Running the Race
Posted by Danielle Street on Jun 26, 2012 in Blog | 34 comments
Our spiritual lives are much like running a race. We may have moments of intense excitement and determination, or times when stress and weariness seem too hard to bear. If we are committed to growing, we will begin to understand that remaining in the race involves endurance, obedience, and perseverance. Speed is not the primary focus, but consistency and patience as we run.
I confess I sometimes get discouraged when I think others appear to be further down the race. As I’m learning to fix my eyes on Christ, He is giving me the power and fortitude to move towards the finish line. I’m extremely thankful we can trust the Lord to place people along the way who will motivate and encourage us when we are tempted to quit.
While we can genuinely appreciate the individuals who are cheering us on, I’ve discovered it’s essential we continuously remember our deepest needs will be found in Christ. He is our mighty Deliverer, Redeemer, Comforter, and Strength. He will always be the one to bring us to complete victory. “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised” (Hebrews 10:35-36).
Are you running the race of faith? Do you firmly believe the sacrifice and cost is worth it to remain emotionally and spiritually healthy? How does God’s Word give you hope and help you run with perseverance?
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Fuel has been helping me run my race of faith in many ways. First, it allows me to fellowship and pray with girls and guys my own age who are going through the same struggles of young adulthood. Secondly I love the leaders at fuel. Erik and Lauren are great leaders who are always willing to pray with you or just lend an ear. These elements of Fuel have greatly helped my relationship with God.
Thank you so much for commenting, Christen. The name “Fuel” is perfect for your group! I am so glad that you have a place to go where you can develop a deeper relationship with God and Christ-centered relationships with people. We all need that no matter what age we are!
“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Fuel has provided me with a means of discipleship and the experience to lead and disciple others at Fuel and withing our Church body.
That’s fantastic, Dave! I’m so glad that the Fuel group is helping so many individuals run the race of faith. As you grow both emotionally and spiritually, it’s wonderful how Fuel has given you the opportunity to lead and disciple others. Praise God!
Thank you for this timely post. Yes, you are right that by faith we need to finish the race our Lord has called us.
I genuinely appreciate you taking the time to read my new post, Dicky. May we all run with patience and perseverance!
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).
what a wonderful nugget of encouragement this morning Danielle! Thank you for sharing this!
Thank you, Elisa! I truly love and appreciate it when you cheer me on. You have often motivated me in my life to run the race of faith!
Good Morning Danielle
Yes, we never know when we are “entertaining angels”
God is so gracious sending us just the right people in our lives at just the right time
When I am struggling during “race-time”
I call upon His Word
Be still and Know
For I know the plans I have for you to give you a hope and future
Bless the Lord – O my soul – Bless His holy Name
Teach me to do your Will, O my Lord, bring me to level ground
When I call out – I can feel the pressure release – and truly I call out -over and over until I can feel peace again
God Bless
susie
Hi Susie! Very true! I agree that God will send the right people at the right time when we are struggling in the race. Thank you for reminding me to trust the Lord and be persistent in calling out to Him when we need that pressure release!
This post is a great reminder to me! Thanks for posting!
Hi Carrie, thank you for letting me know! I’m going to visit your site now and check out what God has been leading you to write lately.
Danielle,
What a great reminder to all of us… Your posting reminded me of Heb 12:1-3
1) Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2) Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3) For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Thank you for being used of the Lord to present a very important message for us all! Lord continue to bless you!
Hi Rob, I’m so sorry your comment went into my spam folder for some reason. I just found it! Thank you for adding excellent verses that go along with the topic. Great stuff! May we all continue to “look to Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith.”
Fuel has helped me run the race of faith by providing me with an outlet for fellowship. Before Fuel, I was not aware of the blessing and growth opportunities that comes with gathering with other men and women that love and follow the Lord. Thanks to Eric Vegan and his team I have grown immensely in my walk and have had numerous opportunities to serve.
Yay! Praise God! Tabatha, thank you for sharing your thoughts. I’m very happy to learn that Fuel is providing you with an outlet for growth and fellowship. The comments from you, Dave, and Christen are inspiring me to write the article about your group for our church’s magazine!
In my experiences, spiritual races tend to be more like marathons than sprints. The quick dash from start to finish may stimulate you for a bit, but it’s over so fast, and then you’re back relaxing on the sofa watching TV with a bag of Doritos on your chest. Our relationships with God need to be more than sprints. We can’t expect to get real close to Him for like a week, and then we’re good for another month or two. I can picture God rolling His eyes after we dash across that line and grab the cup of Gatorade. That’s why summers tend to be much harder for me spiritually. It’s a few months where the mini-church Danielle and I lead takes a break. In turn we aren’t forced to being deep in the word and searching God out because we don’t have to teach a lesson every week. It becomes all too easy to think that just because it’s summer break, we can take it easy in our relationship with our heavenly Father as well.
While I hate the idea of running a marathon in real life, in our spiritual lives they are ideal. Strenuous periods of training and discipline. God desires us to be in the race for the long run. The long run is where he develops, shapes, and tests us. “Quick and easy” surely doesn’t change lives as “long and hard”. Long and hard is where perseverance and true faith are rooted. God never said running this race would be easy, and you can bet there will be people like Kramer on the sideline, holding out a cup of scalding hot tea when we think it’s cold water, ready to deceive and trip us up. But at some point we will finish this long race, and God will be right there at the finish line with His arms spread wide, cheering us on. I take comfort in that above all else!
