Category: Encouragement

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Tell Me Bout the Good Old Days

We have friends visiting with us for the weekend. They have served the Lord for many years as pastors, missionaries, Bible study leaders and Mom and Dad.

Yesterday, we spent a good portion of the afternoon and evening talking about God’s faithfulness. They shared stories with us of times that things seemed hopeless and desperate. And we shared similar times with them. Each and every time we were able to share with each other had the Lord had moved miraculously and how He provided for all our needs.

God is faithful!

There were stories of the Lord providing financially, others where He brought physical healings and some where the Lord filled our lives with peace and direction. How great is our God!!

We were able to agree that God’s word was always a source of comfort and direction. It brought us strength when we had felt weak and searching for answers. We have seen the Lord provide for us from His goodness and also seen His hand reaching out to our children and our grandchildren.

The stories were testimony to God’s goodness and His love! It’s so important that we look back and recall how it used to be – the good and the bad – because in this we can see God’s faithfulness and His provision. Moses told the children of Israel to retell the stories of how God provided for them from the deliverance out of Egypt to arriving at the Promised Land.

“Listen, Israel! The Lord our God is the only true God! 5 So love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength. 6 Memorize his laws 7 and tell them to your children over and over again. Talk about them all the time, whether you’re at home or walking along the road or going to bed at night, or getting up in the morning.” Deuteronomy 6:6-8 CEV

We need to be storytellers of God’s goodness.

“My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. 3 You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. 4 But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.5 If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking. ” James 1:2-5 CEV

Last night we had joy as we recalled the wonderful things the Lord had done and continues to do. The things we faced as mountains were removed when we trusted God and His word. It’s important that we retell these stories so that others will know of God’s faithfulness.

I had the words of a country song come to mind this morning as I was thinking on last night’s conversation.

“Grandpa (Grandma), tell me bout the good old days
Sometimes it feels like
This world’s gone crazy
Grandpa, take me back to yesterday
When the line between right and wrong
Didn’t seem so hazy

Did lovers really fall in love to stay
And stand beside each other, come what may?
Was a promise really something people kept
Not just something they would say?
Did families really bow their heads to pray?
Did daddies really never go away?
Oh, Grandpa, tell me ’bout the good old days” The Judds

Let’s take the time to tell our grandkids ’bout the good ol days and the faithfulness of our God!

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Recipes for Worms

Ever have one of those pity parties where it’s just you and your emotions? I have to admit that occasionally I still find myself setting the table for that kind of gathering and I have to call myself on it and cancel the party because I know it doesn’t please the Father.

As a kid, I’m sure you all said this little chant once or twice. “Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, guess I’ll go eat worms. Big fat juicy ones, little tiny scrawny ones, oh, how they do .” Ya, I know kids stuff right? Not so much – that feeling is all to prevalent in adults as well but we just don’t sing the chant. Nobody, and I mean nobody, has a good recipe for worm cake so let’s just not go there.

The feeling that I’m all alone and that nobody really understands me, appreciates me or cares about me can be overwhelming. We’ve all had people let us down, turn against us or just ignore us as if we don’t exist. But! There is One who promises to never leave us or forsake us.

“God has said, “I will never leave you; I will never run away from you.” Now that’s good news but let me give it to you from the Amplified version.

“for He [God] [b]Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor [c]give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [d][I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor [e]let [you] down ([f]relax My hold on you)! [[g]Assuredly not!]
6 So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5b-6

Now read that again. The Amplified version gives you the depth of the meaning of the words the way they were written in the original language. This is how God feels about you – He’s there for you. He will not leave you!!!! His love never fails.

Jesus has never once accepted my invitation to a pity party. He doesn’t like worm cake. (I know that made you smile.) He does show up and ask me to leave my party and my self-pity and to join Him in a celebration of the Father’s love. He also reminds me not to get side-tracked by the rejection, insults or condemning words that others may speak. He wants me to stay focused on the Father’s word the way he did.

