Tag Archives: Devotion

August 26, 2016 · 5:59 AM

Biblical Determination 


When my mom was in the hospital and the doctors said there was nothing else they could do, my dad pulled all of us into a room. He explained that the hospital was sending her home and that hospice would be providing care at the house. He then said, “I still believe God can heal her, but if He chooses not to, we need to be prepared for that. I want each of you to determine in your heart that you won’t get bitter against God.” That choice, made with determination, is what kept my relationship with God during my stages of grief.

The word “determine” comes from the Latin words “de” and “terminare”, which means to completely terminate. When we determine something, we completely terminate all other options. We have a single-minded focus to do what we are set out to do. I believe Jesus was determined to pay the price for you and I. The Bible says His face was set like a flint toward Jerusalem. He had terminated all other options and was determined to complete His mission. You and I can have that same determination to do what God has called us to do, but we have to terminate all other options in our heart first.

Here are some verses in the Bible about being determined:

1.   Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.
Ephesians 5:10 NLT

2.   You paid careful attention to the way we lived among you, and determined to live that way yourselves. In imitating us, you imitated the Master. Although great trouble accompanied the Word, you were able to take great joy from the Holy Spirit!—taking the trouble with the joy, the joy with the trouble.
1 Thessalonians 1:5-6 MSG

3.   But Ruth answered, “Don’t ask me to leave you! Let me go with you. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and that is where I will be buried. May the Lord’s worst punishment come upon me if I let anything but death separate me from you!” When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more.
Ruth 1:16-18 GNT

4.   Indeed all who delight in piety and are determined to live a devoted and godly life in Christ Jesus will meet with persecution [will be made to suffer because of their religious stand].
2 Timothy 3:12 AMPC

5.   Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
Proverbs 4:23 NLT

6.     Remember that I have commanded you to be determined and confident! Do not be afraid or discouraged, for I, the Lord your God, am with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9 GNT

7.   Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset–rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.
1 Peter 5:8-9 AMPC

8.   I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your regulations.
Psalms 119:30 NLT

9.   As for us, we have this large crowd of witnesses around us. So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us.
Hebrews 12:1 GNT

10.   Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will not be put to shame.
Isaiah 50:7 NLT

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August 25, 2016 · 5:38 AM

Wake Your Dream Up


I recently asked a group of people what was the difference between a goal and a dream. I got several answers, but one stood out to me. They said, “A goal is something you can attain through making a plan, but a dream is that thing that is unattainable.” I thought, “If a dream is unattainable, then why have them?” Because so many of us think our dreams are unattainable, we let them die. We never chase them or go after them, so we focus on goals.

When I was younger, God gave me a dream of who I was to become. Yes, it was a calling, but it was so far out of reach, I treated it like a dream. I felt like if God wanted me to be who He wanted me to be, He’d just have to do a miracle. I lived all of my life with that dream in the back of my mind, but never had a thought of how I could attain it, so I never worked towards it. I knew the things I could do to move in the direction of it, but I stayed still.

In 2012, my former youth pastor was invited to speak at our church. I hadn’t seen him since the mid 90’s. After his sermon, I sat in my pew and quietly prayed, “God, if you want to make this a reality, I’m ready to do the work.” Immediately, he spoke into the microphone, “God just told me that someone in here has been running from their calling and just surrendered to it. If it’s you, He wants me to pray for you.” He actually got into more specifics than that and it was clear he was talking about me.

On that day, the dream God put in my heart came back to life. I began to do things, like starting this website, to get me closer to that dream calling. It’s no longer just a pipe dream. Each day that I do something about it, I get closer to God completing it. When I think about the Israelites, they couldn’t get to the Promised Land unless they were willing to leave the desert. They couldn’t enter it from the Sinai desert. They had to go towards the Jordan River. Once they got to the Jordan, God could perform the miracle for them to cross over into their dream land.

