When I was in school, my basketball coach suggested I try out for the track team to work on conditioning and build endurance.  Shortly after joining the team, the track coach sized me up and placed me into the group training for the 400 meter sprint – seemed like a harmless little race.  I liked the idea of sprinting… and 400 meters certainly didn’t seem too great of a distance.  I was wrong in so many ways.

There is a hot corner in hell for the person who invented the 400 meter race.  Placing the untrained body into full sprint mode for ¼ mile is not only unnatural, it’s sheer torture.  I didn’t mind sprinting for 100 meters –  I liked the sprint for 200 meters – but 400 meters in a full sprint without training…is hell on earth.  When watching a 400 meter race, it’s glaringly evident who skimped on training and who actually worked hard during training.  Those who skimped would start strong and die in the last half of the race while the well prepared would effortlessly glide from beginning to end losing no momentum.

Our faith in God is amazingly similar to the 400 meter race.  The more we pray and learn about God, the more efficient, resilient, and effortless we move through life and difficulties.  The less we pray and learn about God, the more gruesome, heavy, and miserable we become when trying to manage our daily grind.  We need to start strong – run fast – and finish well.  Faith is less like a marathon… where you can settle into a pace.  Faith is more like a 400 meter race which requires complete attention to every stride, every decision, every breath, every heartbeat.  That’s the focus God wants for us.

The Wanted Man has stamina of faith.  Stamina in your faith builds discipline, grit, and the determination you need to stay the course and finish the race.  Faith requires a large degree of self-control.

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 a 400 meter race.  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 finish strong because they know how.

Just like your faith.  You’ve got to do more than show up to run the race, you must train daily.  Prayer, education, and partnership with your brothers in faith comprise the building blocks of building your faith.  Get a coach and learn about the training methods of those who run well… see how they’ve trained to overcome evil and win.

God wants His men to go the distance, not only to finish the race, but finish strong.  Religion is loaded with guys that will line up and start the race, but find themselves spiritually unable to finish.  How can we expect to fend off the evil we face each day if we aren’t prepared?  There are other guys, however, who men step up to the training program and prepare to finish like Christ.

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, temptations, or 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.  Hang around Live Bold Magazine… that’s why we do what we do… for you.
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