{"id":150,"date":"2012-03-21T10:15:50","date_gmt":"2012-03-21T15:15:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/decastro\/?p=150"},"modified":"2012-03-21T10:15:50","modified_gmt":"2012-03-21T15:15:50","slug":"running-the-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/decastro\/2012\/03\/running-the-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Running the Race"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Running the Race: \u00a0Hebrews 12:1<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.<\/p>\n<p>Let us run with PERSEVERANCE the race marked out for us.<\/p>\n<p>So this is what I think of when I picture us running the race&#8230;.<a title=\"Chrystal Light Commercial\" href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ORcw9cCej88\">(Video)<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Focused<\/p>\n<p>Fast<\/p>\n<p>Straight<\/p>\n<p>Goal in sight<\/p>\n<p>Attained goal.<\/p>\n<p>What is really looks like is a all over the place:<\/p>\n<p>Circles<\/p>\n<p>Multiple paths<\/p>\n<p>Where is the start, where is the end?<\/p>\n<p>Valleys<\/p>\n<p>Mountains<\/p>\n<p>Snow, rain&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>holding children, groceries, and sometime your husband.<\/p>\n<p>Oh, and your job.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It would be hard to run with multiple hats on.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>So how do we run our race better?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>1)Great cloud of witnesses:<\/p>\n<p>Proverbs 1:5<\/p>\n<p>Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Acquire wise counsel<\/li>\n<li>Not someone who always agrees with you.<\/li>\n<li>I recommend three people.\u00a0 The ones who call when you are standing on the cliff of decision and say \u201cWhats Up\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Throw off everything that hinders<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Greek Runner: Throw off everything including clothes.\u00a0 (Shopping, peer pressure, clothes, spending money)<\/p>\n<p>Runners train with weights around their ankles but they don&#8217;t run the race with them on.<\/p>\n<p>Unforgiveness:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Shark Tonic <\/strong>&#8211; Have you ever heard of shark \u201ctonic\u201d? It isn\u2019t a serum that prevents shark attacks or a medicine given to sharks. The actual term is \u201ctonic immobility,\u201d described as \u201ca natural state of paralysis that animals enter. . . . Sharks can be placed in a tonic immobility state by turning them upside down. The shark remains in this state of paralysis for an average of 15 minutes before it recovers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Imagine, a dangerous shark can be made vulnerable simply by turning it upside down. The state of tonic immobility makes the shark incapable of movement.<\/p>\n<p>Drama<\/p>\n<p>Death<\/p>\n<p>Things that \u201cmark you\u201d<\/p>\n<p>TAKE THEM OFF<\/p>\n<p>Evaluate the positive things as well:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Weight Loss<\/strong> &#8211; The army of Alexander the Great was advancing on Persia. At one critical point, it appeared that his troops might be defeated. The soldiers had taken so much plunder from their previous campaigns that they had become weighted down and were losing their effectiveness in combat.<\/p>\n<p>Alexander commanded that all the spoils be thrown into a heap and burned. The men complained bitterly but soon saw the wisdom of the order. Someone wrote, &#8220;It was as if wings had been given to them\u2014they walked lightly again.&#8221; Victory was assured.<\/p>\n<p>Lets look at it this way; Ray Stedman says:<\/p>\n<p>Not is it a sin, but does it help me race?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ray Stedman<\/strong> applies this teaching about encumbrances writing that&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;the race of the Christian life is not fought well or run well by asking, &#8220;what&#8217;s wrong with this or that?&#8221; but by asking, &#8220;is it in the way of greater faith and greater love and greater purity and greater courage and greater humility and greater patience and greater self-control? Not ; Is it a sin? But: Does it help me run! Is it in the way?&#8230;Don&#8217;t ask about your music, your movies, your parties, your habits: What&#8217;s wrong with it? Ask: Does it help me RUN the race!? Does it help me RUN &#8211; for Jesus?<\/p>\n<p>Lay Aside:\u00a0 Apotithemi in Hebrew:\u00a0 Lay Aside, put way from NORMAL location.<\/p>\n<p>Normal things:\u00a0 Athletes watch what they eat, what they wear, how they sleep, how they spend their time.<\/p>\n<p>8 hours sleep, 3 hours for meals and conversation, 10 hours for work and Travel still leaves you 3 hours left A DAY!\u00a0 21 hours a week and 84 hours a month.<\/p>\n<p>What are you doing with you time?<\/p>\n<p>Take a moment and write:\u00a0 What do you do during your \u201cspare time\u201d.\u00a0 Watch TV, Eat?\u00a0 Talk on the phone, shop, read, cook?<\/p>\n<p>It is up to you what you do with your time.<\/p>\n<p>Apotithemi:<\/p>\n<p>Effective:\u00a0 A ONCE action<\/p>\n<p>Reflexive:\u00a0 YOU lay it aside<\/p>\n<p>It requires participation.\u00a0 I was told once the race is like an moving sidewalk.\u00a0 If you aren\u2019t moving forward you are moving backwards.<\/p>\n<p>Athletic training:\u00a0 Exchange BETTER FOR BEST!<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t ask, What\u2019s wrong with this or that&#8230;instead ask..does it help me run.<\/p>\n<p>Music<\/p>\n<p>TV<\/p>\n<p>Friends<\/p>\n<p>Going Out<\/p>\n<p>Shopping<\/p>\n<p>Eating,<\/p>\n<p>Facebook<\/p>\n<p>BIG ONES:\u00a0 Pornography, alcohol, flirting (adultery)<\/p>\n<p>Galatians 5:22-23<\/p>\n<p>Are you greater at love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.<\/p>\n<p>Self Check:<\/p>\n<p>Ask your kids&#8230;am I kinds?\u00a0 As your husband or best friend.\u00a0 Do they pause?<\/p>\n<p>Look at the history on your computer.<\/p>\n<p>Watch TV with your Pastor sitting by you&#8230;your Mom&#8230;your kids.<\/p>\n<p>Write down everything you did this week.<\/p>\n<p>Have you tithed?\u00a0 Have you prayed?\u00a0 Have your read your Bible?\u00a0 This is water to a runner!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>RUN THE RACE THE BEST YOU CAN!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-report-this\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/decastro?moderation_action=report_form&object_type=post&object_id=150&width=250&height=300\" class=\"thickbox\" title=\"Report This Post\">Report This Post<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Running the Race: \u00a0Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us run with PERSEVERANCE the race marked out for us. So &hellip; <a class=\"read-excerpt\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/decastro\/2012\/03\/running-the-race\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&raquo;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Running the Race - Jen DeCastro<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/decastro\/2012\/03\/running-the-race\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Running the Race - Jen DeCastro\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Running the Race: \u00a0Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 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