Spiritual Training in Life

Think of your walk with Jesus as an athletic event or exercise(1 Corinthians 9:24-27).  Training with a daily regiment will help you reach your goals.  The more time and effort you put into it, the stronger and healthier you grow.  The same applies with our relationship to Christ.  In turn, we each have a race marked out for us (Hebrews 12:1).  

 

Consider the sport of track and field.  Individual races are set forth, but all the contestants arrive as members of  teams.   Athletes spend hours, days, weeks, even years training for one particular event.  They expend blood, sweat, and tears into their hearts devotion.  Each race counts as points toward the final tally.  The more individual victories, the better the team finishes.  Runners, whether they be sprinters or long-distance, cannot afford to be distracted in their training or even in the race.  If they turn their heads to see where the other runners are, their steps will become choppy, cumbersome, and they lose balance. 

 

Life is similar.  To each Christian is given certain tasks.  We are to seek them out, know what they are, prepare ourselves for the race, and contribute in victory through Jesus.  This is how we give glory to God.  This is how we stand united and tall for Jesus.  By following His lead, we will give the Father glory in all that we do.  The more we train, the stronger we get.  The stronger we are, the better equipped we are to handle the attacks of self and others. 

 

By training as runners for Christ, we will contribute to the victory.  Dedication is the key to any successful venture.  If we fail to exercise our minds, how will we be able to stand with Scripture pursed on our tongues?  If we fail to prepare our hearts before God, how will we be able to stand tall as victors on the podium of life?  If we are distracted by the gifts and talents of others, because we fail to seek out our own, runs will falter and we fall flat on our face.  Don’t worry about the other races and runners around you, concentrate on your race.  Win and contribute to the total score as best as you can. 

We cannot be ill-prepared, or terrified, to step onto the track of life and run our individual race.  To  do so is perpetuating the carelessness of faith throughout the nation and world.  Yes, we will face opposition, but our focus should be on the prize (Philippians 3:14).  

Christians must remain united as the body of Christ and perform, in sync, as the winning team.  Our lives are our ultimate race.  Run in such a way to win others over to the family of God.  Jesus must be the Head of the body and we as the body's members must acknowledge this fact.  If we can't unite, then the devil will divide us.  The better we handle the daily grind of training, the stronger we are at withstanding internal pressure, the more capable we are of handling external pressure.   

Christ Jesus was victorious and we have His Spirit.  Have faith He will have your back.  He is our Counselor or Divine Coach for the competition.  Take advantage of His presence.  Call on Him for aid in training, trust on His attendance in your contest.  He will manifest Himself in power through your speech, through your bravery, through your compassion for others.  He will latch onto your soul and carry you along with winds of supernatural strength of purpose in Jesus' name.  He will give you wisdom and knowledge, insight and discernment.  Have faith in His presence.  He is God, He resides within all believers.