Donāt let something very small keep you from something very big. We are talking about endurance here. So in our journey through life, we figure out that life is a marathon and not a sprint. We learn that the more stuff we carry, the harder it is to go on in your journey. Back to high school for a moment. I ran half-mile, the mile and sometimes the two-mile race. What I learned quickly in training was that the longer you were supposed to run, the lighter you want to be.Ā
As a runner in the race of life, we donāt want to let something that is unnecessary to our progress or journey or destiny affect us. Let some stuff go. Let go by forgiveness and trusting things to God.
We all have blind spots. Areas that we are most vulnerable to temptation or sinful behavior. As we are walking this out, we recognize the areas that we fall easily in. In our journey, we make intentional decisions to not enter into those areas of sin. If God has delivered you from alcohol, donāt go to the bar to drink Coke. Donāt set yourself up to fail. If you have sexual temptation, donāt put yourself into situations where you can sin. Recognize your weak spot and be on the defense.
The word of endurance is the word āhuponomeā. It is one of the great Bible words. Christ, Peter, Paul and James all talked about it. It means āpatience, steadfastness, to remain in oneās spot, to keep a position, to keep territory that has been gainedā. This was a word that was used to describe soldiers that had taken ground and were now called to keep that ground. It didnāt matter how hard it was. This was their assignment. This word means staying power, hanging in there power. This is the refusal to give up. The early church called this word the queen of virtues.Ā
God wants us to run with endurance. How does endurance come? It comes by pushing your limits and by stretching yourself in your walk with God. I started off playing basketball in high school. But in my junior year, I decided to go out for track. I noticed I would get tired after a quarter of a mile. I realized I was fast but I wasnāt in endurance shape. Basketball shape was one thing. Track shape was a whole different animal. So to get in shape, Iād run 5 to 10 miles a day. After I ran five to ten miles a day consistently, I didnāt get exhausted when I ran the races. I built up my endurance.
You build up your spiritual endurance by pushing yourself. By allowing God to finish the work he is doing in you through whatever situation you are in currently. Donāt tell people or God that you canāt make it. Itās not true. God is taking you through the situation you are in to help you get to the place where you have endurance.