Perseverance To Waco - Making Faith a Priority Helps Me Persevere
Guest Post by Stephen Robinson
I will never forget hearing what I was sure was a word from the Lord in January 2017: “FINISH.” This word re-defined the way I approach physical training and competition.
I felt certain God told me to finish spending time in God’s Word before I finished training workouts. If I didn’t have time in my day to hear from the Lord, then training was out of the question. I am convinced persevering both physically and spiritually has prevented a competition such as Ironman from becoming an idol.
Like good equipment is essential in physical training, certain study tools help in my spiritual training. (learn more about my invaluable Bible study/prayer tool here.)
I’m quick to admit I don’t always get it right, but I’m learning to remain flexible, avoid becoming bogged down with “shoulds,” give myself “grace,” and keep “pressing on.” After all, our spiritual journeys are marathons rather than sprints!
Giving up is not part of my nature, and I believe it is also not part of God’s nature. The Lord doesn’t give up on people, so why should I give up just because life gets in the way, or I fall behind on my Bible reading plan? I will keep going and try to avoid becoming discouraged because of the promise that [God] will never leave nor forsake us!
During difficult times of training, I have discovered those “thin places” Sue wrote about a few months ago. (read it here.) Physical training allows me to get away from the distractions and stress of life and have a singular focus. Often in moments of training, the Lord reveals something to meditate on, or prompts me to pray for someone which have created sacred moments.
Even though the disciplines of physical and spiritual training are difficult, I never regret doing either. I hope my words today will encourage you to keep on persevering.