is not addressed in the bible.
Search the word of God to find the scripture that addresses the current distraction on your path.
The Word of God is our manual for life. Courting the presence of the Holy Spirit makes divine power available. We were endowed with the gift of the Holy Spirit when Jesus ascended to heaven. He is our inner witness and personal guide through life. The fastest way to victory in life is a heightened awareness of the presence of God. Becoming God-conscious activates our divinity and empowers us to be more than conquerors.
Let us be diligent in our walk with God. This is the time to grow in God and move into the deeper things of God.
For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Hebrews 5:13-14
What spiritual disciplines do you practice and how are you increasing your God-consciousness?
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