WANTED: STAMINA.
When I was in high school, basketball was my sport. I was a tall gangly kid with an ability to jump just a little higher than the average guy. In the off season, coach recommended that we try out for the track team to continue working on our conditioning. Naturally, I ended up competing in the high jump but shortly after joining my track coach had asked me to compete in the 400 meter sprint.
There is a hot spot in hell for the man that suggested that this should even be considered a competitive event. The idea that the human body would go into full sprint mode for ¼ mile is not only unnatural, it’s sheer torture. I didn’t mind sprinting for 100 yards. I kind of liked the sprint for 200 yards. But 400 yards in full sprint is miserable. There is something that happens when running this race… you quickly find out who skimped on training and who actually worked hard during training. The boys that skimped would start out strong and die in the last half of the race while the well prepared would effortlessly glide from beginning to end losing no momentum.
There is a parallel to this particular competition to how we operate our faith life. The more we pray and learn about God, the more efficient, resilient, and effortless we appear in our pursuit. The less we pray and learn about God, the more gruesome, heavy, and miserable we become when trying to finish the race.
Living Bold requires stamina. Stamina in your faith builds discipline, grit, and determination you need to stay the course. I get very tired of listening to people say that faith is the easy way out of life. Let me tell you something brother… faith requires such a large portion of self-control that you can get dizzy trying to fight it.
There was one race I was running on a Friday night. I had big plans after the meet, all I had to do was finish the last race and head home. I approached the starting block in my lane, my adrenaline flowing and the gun sounds. I took off like a rabbit. I was in front in the 1st 100. I maintained the lead in the 2nd 100. The field gained on me in the 3rd 100, and I ran out of gas in the last 100. Not only did I run out of gas… my legs became as heavy as led… I couldn’t breathe… my jaws and teeth began to hurt… and my lips were getting numb. I finished a full 50 yards behind the leader and ended up 4th out of 6. I hit… the wall. I left the track, went home, and laid in the bathtub for about an hour… still out of breath.
Have you ever gotten hold of a good thing and felt like your faith was strong and ready to roll… only to find that you were outpaced by the evil in your life? How true Paul is when he writes that he will run the race and reach for the prize.
I never trained correctly for the 400 meter event… my attitude was never properly aligned with that of a true participant in that event. No matter how hard I tried, I could not win that event. Athletic ability, determination, and talent could only get me ¾ of the way. Preparation and stamina is what carries you the last 100 yards. The good racers know this. They train for this. The great competitors know when to let go of athletic will power and let their training take them across the line. They are tired… just like me, but they finish strong because they know how.
Just like your faith. You’ve got to do more than show up to run the race. Doing that and nothing more will not only wear you out and leave you against the wall… it opens you up for evil to win over and over again.
Living Bold requires constant prayer, education, and partnership with your brothers in faith. You will be challenged to a race from time to time… be able to finish strong. Go get a coach and learn from others how they’ve trained to win.
God wants His men to go the distance. Not only finish the race, but finish strong. It seems that most of the church congregations are loaded with a few guys that will line up and start the race… but spiritually unable to finish. How in the world can we expect to fend off the evil of the day if we can’t even go one lap?
Develop a training program that actually does something for you. Stretch out beyond the normal routine. Take the first step toward learning how to finish. Understand that without stamina of faith… you don’t have a shot to fight off your demons or your addictions.
Your family, friends, and peers are counting on you to finish strong. Do you have the stamina? If not… start training. Get together with your buddies and get busy with God’s program.
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Welcome, and thanks for dragging yourself over to Live|Bold! My name is Greg Arnold and I am pumped to see you here. This interactive online community is here to point every man toward the cross. Whether you have been a follower of Christ for ages, or you are just stumbling into this strange new world of faith, we have something of value to offer you. This online e-zine is a cross between a blog, a social network, a resource center, and a pulpit. My hope is to inspire you to live your faith on the outside and be a real man for God. We need you in the fight. 
Comments
A very clear visualization used here; a well painted picture; I see myself at the starting line and i get destracted by someone yelling in the bleachers, the gun fires, and im left behind. We have so many materialistic things that are keeping our focus blurred. For myself, i can tell that the more i work to build this stamina, this Faith, the more road blocks and destractions stand in my way. I feel the temptations get stronger as i work harder to build my relationship with God.
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