THE STRAIGHT RACE WITH GOD

The roadmap to your future success is not a bed of roses. As Christians, we should know that our life is a race; our life is a warfare. Therefore, if we must run, we must run with a purpose. Many today have surrendered to their situation; they have given up and are discouraged. You can hear them say, “Oh! God has not answered my prayers! Most of the attempts and efforts I make to achieve certain things do not usually receive the breakthrough as I expect”. They begin to lose faith and courage, and then conclude that “it does not work”. Trouble and pain can stop the man without faith, but for a man of faith, the more sensibly he feels the pain, the better improved he becomes in his relationship with God.

Hebrews 12:1 – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us”. Ask the heroes of faith, and they will tell you how much trouble, pain they endured before coming to a new level in life. The Apostles of old were men of credibility; they paid the supreme price to bring the Gospel to us. Though they are no more, we are reading about their works in the Bible today. We must respect and honor those who came before us, or we cannot move forward.

Let us listen to Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 – “… I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, and I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked”. Despite all his challenges, Paul moved on. He said, in verse 26: “I have been constantly on the move”. Challenges force us to look deeper inward, explore possibilities, pray, and dream of other ways that we might have ignored. satan is our common enemy; he does not want us to run the straight race with God; it is his whole design to distract us from walking with God so that he can have access to our souls.

What can break our focus?

Looking at life and its adversities from the human point of view is a trap of satan to derail us from our focus. Worrying about tomorrow destroys our sense of judgment. Anxiety about tomorrow is as burdensome as it is sinful. When we are anxious, we will not be able to differentiate between God’s supplies and satan’s bait, in the face of certain trying situations. Fleshly desires and spiritual desires are two different, opposing masters. A focus on materialism can divert our devotion from God Almighty to the god of wealth (Matthew 6:33). Our personal cares for the present, the future, cares for our family and others, are capable of changing our focus from running the straight race with God, especially when they arise from unbelief and distrust. The battle we fight in our daily walk with the Lord is with our senses. The victory starts within you. We overcome by keeping our purpose, our vision, our mission, in the forefront of our minds. Mind management is the first priority of the overcomer. To conquer the senses, your mind must be renewed by knowing the Word and acting on it. We who are led by Christ’s Spirit of hope for a better future are not ruled by the senses. The recreated spirit responds to the Word of God, not to reason.

Let’s look at the case of Job, a great overcomer. The aim of satan in afflicting Job by destroying his wealth and health was to destroy his relationship with God. That purpose was expressed through Job’s wife, whom the tempter used to tempt him. Job 2:9 – “His wife said to him, ‘Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!’ ” The Lord is not saying that we lack reasons to be troubled; what He is really saying is that there is a greater reason not to be troubled. For everything there is a purpose as a Christian! Are you sick? There is a greater reason not to be troubled. Ask the man at the pool of Bethesda, and he will tell you how God can sometimes delay our miracle in order to strengthen our desire for Him. Are you facing hard times? There is a greater reason not to be troubled. Ask Joseph, and he will tell you how God sometimes delays in answering our prayers in order to prepare us for the challenges ahead. Are you disappointed in life? There is a greater reason not to be troubled. Ask Peter, and he will tell you how God sometimes allows us to experience some disappointment in order to preserve us for redemption. They relied on God’s strength and became pearls of usefulness. If we rely on the strength of our Savior, He will not allow the enemy of our souls to give us more than we can bear. Therefore, exchange your strength with God’s strength through His Word by His Spirit! God’s Word refreshes our minds, and God’s Spirit renews our strength. BE DETERMINED!

A resolve to do whatever proper thing it takes separates the weak from the strong. The strong are determined to do whatever is possible and the proper thing it takes to get to their goal. So when discouragement comes, don’t stop, dig deep, and fight it through. We fight through our situation by maximizing our forward motion. To maximize means to speed up the attack; that is to pray the more, fast the more, and move closer to God the more. Stay in faith; the best is always yet to come.

I want to drop my pen here by putting to your remembrance these words:

Great men and women have great habits. I mean, it takes focused action, personal discipline, and self-control to achieve results every day.

For our visitor, thank you very much for being with us today. Please share your testimony with us by calling us on 063 219 3326. We would like to rejoice with you. Remain blessed.

REMEMBER: ‘LOVE’ IS THE GREATEST.