This month we have scheduled a great fun day for our children called “Kids Olympics”. Sport has for centuries been a part of virtually every culture. Paul the apostle uses sporting terms several times as he describes the Christian Life. In Ephesians 6 he speaks of wrestling, not
against flesh and blood but against demonic forces. Ours is not a fight against natural enemies but against spiritual powers. The only way to stand against spiritual forces intent on destroying us is to use spiritual weapons. Faith in Jesus, Biblical confessions of victory, understanding our secure position in Christ, standing in the promises of the New Covenant. Prophetic declarations from a position of authority in Christ. These are the dynamic spiritual weapons that are at our disposal. Our Praise is also a powerful force that releases angelic assistance. The Message bible says of Isaiah 30:32 “Every blow GOD lands on them with his club is in time to the music of drums and pipes, GOD in all-out, two fisted battle, fighting against them”. As we praise, God goes to battle for us against poverty, sickness, fear and every demonic force that would come against us. We see examples in 2 Chronicles 20: Joshua 6: Judges 7 and Acts 16: where God’s people praise Him and supernatural victory comes.

In 1 Cor 9:24-26 Paul also talks about “Running the Race” faithful service to Jesus from a position of confidence and security in Jesus, empowered by grace he kept the prize in sight, he was able to remain focused and not be sidetracked or distracted from God’s calling on his life. In Gal 2:2 and Phil 2:16 he warns us that to deviate from the Good News of the Gospel is to run in vain. In Gal 5:7 he asks the question of the Galatian church “you were running the race so well, who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?” That truth was God’s grace to us, salvation through faith in what Jesus has done, not in our good works or any religious ritual. In Heb 12:1. He says “let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us” How do we do that? – by keeping our “eyes fixed on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith”

We are all in a race, not just the human race, but the marathon run of life. The only way we can win that race is to keep drawing our sustenance from the ONE who is able to keep us, nourish us and enable us to endure. There is only ONE – Jesus. Our faith in Him, our praise of Him keeps us positioned at the head of the pack – there is a prize worth running for – let’s keep our eyes on the prize