The Race Is Not Given To The Strong Or Swift...

But to those who endure until the end...

Not too long ago, I was brought back to a time where I was in school running. I was being shown the training and preparation of running long distance. I remembered the jokes that would be cracked on those who ran Cross Country, the confused and puzzled looks of those who said that it wasn't even a real sport. As I am sitting there just letting this be shown to me, I was then taken back to a specific race that I had ran, one that was very memorable. It was finally the women's turn to get onto the trail and from my school and because of our grade group, only myself and one other girl had to run. I was nervous seeing all the others girls with full teams but at the same time, I had been even more focused. When our time came to run, some women took off full speed, others jogged in groups, I just took my time and eventually made it to the end. Once it was time for the older groups to take their place, they began to run and then the time began to pass. The sky began to grow dim and we were all wondering why our school was still at the running grounds. Then it was revealed that our last team member was still out there. Once we gained sight of her, jogging alone, we all raced down along side her and jogged and pushed her to make it to the end. Once she crossed that finish line, the celebration was even more glorious than before. I began to ask the Lord why was I being shown this and I was almost immediately given an answer. The life that we have here on this earth is time sensitive and there are those who believe that if you finish first then you are superior. In reality, this walk with Christ is exactly like Cross Country, it's not about how fast you can outrun someone, it's about building up enough endurance to make it to the finish line. In doing this, you are then able to compare your current time to your most recent time. Elevating passed who you used to be.

Your only competition is who you used to be

 

In Cross Country, not only are you running to build up your endurance and new breathing patterns but you are also running to beat your previous time. With each passing race, you are striving to be better than what you ran before. That's how it is in our walk with Christ. Once we have been born again, we are then aiming to be better than who we were before. Your only competition is you. There are no lanes in Cross Country, just you, others, and an open field. That's how our free will works. Some may take off swiftly in everything that they want and come crashing down in failure in the end while others just take their time and gain the endurance and strength to confidently make it. This is exactly how it is with our brothers and sisters in Christ. You may see others achieve their goals and dreams before you and there's someone out there who thinks that you have it all together. When we grow too busy in worrying about what everyone else is doing, we neglect what has been given to us. We abandon the confidence that was placed within us. We begin to drift away from the very thing that was specifically designed for us. Don't be swallowed up by comparison, continue to build the endurance and work towards being better than who you were yesterday. Your only competition is you!

Don't jeopardize your newness

Being a new creation doesn't automatically mean that everything will begin to run super smooth for you. You are coming against everything that is worldly and standing for everything that is holy when you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior. This not only makes the enemy mad but it also disrupts everything that is within you that is not of Him. When you are working towards keeping and maintaining the freedom that you have received, it is very important that you do not jeopardize it by any means necessary. Of course we all stumble and fall but you are given numerous of chances to stay the course. If you begin to slip into the grace abusing mindset then you never know what God may take away or hold onto because every time you take a step backward, you are showing Him that you aren't ready for what you have been praying for. Scary to think about right? The only thing that is standing in the way of you gaining that huge blessing that you want is YOU. As I write this, as you all already know, I am speaking to myself as well. There are just certain things that you can't do anymore when you come to Christ for real, there are certain people that you can't be around anymore. It's not because these people are bad because we are humans and our flesh is weak, we all sin DAILY. It's actually because certain people may have a specific hold on you to get you to go back to being who you used to be. You can say that nobody can make you go backwards but if you don't get rid of soul ties or the people pleasing mindset, it only takes one person to get you back to who you used to be. Release them and allow God to mend the parts of you that have suffered damage because of people. In doing this, you are then given the steps to maintain your freedom and to keep your newness covered.

Take your time, God is using the authentic version of you

It can be easy to want to rush your process just to be able to say that you have accomplished something. Of course this may not apply to everyone. We all go through different struggles and trials in this walk and for some, we just want to say something when all we have to do is relinquish the control to God and follow His will. I have learned through time when you just work, don't announce, and keep praying for His will and not your own, more things get done. You are able to finish what you started more day by day when you just focus on doing what He has told you to do rather than showcasing to the world what's in the works. When you reveal what has not yet been released, the process of it can be destroyed because of the words of others. Not everyone wants you to be all that God has called you to be. Most of us love saying that it's usually people we know, which is true half of the time, but there are other people out there who seriously don't want you to succeed because you stand for the things that are holy. There are those who don't want you to use your voice to glorify God because they still hold tightly to their false gods and idols. I need you to know this, whatever it is that you are passionate about, don't be afraid to use it to glorify God. When He blesses us with witty inventions and ideas it's always unique to who you are in Him no matter how many others are in the same field as you. He always shows you unique ways to stand out and to remain authentic. His Holy Ghost is the ultimate inspiration when it comes down to using your craft to glorify Him. Recently, as you all have been reading, I have been breaking off insecurities and being more bold in who He has called me to be. There will be people out there who will refuse to view you in your newness. Keep going anyway. There will be people who don't understand the point of why you do what you do. Continue anyway. There will be people who will come against what God has placed within you, do it anyway. There will be people who try to pull an all night project to measure up to what God has been molding you into. Be you anyway. Stand firmly on His word and do what He has called you to do regardless of who doesn't understand and or think it's not worth it. When it's God instructed and God designed, no explanations are needed and it'll never run out.

His Word is the best form of encouragement.

As I draw to a close, keep in mind that His Word is the best form of encouragement that you can ever receive. Last night when my husband and I were on the way home, I began to just unload my day and in the midst of doing so, I kept looking at my phone seeing random posts that were literally confirmations back to back to back. I then kept hearing the race is not given to the strong and the swift. I kept asking my husband where in the Bible was that and he said if I wasn't sure, google it. I then told him that I didn't want to rely on google and I was waiting for the Holy Ghost to reveal it to me. He then said that's good it's about where your faith is at, and surely enough, I kept hearing "Ecclesiastes". I told my husband and looked it up and it was right there before my eyes. After reading the scripture in it's entirety, I realized how God brought this thing around full circle from when the cross country memory was first being shown to me awhile ago. Then it even connected with something that was spoken on in church last Sunday word for word. "Being at the right place at the right time." 

"I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn't always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn't always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don't always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time." Ecclesiastes 9:11 NLT

Allow your endurance to be built by taking your time and only striving to be better than who you were yesterday. The authenticity that has been placed within you cannot be removed because God placed it there while you were in your mother's womb. You stand for holiness and this will not be pleasing to everyone but with the endurance that you have built, you'll make it to the end. Strive to hear well done when it's all over. Hopefully this has encouraged you to be who God has called you to be and seeing the fruit of taking your time!

As Always: Stay Blessed & Encouraged