by Desiree Bustamante

Run the Race Set Before You With Confidence and Focus!

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
Philippians 3:13-14 New Living Translation

Today is Super Bowl Sunday, and later this week the 2018 Winter Olympics begin.

Even though the majority of us are observers of these events, we know that it takes a lot of training to qualify for these games.  The athletes train hard, and are very well prepared physically for their tasks, but physical preparation is one part of the equation for victory. Most often, what determines an athlete’s win or loss is their ability to focus on the event. Sometimes the stress of competition, fear of failure, lack of confidence, or personal issues in their life, can create such a weight in their mind, and heart, that they become distracted, and lose focus on what they need to do to achieve the win.

We’ve all experienced that in our lives.  We are called to run the race that is before us, and accomplish the tasks that God has given us to do, with the gifts and abilities He’s blessed us with. Sometimes though, we lose our focus when all the cares of this world, and our life, weigh us down inhibiting our effectiveness toward reaching our goals.

“And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.”
Hebrews 12:1-2 New Living Translation

When it happens to an athlete, a good coach steps in to encourage them and help redirect their focus. Fortunately, we also have the greatest coach there is to help us when the past darkens our minds, and anxiety about the future adds too much weight to our souls. God steps in as our coach, and our guide, helping us to focus once again on Him, because, after all, He is the goal. So listen closely to your heavenly coach because your prize is eternal life with Him. The best prize ever!

“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.”
1 Corinthians 9:24-25 New Living Translation

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