“God wants you to silence stupid and ignorant people by doing right. 16 You are free, but still you are God’s servants, and you must not use your freedom as an excuse for doing wrong. 17 Respect everyone and show special love for God’s people. Honor God and respect the Emperor.” I Peter 2:15-17 CEV

Our real enemy isn’t “stupid or ignorant people”, it is Satan and he would love to destroy our stand for the Lord by getting us to gripe, complain and become angry. He used the same tactics with Jesus. If he can’t do that then he would like us to become so wrapped in self-pity that we are ineffective.

It’s up to us to control our emotions and stay settled on God’s word.

“Great blessings belong to those who suffer persecution for doing what is right.
God’s kingdom belongs to them. 11 “People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do that, know that great blessings belong to you. 12 Be happy about it. Be very glad because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did these same bad things to the prophets who lived before you.” Matthew 5:10-12 CEV

Leave the worm muffins and pie for the birds and the fish. Look up! We are blessed today because God loves us. What can man do to you that could possibly compare to that!!

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Is That All There Is?

The last few days I seem to be emphasizing the importance of knowing God’s plan. I haven’t intentionally set out to make that my theme but when the words begin to roll out of my heart and on to the screen they share the common thread of God’s plan for us.

We’ve almost completed the first half of 2019. I know we have one more month until we are really half way through but it’s about this time that folks begin to readjust their schedules and make new plans. School is coming to an end, graduation day has come, the New Year’s resolutions we made are almost forgotten and we begin to plan for summer vacations.

It’s important that we keep God in the planning process.

God has designed us to have a purpose, a plan, a destiny that is so much greater than anything we can imagine! He sees in us a Christ-like quality and desires to use His power to accomplish great things. If we’re living a life that is comfortable to us and one in which “We” can accomplish what we set out to do, we’re settling for less than what God wants to do through us.

“With God’s power working in us, he can do much, much more than anything we can ask or think of.” Ephesians 3:20 ERV

Let me encourage you to dream bigger and trust God to direct you to impact your world with what He’s calling you to do – God will use you where you are if you trust Him. Our lives have a design and calling to do great things. We have direction; our purpose is greater than the lyrics from Peggy Lee’s song “Is that all there is?

“The plans of the mind and orderly thinking belong to man, but from the Lord comes the [wise] answer of the tongue. 2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits (the thoughts and intents of the heart). 3 Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.” Proverbs 16:1-3 AMP

Yesterday I heard a pastor talk about verse three above. (It’s one of my favorite verses) He said that the original intention of the verse meant to “roll off a load”. The example he used was one of a camel who was carrying a heavy burden. The way to get the pack off a camel is for it to get down on its knees and then roll to the side so the burden can be removed.

Making plans without the Lord’s guidance can be a heavy load, one we need to roll off and let Him carry. When we trust Him, He will carry the burden and show us how to succeed. Our lives will take on meaning, direction, purpose and there will be no need to ask “is that all there is” because life will be full and abundant.

“A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came to give life—life that is full and good.” John 10:10 ERV

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Noise Pollution

Listen…No stop right now and listen for 10 seconds…If you’re anything like me you’re morning starts with the sound of the coffee pot, the hum of the computer fan and a myriad of other noises all competing for your attention.

I am blessed to live in rural Arizona and before that in rural Montana. There are no sounds of traffic, sirens, planes or other such noises. I hear the birds and our dog snoring. It used to be the momma cows calling to their calves and the horses nickering as they wait for morning feed. But it wasn’t always that way.

I know what it’s like to wake to the alarm clock. Have kids that need to get up, be fed and taken to school on my way to the office in the busy traffic. Radio’s playing, tv spilling the morning news, emails to read, FB to check in on – so much noise.

When you stopped to listen did you hear the voice of God?

I love that when I wake up each morning I say “I love you Father, I love you Jesus, I love you Holy Spirit” and then I can hear that inner voice say “We love you too”. WOW!!

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

Folks spend much of their time looking for the big, the spectacular, the miraculous and miss the simple, still small voice of God trying to lead them and give them insight. How many times have you heard someone say, “I knew I should have done that” or “It just dawned on me” or “I was just thinking about that very thing”. But we don’t realize that God is trying to get through to us.

