What’s Stopping You From Running the Race?

*Repost: Originally posted 5/12/2015

Do you ever have those weeks where you just feel like you’re running a race?  OK…so I’m going to be completely honest with you and tell you that what I had originally intended to post this week isn’t completely finished yet.  We have definitely been “running the race” in our household lately!  It has been pretty busy with the end of school nearing for my kids including all of their end-of-the-year activities.  College finals were this past week for both my husband, Eric (taking his—FOR THE VERY LAST TIME!!!) and for me (giving finals and getting my course grades finished up and posted).

We also had my sister-in-law’s graduation for her Master’s degree, along with an array of other goings-on…baseball (when it wasn’t raining), church meetings, my niece’s band concert, a teacher conference, and a birthday party which included a full-blown panic attack and angry momma-bear incident by me when my son fell off of a platform without railing head-first while playing at a local paintball complex.  Thankfully, my son is fine and was obviously protected by angels because he could have easily broken his neck the way he fell.

On a positive note though, we have been super excited to be preparing for Eric’s graduation this week!  WOOT WOOT ERIC!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!  I don’t know who is more excited…me or Eric?  His degree has been 11 years in the making (due to only being able to take 2 classes at a time while working full-time and supporting a family), so he’s been running the race for quite some time now in that arena.  He’s worked really hard for it, so he is probably a little more excited than I am. 🙂

A reminder about our races

Then, with Mother’s Day this past weekend, “running the race” seems like an understatement.  I’m sure many of you can empathize with all of the busyness of this time of year.  Instead of trying to rush and finish my original post, I decided to pull something that I wrote several years back.  That’s the benefit of writing things down and saving them for a rainy day (quite literally here in Oklahoma lately).  It actually seemed to suit the occasion quite well too because I had entitled it “Running the Race”.

In honor of Eric running the race and finishing up to move on to another, and in honor of all of YOU who are also running the race in a variety of ways, here is a reminder that I had about running the race…

Journal entry: November 7^th, 2010

I received a small picture in my mind, somewhat of a revelation I guess you would say, after having gone through a small problem and then seeing God come through.  I had gotten to a point of extreme frustration, and I was so angry I didn’t feel like doing what I was supposed to do—which in my case at that moment was to pray, ask God for help and invite Him in, and lastly to take authority over the situation by speaking God’s Word out loud.  I think I was too busy and stubborn, wading around in my sorrow and anger to just do what I knew to do, what always works.

After the fact, I realized God and His angels were just “sitting around” waiting on me.  I finally DID start praying in the spirit and asking for God’s will to be done.  I invited God to come in and help me, and I started speaking and confessing scriptures out loud over my situation.  I “bound” the devil with the authority given to me in Luke 10:19.

“Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.” Luke 10:19 (NLT) 

“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 18:18 (NIV)

My situation later that evening eventually got worked out, and my anger and frustration subsided. It was then that I had a picture or thought come to mind about how God works.  I actually saw several analogies and pictures come to mind to describe how God was just waiting on me.

A relay race and a dog playing fetch

First, I pictured somewhat of a relay race with a baton.  I had had the baton in my hand, but I wasn’t running my part of the race.  God and His angels were anxiously awaiting me to run and pass the baton to them so that we could finish the race and beat the competitor or ”foe”.  It’s as if they were jumping up and down saying “Hurry up already! Do your part! We can’t do our part until you do yours! Hurry up and get here so we can win!”

Another picture came to mind too. I pictured my dog Cinders, a black Labrador Retriever, waiting on me to throw her the ball to play fetch.  Her front feet were moving back and forth as fast as they could, shift her weight from one paw to the other with her back feet ready to pounce.  This was her “ready and waiting” position.  She was good to go and just waiting on me.

Like in both pictures, my situation required me to do something first before others could do their part. Matthew 18:18 says that whatever we bind on earth is bound in heaven and whatever we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  I had to first invite God into my situation.  I had to pray.  I had to speak God’s Word with MY authority that God had already given me.  Once I had accomplished my part, I then opened the door for God to do His.  I passed the baton and threw the ball!

Encouraging scriptures for Running the Race:

“You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth?” Galatians 5:7 (NLT)

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7 (NIV)

“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!” 1 Corinthians 9:24 (NLT)

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me–the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” Acts 20:24 (NIV)

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” Hebrews 12:1 (NLT) 

Take Some Practical Steps for Running the Race:

• First, are you doing your part?

Are you obeying what God has told you to do or what you know you need to do?  Until you do your part, God can’t do His.  God will not advance your instructions beyond your last act of disobedience (see this post on GPS: God Positioning System).

• Second, have you prayed about it?

Do you need to bind anything or loose any help from heaven? God is a gentleman, and He will not force Himself onto us or into our situation.  He will come when invited.  Have you invited God into your race?

• Next, are you using the authority that God has already given you?

A lot of what happens in our lives is within our control.  God has given us power and authority, but it’s up to us to use it.

“Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.” Luke 10:19 (NLT) 

• Then, don’t let anything hold you back from running the race that God has set before you.

Keep running well—don’t give up (even if it takes 11 years! 😉 ).  Run to finish your race.

“You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth?” Galatians 5:7 (NLT)

• Finally, Keep the faith, run with endurance, and run to win!

Hang in there!  It will come to an end…then you’ll have to start another. 🙂

What encouragement or reminder did you need about running the race?  Tell us about it by leaving a comment below.

Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are rude, disrespectful, sarcastic, offensive, or off-topic.  By posting on this site you agree to my Comment Policy.

P.S.  If you liked this post, you might enjoy receiving new posts delivered right to your inbox each week!  Sign up here. 

If you know anyone that could benefit from this, please pay it forward!  Share this post via the sharing links below.  “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)