The Heat is On!: Running the Race Part 2

I called this second part of the series, "The Heat is On", because once you have begun your race (whatever that may be: physical, emotional, financial, etc.), the heat gets turned up a little. Sometimes it gets turned up a lot. 

This is the part where endurance, patience and faith is tested. This is where you are tempted to cheat, slack off or even quit. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, " No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." What a great promise!! 

If we let him, Satan will easily deceive us by saying that we are all alone in our struggle and there is no one else that could possibly relate to what we are going through. This is a lie! There are so many people out there that have been through their trials, conquered their fears and ran many races to get to the point they are at. 

Paul says in Phillipians 3:12-14, " Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

We don't need to look at our failures or our "bad days" as what defines us. We need to get a vision. A vision of our future and what it will look like when we have overcome! We need something to press on for! If you do not have this vision, ask God to give you one. This is vital for our healing, our deliverance and our freedom. Whether you are struggling with addiction, obesity, depression, or whatever, it is not foreign to God. He knows what you need and when you need it. He just wants you to ask. He just wants you to recognize your need for something, someone beyond yourself. He is there with weapons, tools, angels and His Holy Spirit to comfort you, help you, RESTORE you. We have a whole army on our side!! 

In the theme song of this series, Running the Race, I chose a song called, "Running to You". In it, it says, "I am running, running after you, you've become my soul's delight. I am running, running after you, here with you I find my life." In Christ we find our identity, our purpose, our strength. When we are able to trust that He will help us run our race, he fills us with joy that enables us to enjoy where we are on the way to our finish line. I heard a great quote by Joyce Meyer on her webcast today. She stated that we need to enjoy our everyday life and take back all those days, weeks, years, Satan stole from us with discouragement, worry and anxiety. Nothing can make him more mad! Let's get back on track together and encourage one another to keep going even when the heat is on!