If you’ve allowed the dream God placed in your heart to die or lie dormant, I want you to take a step today from Ezekiel 37:9 and say what God told Ezekiel to say to the army built from the dry bones. Say, “Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again” (NLT). I believe if God placed a dream in your heart, He wants to revive it. You don’t have to be afraid that it’s too big. If you can’t accomplish it without His help, it probably didn’t come from Him. Speak life into that dream today and do something that moves you in the direction of your Jordan. 

You’re not too old. It’s not too late.

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August 24, 2016 · 6:16 AM

Your Market Value


When I was a kid, my best friend and I would collect baseball cards. We would walk to the little store in the neighborhood to buy packages of Tops baseball cards. After we got back to his house, we would go through our cards and look them up in a book to see how much they were worth. The book had the value of all baseball cards in it. The most expensive card listed was for a player named Honus Wagner. It was worth several hundred thousand dollars. We dreamed of getting a Honus Wagner card one day.

In 2007, a Honus Wagner card auctioned for $2.7 million. Originally, the card came free in a can of tobacco, but now it was worth the millions to the person willing to pay for it. The market value of anything is based on what someone is willing to pay and auctions are proof of that. What made this card so valuable was that it was in mint condition. The better the condition, the greater the value. Who knows what that card will sell for the next time it goes to auction.

Sometimes we look at our lives like baseball cards. We think some are more valuable than others. We are always wondering what we are worth. If only there was a book where we could look ourselves up in and see. Of course, then we would wonder who is the most valuable. Who is the Honus Wagner of our generation? Who’s life is in mint condition? We look at our own life and know we are battered, wrinkled, and have torn edges. We somehow think that devalues us.

You are not a baseball card. Your value however, is based on the market value of what some is willing to pay. You read that right. God paid the highest price for you. To purchase you and to give you freedom, He gave up His one and only son. Romans 5:8 says, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (NLT). He doesn’t care how messed up your life is and that it’s not in mint condition. He sees Honus Wagner type value in you.

Your value is not based on what you or anyone else thinks. It is based on the price Jesus was willing to pay for you. The next time those thoughts of worthlessness come into your mind, remind them that you were bought with a price. When someone treats at you like you’re worthless, don’t dwell on it. They don’t determine your value. God does, and He already said you are worth everything He has and more. The market value for you is Heaven’s firstborn. Don’t let anyone cause you to think you’re worth anything less than that.

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August 23, 2016 · 5:44 AM

How To Keep Bitterness Away


I’ve combed through the book of Jeremiah looking for things to learn and grow from. What I found was a man who obeyed God, said what he was supposed to say, and was rejected because of it. He was beaten, thrown into a public prison, dumped into a cistern to die, dragged off against his will, and called a liar when people didn’t like the messages God gave him. Before he even gave the messages, he knew that the people were going to reject the messages. He even tried to keep quiet at one point, but he said the word of God felt like a fire trapped in his bones until he spoke it.

I can only imagine what he felt. In Lamentations 3:16-19, he described some of it for us. He wrote, “He has made me chew on gravel. He has rolled me in the dust. Peace has been stripped away, and I have forgotten what prosperity is. I cry out, ‘My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the LORD is lost!’ The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss” (NLT). Powerful words describing a bitter time.

Even though this period of life was bitter for him, he didn’t become bitter. For me, that’s been one of my goals in life. When times get tough and all hope is lost, find a way to not get bitter through the process. When we have to endure bitter times in our lives, we have a choice. We can dwell on our losses, our disappointments, our failures, and our suffering or we can choose to dwell on God’s faithfulness through it all. One choice will make you as bitter as your circumstances and one will give you strength to endure.

Jeremiah chose the latter. In Lamentations 3:21-23 he wrote, “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” No matter what you’re having to go through, God has been faithful to you and He loves you. Concentrate on who He is and what He’s done for you throughout your life instead of your present situation. A smooth life isn’t guaranteed to any of us, but the love and faithfulness of the Lord is.

Sing this hymn to yourself today to help you remember:

Great is Thy faithfulness! 

Great is Thy faithfulness! 

Morning by morning new mercies I see. 

