1 Corinthians 9:24, v27
‘Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it… But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.’
So… In my last post I set myself and all of you a challenge to go to God first in everything for a week. After completing the week I have to say it truly takes discipline to say ‘no’ to temptation and ‘yes’ to choosing God daily. This walk is likened to a marathon race. We need discipline in order to be successful. 3 things I learnt over the week are:
- Pray
We need to remember that apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). Even for our desire to go to God first, we need to ask Him for His help in that! The Bible says that even in prayer the Spirit helps us with our weaknesses (Romans 8:26), so how much more do we need His help each day to run to Him first!
- If you fall, get back up!
‘For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again’ (proverbs 24:16). It can be embarrassing when we mess up, when we make a commitment in our walks with God and then fail. I have learnt this week that I am weak, but just because I fall does not mean I have to stay down and wallow in pity; I need to get back up again! The same applies for you all! Remember, we wrestle not against flesh and blood. The enemy of our souls doesn’t want us to grow in our walks with God, but we cannot let him discourage us. Get back up, keep striving, keep pushing!
- Desperate times call for desperate measures
In the mornings, when my alarm goes off on my phone; I turn off my alarm but notice the notifications. I seriously struggle to not click on the notifications on my phone but to first go to my Bible and pray. It became such a struggle that I had to take desperate measures as I was determined to go to God first, even in my day. My desperate measure was to turn off my phone data as I went to sleep and to only turn it back on in the morning after I had spent time with God. Though it’s hard, I would encourage you all to keep pressing on and not to let anything hold you back. We seriously don’t know what troubles each day holds (Matthew 6:34)… We need Him daily!
All in all, the journey does not end after a week. It is a lifetime of striving, growing and seeking first the kingdom of God. Well done if you completed it, but now keep striving for the ultimate ‘well done’ at judgement day from our Maker (see Matthew 25:14-30).
God bless 🙂
