Road to GoldSample

Inner Drive by Allyson Felix

Ready:
“A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD determines his steps.” - Proverbs 16:9

Set:
I’ve been a go-getter pretty much my entire life. I’ve endured countless training sessions, burning leg workouts and mental conditioning to place myself in the best lane of my sport. I kick my inner drive into high gear to ensure I not only reach my running goals, but exceed them.

What propels me the most stems from the spirit. I’ve had a long run in my relationship with Jesus, and He has gone before me in the moments where track came easy to me, and the times I’ve struggled to hold onto His plan for my career. Trusting in God through triumphs and trials has taught me to rest assured that even when the future seems uncertain, taking one step of faith starts me in God’s motion for my life.

I keep Christ at my center, undeterred by the strain of high level pressure and scrutiny. I’ve had to fully let go and give life and race outcomes to God. We always have our own idea of how our life is going to go, but we really do have to follow the Lord’s will. 

I’ve put in time, sacrifice and effort for over more than a decade of training and competition to be able to earn and keep myself at gold medal status, but my faith tops any athletic accolades I receive.

We are all ordinary people with a little extra stashed inside. And it takes the belief and power of God to give us the assertion we need to dedicate our own time, talent and faith to turn up the inner drive and be our best for the sake of Christ. Only He can direct us into the design He created for us. We train for gold, a treasure that will last.

What’s your inner drive? What propels you to action, stirs your heart and gets it beating like a racer at the starting block? Seek those answers and work like crazy to develop what God has instilled inside you. Each of us has plenty of opportunities to use what we’ve been given to serve and encourage those around us in need of a touch of God’s light.

I try my best to run for a living and bring glory to God through that. You can bring God glory through whatever you do. Let us fuel our inner drive and race in strength, speed and stamina the course that is laid before us.

Go:
• What comes easy to you in your sport and in your relationship with Christ? What comes more difficult?
• How can you train yourself physically and spiritually to be in peak shape for what God calls you to do?
• In what ways can you develop lasting habits to keep your heart and mind centered on God?

Download the 31-day Road to Gold prayer guide at http://bit.ly/2afkLa6.