Elijah was looking for God’s answers during a very serious time in his life. He was seeking God and there came a great wind and then an earthquake and then a fire and finally a still small voice. God spoke in a still small voice!

“And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: 12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” I Kings 19:11-12

The most important thing you’ll hear each morning, if you listen, will be the still small voice of the Lord.

Sssssh – just listen!

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Unconditional Love

We’re celebrating Mom’s this weekend. The love they have for their children, the sacrifices they make and the encouragement they give. So many of the things they do each day go unnoticed, unappreciated or are just taken for granted. They nurture, comfort, encourage, discipline, instruct, nurse, counsel – and that’s just within the first few hours of each day.

If mothers can love like that day in and day out can you even begin to imagine how much God loves you? Really, really loves you!

Stop to consider how wonderful heaven is – it’s perfect in every way. Its beauty is beyond compare – there is no pain or sorrow; no sin or corruption; no fear or distress of any kind and yet God chose to have His son, His only begotten Son, leave heaven and come to earth.

For what? Why?

For you and I! To die for us so that we could have everlasting life and a place in heaven as one of God’s children – amazing, simply amazing! The Apostle Paul records a prayer that he prayed for the Christians of his day and it’s one that continues today.

“So I bow in prayer before the Father. 15 Every family in heaven and on earth gets its true name from him. 16 I ask the Father with his great glory to give you the power to be strong in your spirits. He will give you that strength through his Spirit. 17 I pray that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. I pray that your life will be strong in love and be built on love. 18 And I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide, how long, how high, and how deep that love is. 19 Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with everything God has for you.” Ephesians 3:14-19

Knowing the love of God – how wide it is, how long, how high and how deep. It’s not something that can be understood or fathomed with our head. It can only be experienced and known with the heart.

I hope that as you recall the loving things that your mother has done in your life, you will also take time to meditate on God’s great love; His love for you personally – it will greatly improve your outlook.

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Wipe Away The Tears

Not So Happy Day…I woke up this morning and asked the Lord what I should write. I remembered an article I wrote several years back to Mothers’ with broken hearts.

There are woman all around me who aren’t happy about Mother’s Day but instead are dreading it.

This is for those of you who have recently experienced the death of a child either as an unborn, infant or even an adult. You’re not having a good day, you want to stay in bed with your head under the covers and avoid all who are celebrating.

Some of you have been told you will never have children and your heart is screaming “I’m broken…I ache…I may never recover and I can’t go on pretending everything’s ok.”

Ladies some of you may be dealing with abortion or giving a child up for adoption. Others may be facing life as a single parent because you’ve been abandoned. Some have a special needs child that you love dearly but drain your energy and you are exhausted most of the time.

The last group of ladies I want to include here are those of you who are estranged from your children, those whose children have left and you have no idea where they are or they are living a lifestyle that is far from you and even farther from the Lord. They may be in an addictive lifestyle or they may be in prison.

Mother’s Day is not a good day for you to say the least. You hurt and the thought of facing the day, a day filled with cards and flowers, cheery greetings and gifts is just unbearable.

Because I’m writing this too you, you can know that your Heavenly Father knows your heart, He knows your pain. He wants to comfort you. There are two verses that immediately come to mind

“If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. 29 Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest.” Matthew 11:28-29 CEV

“for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] 6 So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5b-6 AMP

Your Father knows your heart and how it’s breaking, He is here to heal it and to give you comfort. You are not alone!

“God blesses those people who grieve. They will find comfort!” Matthew 5:4 CEV

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Labor Pains

With Mother’s Day almost here I know that Mom’s are reliving the day they gave birth to their children. Some had easy deliveries and some can go on and on about the agonies of child birth. However, the one thing we can probably all agree on is that overwhelming flood of love that filled out hearts when our babies were placed in our arms.

The pain associated with the birth experience seemed to fade away as we held that precious one for the very first time!