Josh, I love the comparison between sprints and marathons. What a great way of explaining the spiritual race! You also always know how to add your fun sense of humor when you share!
I pray that we continue to encourage each other in our marriage to run the race of faith with our eyes fixed on Christ. May we remember to build each other up along the way and continue to follow God’s path as we run.
Thank you for your very insightful words. I genuinely love reading what the Lord is teaching you in your life!
Hi D, It’s funny how we are running a race that we have already won… fixing our eyes on the one who is truly the great finisher. I know that He has made me perfect by His blood, so I draw on the victory that is His (now mine) as I run for Him… sorry to ramble on, cheers, Graeme
Hi G, That’s true! Amen! I’m happy you shared your thoughts on the topic.
I love Fuel because it is a place where I can connect to other Christians who are in a similar place in life. I also feel challenged to continue growing in my faith and to be a part of a bigger church family while also being encouraged to serve in other areas and in my community.
Hi Katie, That’s wonderful that Fuel is helping you grow both emotionally and spiritually. I’m glad that you added your comment! All of the feedback from your group will help me write a great article for our church’s magazine. As I told you before, I desire for more people to learn about the amazing things God is doing in Fuel!
“Then the LORD replied: ‘Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it’ ” (Habakkuk 2:2).
Love your thoughts here Danielle. Yes, we each must run our own race that has been set before us, but we have been given such Power that we will not faint if we continue to draw on the Power. Praise God!
Thank you, Drusilla! Amen! I am so thankful for our Almighty, Powerful God who will give us the strength.
Through life there are struggles. Some are great and some are small, but everyday we all face a trial. There is only One who knows how it will start, how long it will last, and how it will end. We need to go to Him for help, because He is the only One who can walk you through it! My favorite poem is the Footprints in the Sand, and knowing that God will carry us through is a great encouragement for us to be able to share that with others who are struggling themselves or may not even know who God is. Fuel is a great group of young adults who are trying to figure out where God wants them to go. We recently spent a weekend doing a Mission called the Jeremiah Project. We spent the day serving in many other different projects helping others in need. I cannot tell you the experience I had working with others that I had never met until that weekend or the joy that I felt knowing that I worked to show how amazing my God is, just by cleaning houses for the day! It was an amazing experience for me and I hope others get the same chance!
Yay! Praise God! I loved reading what the Lord is teaching you in your life, Melissa. I agree that Footprints in the Sand is a beautiful poem. It reminds us that as we follow God’s path for our lives, “He will never leave us nor forsake us” (Hebrews 13:5). Thank you for sharing how the Fuel group has encouraged you to serve the Lord. I’ve noticed it provides many exciting opportunities to connect with God and others!
Hi Danielle!
My “race” involves fighting the battle of what I feel I should do versus what God in my heart is telling me to do. The funny thing is, whenever I allow God to speak to me, he always provides the right answer in one form or another! It should be a no brainer that I should think with an eternal perspective rather than my wordly one…sigh. But yet, every day I still struggle with this concept. But your message does provide me with a good perspective. We all struggle, perhaps even daily, but the key is to keep going. The end of the race is, of course, Paradise. And I can’t think of anything in my worldly mind that is better than that. : )
Thanks for the blog update. Looking forward to seeing you this month, Love, Kathy
Hi Kathy! Miss hearing from you! I look forward to seeing you this month. I can relate to what you wrote. Having an eternal perspective while we run isn’t easy. We have this war between flesh verses Spirit. The great news is through Christ we can break free from the bondage and live a wonderful Spirit-filled life! I’m taking a Beth Moore study offered by Freedom Church in Philadelphia. I’m learning more about this particular topic. It’s wonderful!
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).
The picture of the Christian life as being a race is definitely helpful. There are times when the road seems to be going downhill and everything is happening easily, and there are other times when God seems far off. I’m so glad that the author of Hebrews tells us to “run with endurance” so that we know that it’s natural to have hardship along the way.
- Aimee
Very true, Aimee. We can face many ups and downs as we run the race of faith. I’m so thankful we are not alone when we endure struggles along the way! “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).
I’ve been meaning to check out your blog since I started following Aimee’s blog All Filled Up. I finally had some time to read tonight. I was blessed by the verse you shared (Hebrews 10:35-36). It is very fitting for today. I plan to write it in my journal and pray through it. Thanks so much!
Hi Elaine,
Thank you for checking out my blog! That means a lot to me. I look forward to visiting your site and reading what God is leading you to write. That’s wonderful we have a mutual friend, Aimee. I truly admire her passion for Christ.
Hebrews 10:35-36 is a powerful verse. It gives me hope, confidence, and motivation to continue on my journey towards growing and running the race of faith. I’m very happy that you were blessed by it.
Fuel has helped me run the race of faith in many ways. It has shown me the importance of the many aspects of our Christian walk; being mentored, discipleship, serving, fellowship, and corporate gathering and worship. I considered Fuel priceless. Without it I know I would be lost. The community is unlike anything I have ever seen before. We all gather around one another to lift each other up with no judgements. Fuel is truly my family. I drive 45 minutes to FAC because I know that Fuel and FAC is something special, something that you don’t get often in life and that is a God centered community open and willing to serve.
Wow! Thank you, Katherine, for adding you thoughts. I started working on the article for the Fuel ministry. Your comment will help me complete it. I’m discovering that there are so many wonderful things to write about Fuel. God is doing exciting stuff in your group! May we all continue to fix our eyes on Christ and run the race of faith!