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided,

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

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August 22, 2016 · 5:00 AM

Surrender


White flag. Tap out. Give up. Submit. Yield. Say, “Uncle.” Throw in the towel. Surrender. I don’t know anyone who likes to do it. Surrendering is admitting defeat. It’s embarrassing really. I, like you, don’t like to give up. I don’t like to face defeat. It goes against everything in me. Maybe you’re the same. When all the odds are against you, your theme song starts playing. Maybe it’s “The Eye of the Tiger” or “This is my Fight Song” or whatever, but it plays and pumps you up to keep you from surrendering and giving in.

In the prophet Jeremiah’s day, Jerusalem was under siege and there was very little hope. God was pronouncing His judgement against the people who had turned their back on Him. They refused to repent so God was sending them into captivity. The king secretly went to Jeremiah to ask what he should do. Jeremiah told him if he wanted to live, he needed to surrender. In Jeremiah 38:19, the king responded, “But I am afraid to surrender” (NLT). He was too afraid of how he would appear if he surrendered, so he disobeyed and it cost him his freedom.

Romans 8 tells us that the flesh and the spirit are at a constant war with each other. The flesh wants to do things its own way, and the spirit wants us to follow God’s way. For so many Christians, it’s a daily struggle and a guess as to which side will win. As Jesus said in the Garden of Gethsemane, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” More times than not, our flesh wins because we fail to surrender to God’s plan for our lives. Surrender is so foreign to our flesh that we fight against what the spirit is trying to accomplish in our lives.

In Luke 14:33, Jesus put it this way, “So then, any of you who does not forsake (renounce, surrender claim to, give up, say good-bye to) all that he has cannot be My disciple” (AMPC). If we truly want to be God’s disciples, we have to be willing to surrender all we have for all He offers. According to Romans 8:13, when we surrender to what the spirit wants, we will live. You and I are given the same choice that the king of Israel had. Don’t make the same mistake he did. Surrender and live.

What is God asking you to surrender today in order to be His disciple?

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August 19, 2016 · 5:00 AM

Pray Without Ceasing


As Michael and I were kicking around the idea of this week’s debate on prayer times (morning or evening), I asked people on my Facebook page when was the best time for them to pray. I got a few people who said that the morning was their best time and a few who said that the evening was. What I wasn’t prepared for was the amount of religious, Sunday school answers I got. Over and over I got, “Pray without ceasing. Duh, Chris!” I rephrased the question multiple times so people understood that I wasn’t asking when should we pray, but when did they find was the best time for them to pray. The overwhelming answer was the same.

Either they didn’t understand what I was asking or they didn’t understand prayer. Since I rephrased, put all caps, and tried a few times to get the question right, I’m left with the thought that people don’t truly understand what the Bible means to pray or they wouldn’t be saying they’re doing it without ceasing. I know I don’t pray without ceasing (and I consider myself a person of prayer), and I’m pretty sure most of my friends don’t either. I can count on one hand the amount of people I know who spend hours in prayer each day. They’re the closest ones I know to praying without ceasing.

Sending up a, “God please help me,” a “please let this problem go away,” or a “bless my food” prayer isn’t praying without ceasing. The Greek word for that verse is proseúxomai. It means an exchange, as in a dialogue. Prayer is not about you giving God a wish list. It’s about you having an exchange of words, a conversation with Him. The quick one liner prayers when you’re in a bind don’t constitute an exchange. They’re one sided and don’t invite God to speak back. They only invite Him to listen and to come to your rescue. He wants more than that from you and me.

My wife and I have a monitor in my son’s room so we can hear him and he can talk to us. The problem is that it’s one way. We can hear him, but he can’t hear us. Too many Christians operate that way with God. They think He’s got a monitor in their life where He can hear us, but not talk back. Just like my wife and I talk back to our son without him hearing, so too we aren’t listening for God to speak to us.