Kind of reminds me of Jesus…yes, Jesus. The writer of Hebrews tells us in chapter 12 that He endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him.

“We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side of God’s throne! 3 So keep your mind on Jesus, who put up with many insults from sinners. Then you won’t get discouraged and give up.” Hebrews 12:2-3 CEV

Let me ask you, are you enduring a cross right now? Is there something in your life that is causing you pain? Maybe you are under attack from the enemy and he is trying to steal, kill and destroy or it could be that you have been disobedient to what you know God wants for you and your own disobedience has created some very unpleasant circumstances.

I can guarantee if you will look to Jesus for your help and your deliverance, you will come through this with joy! You may have tears and labor pains now but joy of new life, a life of depending on Him, will wipe all that away.

“Lord, you lifted me out of my troubles. You did not give my enemies a reason to laugh so I will praise you. 2 Lord my God, I prayed to you, and you healed me. 3 Lord, you lifted me out of the grave. I was falling into the place of death, but you saved my life. 4 Praise the Lord, you who are loyal to him! Praise his holy name! 5 His anger lasts for a little while, but then his kindness brings life. The night may be filled with tears, but in the morning we can sing for joy! 6 When I was safe and secure, I thought nothing could hurt me. 7 Yes, Lord, while you were kind to me, I felt that nothing could defeat me. But when you turned away from me, I was filled with fear. 8 So, Lord, I turned and prayed to you. I asked you, Lord, to show me mercy. 9 I said, “What good is it if I die and go down to the grave? The dead just lie in the dirt. They cannot praise you. They cannot tell anyone how faithful you are. 10 Lord, hear my prayer, and be kind to me. Lord, help me!” 11 You have changed my sorrow into dancing. You have taken away my sackcloth and clothed me with joy. 12 You wanted me to praise you and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever!” Psalm 30 CEV

Thank you Lord that you give us joy, hope and peace. Thank you for brining us through labor with renewed purpose and new life!

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Delivered From Down Days

I’ve been asked on a couple of different occasions if I ever have down days? If I’m completely honest, I have to say not often. I’m pretty much a half full, life is good, kind of girl.

That doesn’t mean I have never experienced depression because I have. Ugly, dark, not wanting to go on, type of days. However, the Lord brought me through that time and completely assured me of His love and HIs calling on my life.

It was a life changing moment! Almost as dramatic as the day that the Lord gave me new life in Him. You see, I knew Jesus loved me enough to die for me and save me but I just figured He pretty much left me alone to figure things out here on earth. I didn’t know how to handle life and the failures and disappointments I was facing. There was no one to encourage me, no one to turn to. But God had a plan…

“My son, pay attention to what I say. Listen closely to my words. 21 Don’t let them out of your sight. Never stop thinking about them. 22 These words are the secret of life and health to all who discover them. 23 Above all, be careful what you think because your thoughts control your life.” Proverbs 4:20-23 ERV

God’s plan became clear when I heard Dale Evans Rogers talking at a college assembly. She told of some of her heartaches but she quickly added that the Lord had always been there to be her strength and carry her through. I came away from that assembly knowing that I would never be alone again. If it was just Jesus and I for the rest of my life, that was more than enough.

“Let your character [your moral essence, your inner nature] be free from the love of money [shun greed—be financially ethical], being content with what you have; for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!” 6 So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently say, “The Lord is my Helper [in time of need], I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6 AMP

This became my go-to verse when I would start to feel down. Now, 55+ years later, there just aren’t any down days. God has been faithful. I started to say “so faithful” but there aren’t degrees of faithfulness. Either you are or your aren’t and God is! It’s like love – either you love or your don’t, there isn’t more or less. Love is love and God is love!

It’s nice to have friends come along side and encourage us when we are having a “bad day” but ultimately we are the only ones who can bring our thoughts to the place of peace by trusting God.

