ONE: FCA Reading Plan For CompetitorsSample

Strength Built in Secret

By Chanda Rigby

READY:

“But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private.  Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” – Matthew 6:6

SET:

As athletes, we all know that long before our shining moments in front of cheering crowds, there are hours and hours of preparation performed in much less public and glamorous environments. How many hours of practicing in silence does the gymnast invest, and how many practice shots are taken in an empty gym before the shooter is able to hit the shots that make the crowd go wild? Public moments of glory make up a very small amount of the time we spend in our athletic endeavors. Countless more, however, are spent alone and in secret, grinding out the work that greatness requires.  

How we build athletic strength can be compared to how we build spiritual strength. Though public acts of spiritual obedience such as attending church and donating our resources to good causes can be positive steps toward spiritual growth, it is our time spent alone in prayer with God that builds the bulk of our spiritual muscle. Matthew 6:6 teaches us that we need to spend time with God in private. Scripture gives us many examples of Jesus modeling this important behavior by stepping away from others to spend alone time with His Father. 

Just as the athlete must be disciplined to spend time alone strengthening his or her body, so must a believer make time to spend alone with God, building spiritual strength in secret.   

GO:

1. Try to estimate how many hours you’ve invested in spending time alone working to get better at your sport.

2. How much time you are spending alone with God to strengthen your spiritual life?

3. How will you respond today?

WORKOUT:

Matthew 26:36

Mark 1:35

Luke 6:12

OVERTIME:

Lord, please help me to be diligent in meeting with you alone so that I can build the strength to be a conqueror when I am in the presence of others.