I was in a conference with John Maxwell this week. One of the many thought provoking things he said was, “There’s a direct correlation between you being willing to listen and God being willing to talk.” This week, Michael and I have gone back and forth making arguments for when the best time to pray is. The truth is, the best time to pray is when you have the time to listen. God is always wanting to speak to us. The problem is we only give Him the opportunity to listen. Change that as you go forward. Give Him space and time to speak, then get ready to listen. Once you start listening to God speak, you’ll want to pray without ceasing.

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August 17, 2016 · 4:00 AM

Why Morning Prayer Is Not Essential For The Christian Life

I will explain why I feel morning prayer is not necessarily essential to the Christian life or the best time to pray, as some claim. Foremost, I want you to understand that Chris and I share an admiring friendship and it allows us to see differently, where we might, and maintain godly fellowship.

Also, two things I wish to highlight now: 1) My argument concerns the significance of prayer made at the start of one’s day as opposed to later in the day by those who claim or imply that it is the best time for prayer; and 2) that I write as one who has practiced morning prayer and can attest to its benefits; however, I do not prefer or recommend a morning prayer routine.

You can visit my site here.

Morning Prayer Is Not Essential Because…

No. 1 – God, the scriptures, and history do not establish a precedent for morning prayer.

People commonly use two passages to argue for the primacy of morning prayer. They read: “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You” (Ps. 63: 1, NKJV); and “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35).

Early, as some Bible versions reflect, does not mean time of day; instead, it describes David’s search, which other versions properly convey: with earnestness or eagerness. The Mark passage can be easily countered with Luke 6:12: “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.” Christian prayer practices in the earliest history of the church prove just as varied. Moreover, we find no command from God about when we should pray. 

No. 2 – Solitude is essential to the Christian life. 

The establishment of spiritual discipline in the heart is imperative to one’s formation. Solitude is the practice of withdrawing from others to give time to inner reflection. Quiet, reflective spirits are quickly receptive to the Holy Spirit. If those who argue for morning prayer are implying this point, then fine; however, they miss the point that solitude can be created in chaotic times and places.

No. 3 – We should pray when our hearts are most receptive and our minds are most alert.

This is primarily the reason why I do not opt for early prayer. As I stated, morning prayer works. It trained my heart and ordered my day, valuable spiritual benefits for anyone. It called my attention to the holy before any distraction or disruption. But getting up early to pray sometimes felt like a chore, and I wasn’t always as alert as I desired to be. By late afternoon, my prayer time could seem long gone. Contrarily, I know that mid-morning to mid-afternoon is my mental prime period. Thus, it is better for me to pray when my focus is strong, and I prefer it that way. I feel that the time of prayer serves our schedule and ability to focus on God, which I understand is why some morning advocates may suggest as much. But everyone’s hearts and minds are not receptive and alert in the morning; so prayer then just won’t be “the best” time for them.

 No. 4 – A fixed hour of prayer is better than a required morning routine. 

From what I’ve already stated, what is essential is that we pray at all and that our prayers are characterized by solitude, focus, and, now, consistency. If a person chooses to be consistent at the very start of his or her day, I cannot argue against that. But more important than viewing the morning as the best time to pray, I would prefer an individual to be perfunctory about it. This trait was formative to my prayer life as an adolescent. I met God each day at 3 o’clock—sharp. Thereby, prayer became a habit and a monumental aspect of my spiritual foundation today.

No. 5 – God always hears our prayers. 

A morning prayer is no less heard than a prayer made on the busiest corner of Los Angeles at the height of rush hour. Further, a prayer is not more acceptable because it is prayed in the morning as opposed to some other time of day. This is not like comparing broccoli to fries. God hears every prayer and is honored that anyone should call to him. So let’s avoid spats and be dutiful to pray and so capitalize on the relationship we are given to share with our Father.

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August 16, 2016 · 4:00 AM

A Response To “The Necessity Of Morning Prayer”

Although Chris and I see slightly differently on this topic, I could not read his position (click here to read it first) and not be grateful to God for one so committed to prayer. I requested Chris’s prayers over the past few years when I was jobless and while dealing with a cancer scare; and he prayed for me daily—in his morning prayers, I’m certain. That has meant the world to me.

