God of the ImpossibleSmakprov

Day 7: Endurance Through the Race of Life:

Congratulations! You have made it to the final day of the God of the Impossible Plan. I hope that after today, you will feel equipped, empowered, and inspired to overcome the obstacles in your life and pursue God’s unique purpose for you.

On our final day, we’re talking about the need for endurance in the race of life!

Endurance, simply put, is not easy. But we can take courage in the fact that Christ endured before us—just look at Hebrews 12:1-2.

As Christians, we must be able to withstand the fiery darts of the devil to be able to say that we, too, are unwavering. So, what does our endurance training look like?

1) Accept the fact that you have to compete and that you have to train to succeed.

2) Acknowledge that you can’t go the distance in haste. You’ll need to mind your coach, emulate Jesus, and take the time. God is there waiting to welcome and assist; He hides us to find us.

3) Determine to keep digging. Don’t give up until the race is over.

In the Bible, we are admonished frequently about running our own race but not what type of race we are running. In our spiritual race, we can use the analogies of sprinting, marathons, hurdles, and relays during different seasons, so the one race has all four types of events. I believe this one statement by Christ sums up so much about our spiritual race:

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it!”—Matthew 16:24-25 (BLB)

We must endure to the end, not just to get the victory. When we all get to the end, victory is already ours, and if we remain steadfast, we will not just get a gold medal—but a crown: “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12, ESV). James 5:11 (CSB) says, “See, we count as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and have seen the outcome that the Lord brought about. The Lord is compassionate and merciful.”

We serve the God of the Impossible, who leads us down the path to redemption through numerous detours. He gives and takes away and guides us through the wilderness—all while training us to overcome hardships and develop endurance because nothing is wasted.

Thank you so much for choosing and completing this 7-day plan! If you’re hungry for more on this topic or more information on my stories, struggles, and successes, you can check out my book, God of the Impossible by going to God of the Impossible.

Dr. Marsha Smith