“Further, David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all of them were embittered, each man for his sons and daughters. But David felt strengthened and encouraged in the Lord his God.” I Samuel 30:6 AMP

King David was in a tough place. He and his army returned to their town to find that their wives and children had been kidnapped and their town burned to the ground. His men were distraught and blaming David. They were talking of killing him. He had lost everything. There was no one to encourage him, no one to tell him it would be alright; he encouraged himself in the Lord.

I know I often share the lyrics of songs with you. I’m going to share an old hymn with you this morning. I really hope the words of this song bring you hope and reassurance.

I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus,
Since I found in Him a friend so strong and true;
I would tell you how He changed my life completely,
He did something that no other friend could do.

No one ever cared for me like Jesus,
There’s no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me,
O how much He cared for me.

All my life was full of sin when Jesus found me,
All my heart was full of misery and woe;
Jesus placed His strong and loving arms about me,
And He led me in the way I ought to go.

No one ever cared for me like Jesus,
There’s no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me,
O how much He cared for me.

Ev’ry day He comes to me with new assurance,
More and more I understand His words of love;
But I’ll never know just why He came to save me,
Till some day I see His blessed face above.

No one ever cared for me like Jesus,
There’s no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me,
O how much He cared for me.

The words of this song are the words of my life! I hope you will make them yours.

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Be Lion-Hearted

Do you remember a couple days ago when I told you that our daughter is teaching our grandson how to write his letters and words? There is a progression that comes with that learning. We start with small words, c-a-t, d-o-g, r-e-d, t-w-o. And then as we go through the years our vocabulary increases and so do the words we learn to spell. Basic education gives way to more intense learning.

The same holds true with our knowledge and growth in spiritual things. We start with the basics. God is good. Jesus loves me. Trust in the Lord.

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory be to him, now and forever! Amen.” II Peter 3:18 ERV

Just like my little grandson is growing in his knowledge, we are to grow in our knowledge of Jesus, the Father and His word. A couple years back I shared with you some insight that the Lord gave me from I Samuel 24. This morning, as part of my systematic reading through the Bible I was reading in I Samuel 24 again and I found myself focusing on David’s reaction to adversity and those who were trying to kill him. I think we always need a reminder of how God wants us to react in stressful situations.

“The sinful run away when no one is trying to catch them, but those who are right with God have as much strength of heart as a lion.” Proverbs 28:1 NLV

Let me tell you about a man who had a good heart and knew that he is destined for greatness. He had been assigned a place of leadership, however, the current leader was still actiively fulfilling the role.

The current leader became jealous and did everything he could to destroy his successor. Constantly, he thought of ways to pursue and destroy this man. He enlisted the help of well-meaning by-standers.

The current leader’s pursuit was so relentless that this man with the good heart became exhausted by his efforts to avoid conflict. He let God be his defense and his strength! He didn’t retaliate or bad mouth his pursuer. He did all he could to remain humble and pure of heart.

I’ve been in situations that I know I’m where God called me and when opposition came I cannot say that I remained pure in heart and let God be my defense. I have tried to defend myself – get others to see that I’m right and have fought to prove my point.

I was wrong!

So where is all this coming from? I Samuel. I have been reading how David was anointed king while Saul was still ruling. Then Saul sought to kill David and pursued him relentlessly. David did the honorable thing and avoided capture. Even when David had opportunity to kill Saul, he did not touch him.

“The Lord put you within my grasp today in the cave, but I refused to kill you. I was merciful to you. I said, ‘I won’t hurt my master. Saul is the Lord’s chosen king.’ 11 Look at this piece of cloth in my hand. I cut off the corner of your robe. I could have killed you, but I didn’t. Now, I want you to understand this. I want you to know that I am not planning anything against you. I did nothing wrong to you, but you are hunting me and trying to kill me. 12 Let the Lord be the judge. I hope the Lord will punish you for the wrong you did to me, but I won’t fight you myself. 13 There is an old saying:

‘Bad things come from bad people.’ I haven’t done anything bad, and I won’t hurt you…

16 When David finished speaking, Saul asked, “Is that your voice, David my son?” Then Saul lifted his voice and began to cry. 17 He said, “You are right, and I am wrong. You were good to me, even though I have been bad to you. 18 You yourself said it when you told me about the good things you did. The Lord put my life in your hands, but you did not kill me. 19 This shows that you are not my enemy. A man doesn’t catch his enemy, and then just let him go. He doesn’t do good things for his enemy. May the Lord reward you for being good to me today. 20 Now, I know that you will become the new king. You will rule the kingdom of Israel.” I Samuel 24:10-20 ERV

I don’t know who is pursuing you today – who is making it their personal vendeta to destroy you but you can trust the Lord to be your strength and your defender.

