Arguing With Myself

I woke up this morning in protest. The excuses began to flood my mind. "It is too late to start in this Florida heat...One day won't hurt...I just don't feel like it...." Have you ever had a day where you fight a war in your mind before you even get out of bed? I reluctantly got out of bed, and started out for my 16-minute jog , still not in the best state of mind. I lacked confidence that I would meet my goal for the day. "I am just not strong enough, not today." My mind began to negotiate a smaller amount, like maybe I would just run ten, that is not totally giving up, right? Again, myself arguing with myself, as I put one foot in front of the other. I began to ask God to carry me through. I can't tell you which minute exactly he showed up, but as I finished the 16th minute I felt strong enough to go another minute in order to finish my goal this week. It reminds me of the poem, "Footprints in the sand" as I look back I know he carried me. What makes the difference between starting out trying to convince yourself you can make it and finishing strong? Hebrews 12:1b states "let us lay aside every weight(excuse), and the sin (unbelief) which doth so easily besets us, and let us run with patience (hopeful endurance) the race that is set before us." I just love when I find comfort for my weary soul in scripture, it gives me that hopeful endurance I need to run the race. Is there something in your life that you have been giving excuses for or something you lack the confidence to move forward to do? Meditate and memorize this scripture and cheerfully run ahead to finish the race. After all, there is a great cloud of witnesses waiting for you at the finish line.
Romans 15:4 -"For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scripture might have hope."
Hebrews 12:1 -"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." KJV Also James 1:3-4.

Running the Race

The last five weeks I have changed my morning routine to include exercise. The program is called couch to 5K, which you can look up on line to get more specifics. I began slowly with the first day including a five-minute walk, one-minute run and then finishing with five more minutes of walking. At that time, I thought jogging for five minutes would be out of reach. Praise the Lord, I am ecstatically reporting that at the end of last week I ran for nine minutes straight. Today, I am happy to say I ran six minutes, walked five, ran six and walked five again. I feel my body getting stronger. I am finding that if I get up and run, my food choices become better as well. I want to give total glory to God for what has been accomplished. I am half way through the program and feel victorious. Running has so many spiritual aspects or examples to it, but the one I want to focus on today is the way that one simple obedient step leads to more obedient steps. Just as when I make a commitment to run in the morning, other behaviors change throughout the day. I eat better, which gives me more energy, which enables me to keep going all day, which burns more calories, which makes a day filled with victory and makes me want to repeat it. It is a domino effect. I believe the same goes for victory in our spiritual lives. The more we choose to seek God personally ever day, the more victory we have over sin, the more spiritual fruit we exhibit, the more we look like Christ. Another domino effect! The hardest step is the first step, make a habit of seeking him daily and the rest will follow. Live victoriously. Make the choice.
Matt. 6:33- "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and these things shall be added unto you."
II Tim.4:7- "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:"