So there is no animus in our positions, but only spirited debate that we hope will get you thinking and that will provoke you to prayer. We both rely on prayer, whether done in the morning or evening, and owe our spiritual foundations to it, including the many prayers made on our behalf over the years.

The following is my response to points Chris made in his essay.


First Fruits

Chris says, “If you don’t schedule God first, you run the risk of your day getting away from you…” But why must the first fruits of prayer be about the time of prayer? Chris’s is a literal approach that concerns itself more with how we spend the first part of our day rather than how we approach prayer. I feel that I presented a more plausible explanation of a first fruits concept when I stated that we should pray when our hearts are most receptive and our minds are most alert.

How We Start

Chris says, “…the way we start our day sets our attitude for it.” There is no doubt that morning prayer focuses our minds on God and his word and sets the tone of the day perfectly. But what about the people who don’t prefer mornings? Are they incapable of being led by the Spirit because they didn’t start the day with prayer? Do they miss out on God in some way?

Next, if we can risk forsaking prayer and losing control of our day by not praying early, is the obverse not also true—that any gains we’ve made in morning prayer can get pushed aside during a hectic day or stolen by spiritual attack?

Further, everyone is not a morning person and some will not be able to pray in the morning.

Simply put, there is nothing binding about giving God the very first moments of our day. It is a practical and symbolic act that is special only for those who opt for it then. There is no reason evening prayer cannot be just as special to one. God is always ready to hear, yet he understands what is meaningful to each of us. Then, we must certainly contextualize this to waking-hours prayer because the most perfect morning prayer would start at midnight!

E. M. Bounds Quote

I largely disagree with the E.M. Bounds quote, particularly this: “He who fritters away the early morning…in other pursuits than seeking God will make poor headway seeking Him the rest of the day.” Really? What is questionable is whether the quote reflects what was normative amongst ministers of Bounds’ day, which may be considerably different today.

One thing Bounds highlights is prayer “on their knees.” Bended-knee prayer is less common today, but what Bounds may be stressing is what I have pointed to: solitude. Still I oppose with the quote for two reasons. First, although I understand the threats that a busy day presents to spiritual practice, it is unfair and unreasonable to suggest to one, Well unless you pray at 6 a.m., you’re just not gonna get it in—guaranteed.

Second, it counters Paul’s admonition to pray continually (1 Thess. 5:17). Life on the run is no fun, and ministers can attest to this convincingly. But having one’s heart seated before the throne of God amidst the hurriedness and even chaos of a day is not impossible. According to Chris, if we pray early, we are more able to follow Paul’s advice; but this is non sequitur.

The Purpose of Prayer

A prominent theme in Chris’s position is prayer as a spiritual weapon. Prayer’s purpose is to 1) win a “daily victory” by 2) waging war with Satan. I am perplexed when I read this. Prayer’s ultimate purpose is to commune with God, and I know Chris agrees with this. Here is where I remind myself that my friend may be called to intercession.

Further, maybe this is also my own wariness. I refuse to let Satan and darkness become a subject in my life and certainly not in my prayers, which certainly doesn’t mean they aren’t there; but it’s a matter of perspective. God is greater. If I do as Paul says and keep in-step with the Spirit (Gal. 5:25), I proceed from victory to engage the enemy.

A Personal Choice

Finally, Chris writes, “For me, there’s no better time to pray than in the morning” (emphasis mine). Has he not agreed with me that there are no precedents or directives that establish morning prayer, specifically, as essential for the Christian life or the best time to pray? In the end, we should just pray—period. When you pray doesn’t matter; how you pray does.

Come back tomorrow to read my position on what I feel is the best prayer time to which Chris will respond the following day.

