Before you take your mark
Ever watch the Olympics? I do, and my favorite athletes to watch are the sprinters in the track & field events. The power they exhibit coming off the blocks, the flawless running form, and the speed is awesome to watch! As I'm sure you have noticed, they are dressed very differently in how they come on to the track, versus what they wear when they run. In fact, if you go back to the original Olympic games, the sprinters would run in the nude, completely unencumbered. The winner of the strade or stadion (where we get our name for stadium), was considered the premiere athlete and would typically be considered the winner of the entire Olympic Games. As you notice with most sprinters, and even swimmers, they will wear as little as possible to give them an advantage and very little resistance to be able to run or swim as fast as they can. This image, and possibly the original Olympic Games, could have provided Paul the Apostle encouragement to his readers when comparing our walk in Christ, to that of a race. “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) However, before we place our feet in the runner's blocks, before the race begins, there's something we need to do. How can we move forward down the track (in ministry) while carrying all the extra weight of sin?
We have plenty to praise God for. He made us. He knows us. He's numbered our days. Before we speak, He knows what we will say (Psalm 139). It's easy to praise and thank, and then move on. The extremely difficult part is to confess our sin. It's hard because we're admitting that we've failed. We're recognizing that we're not good enough. It exposes our faults. However, there are three emphatic statements made in Psalm 139 that we need to recite. If you want to be an "elite athlete" in ministry, then these statements better be in your training repertoire.
Search me, O GOD, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way of everlasting!
With these in mind, you are already better prepared to face the challenges in the rest of your training regimen.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,...” (Hebrews 12:1)
We have to lay aside our sin first, then we can run that which is set before us. Consider David shedding Saul’s armor before going in to battle against Goliath (1 Samuel 17:38-39). David could have worn armor facing Goliath, but he had not trained for that style of warfare. It’s not what he knew, and it weighed him down. All too often, we carry around this extra weight of sin, that it becomes a part of who we are and tend not to realize the burden. So, what’s the answer? None other than to look to Jesus. “...looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)
We look to Jesus in how we are to run. What did He do prior to starting his ministry years? He fasted and prayed. It was in those 40 days that He was fully releasing Himself to His Father’s will. He emptied Himself. If you’re feeling the need to unload some of the excess weight you’re carrying, do so immediately before the Lord. 1 John 1:9 gives us a beautiful promise that if we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us of those sins. He will remove that weight from us, so we can run free. Consider the following:
“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” (Psalms 32:1-5 NLT)
We are meant to walk in freedom. Stop allowing sin to hover over you. Stop pretending as if you can handle the extra weight. Now is the time to unload the extra baggage. Repent. Confess your sins. Ask for forgiveness. Trust in the Lord’s promises. Put your feet back in the blocks and run towards your eternal prize. Find victory in the Lord!
