RUN THE RACE – TO WIN THE PRIZE!

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but
only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”
(1 Corinthians 9:24)

MEDITATION:
Runners not only need to untangle themselves from weights that slow them
down, but they need to also remove things from the track that trip them up!
As a Christian, the good things in life may slow us down,
but sin will stop us dead in our tracks; it will trip us up.

We should learn to treat sin as sin treats us!
Sin will be merciless to us, and we need to be merciless to sin.
Second Timothy 2:19 says,
“Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription:
“The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name
of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.” (2 Timothy 2:19)

ACTION:
Are there areas of your life that are sinful?
Do you find yourself justifying or rationalizing the things you do
because you know they are not within the boundaries
God has established for “those who are His”?

Why would you justify or rationalize your actions?
Isn’t it because you KNOW they are wrong?
You cannot justify any actions that are not approved by God.
When you do, you have chosen to please yourself over pleasing God,
and your actions will be judged one day by God Himself
(His verdict cannot be appealed and His sentence will be eternal suffering).

Too many believers have allowed Satan to entice and convince them
that some sins are okay and as a result, they have ‘wandered from the faith’.
If you are doing things that are in direct contradiction to God’s Word,
then you need to stop now (you know it and God knows it).

If you have been desensitized to the voice of the Holy Spirit,
then it is time to weep yourself back to the Lord if “you are His”.
“Weeping” may not include actually crying, but it does mean
you feel remorse for ‘drifting away’ and disappointing the Lord.
Is there any unconfessed sin in your life that is tripping you up today?
Are there ‘things’ you have been justifying so you can continue in sin?

Do you treat others unkindly?
Do you disrespect others, including your parents?
Are you rude and inconsiderate of others?
Have you become a selfish person (concerned only about pleasing yourself)?

Have you lost your humility and become self-centered and arrogant?
Do you brag about your accomplishments and the things you own,
instead of bragging on the Lord and His blessings?
Everything good we have is a blessing from God, and not a result of ourselves.

Pray,
Psalm 139:23-24.
“Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.”

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