“Praise the Lord! He has heard my prayer for mercy. 7 The Lord is my strength and shield. I trusted him with all my heart. He helped me, so I am happy. I sing songs of praise to him. 8 The Lord protects his chosen one. He saves him and gives him strength.” Psalm 26:6-8 ERV

If you are going through a particularly tough time right now and feel like you are being harrassed and attacked I encourage you to read I Samuel 18-31. Read how the Lord protected David through all of Saul’s plottings. These words in the Psalms will have greater meaning when you realize the situations that surrounded them.

“I look to the hills! Where will I find help? 2 It will come from the Lord, who created the heavens and the earth. 3 The Lord is your protector, and he won’t go to sleep or let you stumble.” Psalm 121:1-3 CEV

Stand strong and see the deliverance that comes from the Lord!

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More Than Shadow Boxing

Remember, years back, all the Rocky movies?

Cue theme music, roll tape, see Rocky running through the streets and up the steps. Now he stands at the top and raises his arms above his head in triumphant victory! And the crowd goes wild!!!

I have to be honest, I only saw the first one; it was good but it didn’t entice me to see the sequels. The thing that I took away from that movie was the heart’s desire of the underdog. The never give up, never quit determination that can consume some one’s life.

Long before Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed there was someone else who knew the importance of never giving up.

“You know that in a race all the runners run, but only one runner gets the prize. So run like that. Run to win! 25 All who compete in the games use strict training. They do this so that they can win a prize—one that doesn’t last. But our prize is one that will last forever. 26 So I run like someone who has a goal. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something, not just the air. 27 It is my own body I fight to make it do what I want. I do this so that I won’t miss getting the prize myself after telling others about it.” I Corinthians 9:24- 27 ERV

The Apostle Paul compared our lives in Christ to a athletic competition.

We’ve got to be disciplined. We’ve got to train with someone who will challenge us to be our best and won’t allow us to quit. Victory is not the result of an overnight success; it comes from dedication and hard work. We don’t run a marathon in our first week of training and we don’t get the champion’s belt after our first sparing match.

Of course not!

The same holds true with the battles we fight with our physical desires that don’t honor the Lord. The Apostle Paul says that we are to crucify (deaden, kill, destroy) our fleshy desires. John writes the same thing.

“Don’t love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you cannot love the Father. 16 Our foolish pride comes from this world, and so do our selfish desires and our desire to have everything we see. None of this comes from the Father. 17 The world and the desires it causes are disappearing. But if we obey God, we will live forever.” I John 2:15-17 CEV

We all know we shouldn’t be doing those “big” sins. It’s the little ones we need to conquer. Things like gossip, the little white lie, loosing our temper, saying something unkind or critical, laziness. These are the conditioning races or shadow boxing. Perfecting our technique and skills. We need to conquer the small things.

“Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won’t let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us. 2 We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side of God’s throne! 3 So keep your mind on Jesus, who put up with many insults from sinners. Then you won’t get discouraged and give up.” Hebrews 12:1-3 CEV

We have the best coach and trainer, we have Jesus. He came and faced every temptation that we do and He was victorious every time. If we follow His instruction, we will also be victorious!

“We have a great high priest who has gone to live with God in heaven. He is Jesus the Son of God. So let us continue to express our faith in him. 15 Jesus, our high priest, is able to understand our weaknesses. When Jesus lived on earth, he was tempted in every way. He was tempted in the same ways we are tempted, but he never sinned. 16 With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:14-16 ERV

Cue the music – We are the champions!

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