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August 15, 2016 · 5:00 AM

The Necessity Of Morning Prayer

This week I will be taking a break from writing devotions while I attend a conference. My friend and fellow blogger, Michael Stephens, and I like to have debates offline for fun and to engage in deep discussions. We understand that our discussions are not to prove one of us is right and the other is wrong. They are intended to help us expand our own perspectives. We thought we would share one of our debates with you. This week we will be discussing the best time of day to pray. I have chosen to speak on morning prayer, and he will be rebutting, then making a case for evening prayer which I will rebut. We’d also like to get your input into the discussion.

For me, there’s no better time to pray than in the morning. Just like a good breakfast sets the tone for my day, so does morning prayer. I believe that the way we start each day sets our attitude for it. David said in Psalm 118:24, “This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it” (NLT). The Good News translation says, “This is the day of the Lord’s victory.” Our daily victory starts in the morning before we take our first steps of the day.

In his book Early On Our Knees, E. M. Bounds wrote, “The men who have done the most for God in this world have been early on their knees. He who fritters away the early morning, it’s opportunity and freshness, in other pursuits than seeking God, will make poor headway seeking Him the rest of the day.” That first sentence is the strongest statement to me. People like Dwight Moody, George Whitefield, John Wesley, and Martin Luther were all men who believed in early morning prayer.

They understood that if there is going to be any victory over the enemy, it’s going to require significant time in prayer. The U.S. Army used to say, “We do more before 9AM than most people do all day.” I believe the same should be said of us as prayer warriors. We should wage more war on our knees tearing down strongholds by 9 AM than the enemy does all day. I want the enemy to think, “Look out! He’s up already! To your stations!”

God has also been specific since the beginning of creation that He desires our first fruits. They are the most holy to Him. I believe that should extend beyond my giving and into every aspect of my life including my time. If you don’t schedule God first, you run the risk of your day getting away from you and being too tired or busy, just giving Him your left overs if anything at all. I read a sign recently that said, “The bad news is that time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”

If you don’t control your time and make time for God in prayer, you run the risk of losing your victory. Each day God gives us is a gift of 1,440 minutes. Once they’re gone, you can’t get them back. Jump into the cockpit and take control of your day by giving it to God. If you do, you’ll find it easier to obey I Thessalonians 5:17 which says, “Never stop praying.” You will also find your attitude will change and so will your number of victories. The keys to your victory are to get up, give God the first fruits of your time, and wage war in prayer early.

What time in the morning do you start praying?

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August 12, 2016 · 5:00 AM

Go For The Gold


The Olympics have been going on for about a week now. I love watching them and hearing the stories of all the athletes. They train their whole lives and give up so much in order to win the gold. Their dedication and sacrifice is inspiring. Several times the Bible compares our walk with Christ to athletes. The difference between them and us is that it’s not our works that win us the prize. The work was done by Jesus. In return, we dedicate our lives to Him.

So much of what we do in life is a reward for our work. It’s hard not to confuse our Christian walk with the norm of life. The works that we do should be born out of our faith, not to win God’s approval. The great news is that you don’t have to win His approval. He loves you just the way He made you. You are worth more than gold to Him. Live your life for Him, run your race focusing on Him, and trust the work of the cross.

Here are some Bible verses about competition.

1. Surely you know that many runners take part in a race, but only one of them wins the prize. Run, then, in such a way as to win the prize.
1 Corinthians 9:24 GNT

2. And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
Ephesians 6:10-12 MSG

3. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
1 Corinthians 9:27 NLT

4. Let no one defraud you by acting as an umpire and declaring you unworthy and disqualifying you for the prize, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, taking his stand on visions [he claims] he has seen, vainly puffed up by his sensuous notions and inflated by his unspiritual thoughts and fleshly conceit.
Colossians 2:18 AMP

5. I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect. I keep striving to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself. Of course, my friends, I really do not think that I have already won it; the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead. So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God’s call through Christ Jesus to the life above.
Philippians 3:12-14 GNT

6. And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules.
2 Timothy 2:5 NLT

7. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:8 NLT

8. Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.
Galatians 6:4-5 MSG

9. I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].
Philippians 4:13 AMP

10. For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so that no one can boast about it. God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus he has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do.
Ephesians 2:8-10 GNT

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