I will never forget the one and only day I spent on the high school cross country team. It was a sweltering August day in Georgia and I was 16 years old. Dozens of teenagers showed up to practice that day and had no problem running three miles at the speed of light around the country roads surrounding our school.

I was not one of them. About a mile in (and a mile behind the others) I had to admit defeat as I flailed back to the school and collapsed on the pavement, sweating and discouraged.

As I lay on the ground I realized that the one thing I needed that hot August day was the one thing I didn’t have: endurance.

You Have Need of Endurance

Twenty years have come and gone since I quit the cross country team before the season even began. However, it is ironic to note that the same day I quit the team was the day I began to run. And I have been jogging for twenty years now, only stopping when absolutely necessary.

I knew I wanted to run, but I had to develop endurance.

Paul encourages the early church with his words in Hebrews 10:35-36: “Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.”

Endurance by definition is “the ability or strength to continue or last, especially despite fatigue,stress, or other adverse conditions; stamina.” 

We live in an era of instant coffee, microwave dinners, online shopping, and even pain relievers that promise “instant” relief from headaches.

But when it comes to our faith, endurance rather than fair-weather friendship is what Christ is after.

The Way of Endurance

We can cultivate endurance through faith, focus and habitual practice.

Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Faith is a gift from God. We can’t conjure up faith. We can’t make ourselves believe that God is who He says He is and that He will do what He has promised. God’s Spirit is the one who draws all people unto himself. We are utterly helpless without him.

When He opens our eyes to the truth and we are filled with faith, we can then receive God’s grace to endure. Without faith in God’s grace, spiritual endurance is impossible.

If you are looking for examples of those who finished well, check out Hebrews 11. These are individuals who endured great hardship, persecution, ridicule, and pain because they were focused on the outcome of their faith – the salvation of their souls. Of Moses it is said, “he endured as seeing him who was invisible.”

For those who long to endure, Scripture gives some clear directives: “lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and…run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted” (Hebrews 12:1-3).

It’s not enough to catch a glimpse of Christ as we begin to run. That’s why the passage says we ought to “fix our eyes” on Christ, which implies a constant focus. We must make it a habit to gaze upon Christ if we want to finish our race strong.

In summary, when we begin each day with the end in mind we will surely run well. Keep the truth before you. Keep Christ and the love He demonstrated on the cross ever before you. Keep your mind set on things above. Keep running, friends!

There are few Bible stories that command the attention of children like that of David and Goliath. Their size difference alone makes this a memorable face-off.

We all can get behind David and root for him when we read of his courage. Think of it: There was an entire army of strong men who were older and more experienced in battle than David. Any of them could have chosen to be courageous and face this taunting giant. But they did not. They chose to stand fearful and silent, allowing Goliath to blaspheme Israel and their God for forty days straight (talk about wasted time!).

Enter David, who was simply running an errand and stumbles onto the scene. I can just picture it: “Hey guys! Here are your sandwiches mom made. Why do you all look so scared?” When they told him, his response is just awesome: “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26).

Though David immediately volunteered to fight, Saul discouraged him when he saw how young he was: “Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth” (verse 33).

The Marks of an Overcomer

Here are some qualities of this young overcomer:

1) He recalled God’s faithfulness to him in past battles – no, he had not fought or killed any men before. But God had empowered him to kill both a lion and bear that had come against his father’s sheep. He had shown courage and seen victory then, and he would see victory now.

2) He knew his success came from the Lord – He didn’t try to impress Saul with his own strength. Instead, he simply pointed to God’s strength: “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine” (verse 37).

3) He used the weapons God had given him and didn’t try to be someone he wasn’t – Saul tried to put his own armor on David. David shook it off and got some stones and a sling – weapons he was confident in using.

4) He didn’t care what people thought about him– about his size, his choice of weapons, or his choice to fight. Let them stand around, tremble in fear, and grumble about all the reasons they couldn’t possibly win this fight. He didn’t care; He was going to DO something.

5) He put his confidence in God and trusted in God to win the battle – His words declared where he put his faith: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands… All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

By Our God, We Will Overcome

What giant stands mocking you daily about your inadequacies to take ground that God himself has determined to give to you? What has you standing in fear or dread, unable to move forward as a result? Where are you stalling spiritually because of the bullying of an enemy – internally or externally?

Unfortunately, like the army of Israel, we often accept defeat before the battle has begun. Often, the greatest battle is in our own minds. Do any of these thoughts sound familiar:

“It’s just how I am. I’ve always been this way. What’s the use in trying to change?”

“I could never break this habit. It’s just to hard.”

“I’ll never succeed at _______. I’m too (old/young/inexperienced/fill in the blank).”

Me and my girls are memorizing Romans 8. The whole chapter is a brilliant message of triumphant truth, but one verse in particular is worthy of our mediation today:

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

The God of the Universe is for you. He is on your side. This truth David knew well.

Go forth in confidence today that He will enable you day by day to overcome your fears and slay your giants. The battle is not yours alone – it is the Lord’s.