Finish the Race

So many people start something and never finish. Why is that? Is it because they face struggles? Or is it because it turns out to be something that they thought would be something else.

Speaking for myself, I know I get tired of the things I have going on in my life, but I understand the importance of what I do. For example, college isn't so easy, but the reward for finishing is great. Living a Godly life isn't always the easiest or most popular thing to do, but there is a reward in the end. The list goes on and on. Life is full of things that we have to do and sometimes those things aren't always things we want to do.

In the book of Acts, chapter 20 verse 22-24 Paul writes, "And now, compelled by the spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." Paul could have said, you know what, I want to quit my ministry, find my wife, and live the rest of my life without a chance that he would be killed. But he didn't, he knew the importance of finishing the race.

If we don't finish the race we may just erase someones destiny. The end of your assignment could be the beginning of the next persons assignment.

I challenge you to run the race and not give up. Look at the things you have to do in life that don't look good now and look at the blessing that is on the other side. I leave you with a scripture to encourage you through the trials of life.

James 1:2-5 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish it's work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."

Overcame by an Overcomer

In life we have all faced circumstances that we have no idea how we got into. We grew up in a broken home or grew up in an abusive home. Many of us have faced situations and thought to yourself what did I do to deserve this. I was that person. From the time I was about ten to thirteen years old I lived in a home that was out of order. I lived with my father and step mom. My step mom and dad would fight all the time. It wasn't just a normal argument, it was a fight. They would scream and holler, and cuss each other out. I can remember times my dad would come running in my room and slam the door behind him at 2 and 3 in the morning, and you could hear my step mom running down the hallways cussing and screaming. She would try to bang the door down. That would go on for an hour sometimes. I often wondered what I was going through this for. Why did I deserve this. I can remember my step mom telling me how stupid I was because I didn't make A's and B's. She would tell me that I would never amount to anything. I began to believe that. I began to let my circumstances effect me.

I can remember the day that I began to stop letting my problems effect me. Years ago God birthed a dream inside of Pastor Denny Duron. He opened up a school called Evangel Christian Academy and I can remember almost immediately my life began to change. I began to learn more and more about a man named Jesus. How he paid a price for my life, and how much he loved me. I was taught that because he paid that price I could overcome any circumstance that I would ever face. In John 16:33, Jesus says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Jesus took it all for you and I so that we could live in peace.

No matter the circumstance, we can overcome anything that we face as long as we will give it to the Lord!

1 John 5:4 "For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith."

Identity

Who are you really? What's your identity? So many people go through life not ever knowing what they were created for or who they want to be. So many times we try to be somebody we are not. This is so common and so easy to do. I can look back on my life and see that I haven't always been myself. I would say sometimes that I want to be like him, or why couldn't that be my calling on my life. I can also say that I haven't known what I was created for. So I began to look at other things and want those things other than the promises of God.

God made each and everyone of us in his own image. The truth is, there is only one you. There is only one me. Nobody can do what you do or how you do it. God's plan for your life is concrete. You are one of a kind. Your finger prints are yours, nobody else on earth has them. The truth is, we have God prints.

We were created to fellowship with God and live in and through him showing the love that his son Jesus Christ showed us when he died on the cross. He had each one of you on his mind and the plan he created for you. I challenge you to be who you were created to be. Live to be you and never try to be someone you're not.

ACTIONS SAY ALLOT!!!!

I currently am a youth leader at our church and I have the opportunity to speak into kids lives on a daily basis. Today I had one of the youth guys call me to tell me about his day. This certain person I can always tell by the sound in his voice if he has had a good day or a bad day. Today was certainly a bad day. He went on to tell me that his day at school went well up until his last hour of the day. He was in his tennis class and a kid began to act out of line. He began to disrespect the students and the teacher. My guy, goes up to the kid to tell him he needed to chill out. That didn't go so well, the kid began to mouth off to him. My guy just recently gave his heart to the Lord about 6 months ago and he used to struggle with anger problems. So as the kid was mouthing off to him he snapped and basically told him he would knock his head off if he didn't quit. Well they both calmed down and the boy that initiated the the altercation went and told the disciplinarian on my guy. Well he just didn't understand that.

So as we are talking today, I told him that he shouldn't have done that. I told him he is not the authority in that class. He did good by telling the guy he needed to calm down. He messed up by telling the kid he would knock his head off. You see as Christians we are called to be set apart. 1 Peter 2:9 says "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." When we want to show the love of God or let people know that life without Jesus is simply not life at all, we must make sure that we live out our testimony. Not just live it on a Sunday morning or Wednesday night in between the 4 walls of church. If we only live it then what does that tell people that know you live pure and right in the eyes of the Lord. People watch you and if you claim to be a Christian they will watch your life to see if that's something they want. If they see you living the same as the people your trying to influence, what is that saying. They aren't going to want that because there is nothing different.

In my few years of walking with the Lord I have found that its not what you do inside the church its how you act on a daily basis. That's your most powerful testimony!