Running

One Step at a Time – 5k or Marathon

Posted on by Carl / 2 Comments

We have now official entered the “my big old butt” days. Most people are trying to get off the excess from the holidays. I walked past the big bathroom mirror to catch a glimpse of my frame waddling by. I start another year getting rid of the extra pounds and excess of the past year.

When I use to run on greenways, this time of year had a surge of people out running and walking. Of course by February, most people have slipped back into their homes to complete another hum drum winter with no excitement until spring. There are a few that just keep going through the cold and boredom and keep on exercising no matter what the days and weeks of winter bring. If you are going to succeed at anything, you have to just keep going when it seems there is no change and you can’t see results.

Your spirit walk with the Lord is the same. You have many days that consist of just putting one foot in front of the other (of course that is how you finish a marathon – just putting one foot in front of the other for 26.2 miles). We get out of bed and do the same things over and over. I believe that is a place of great greatest spiritual and physical growth. You build leg strength by just putting one foot in front of the other for miles. You build muscle pushing weights rep after boring rep.

2 Corinthians 5:7  

For we live by faith, not by sight.

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we cannot see.

As you set your goals this year, determine to walk by faith in all areas. In your exercise, don’t get discouraged by what you see. Just keep moving your feet and doing another rep.

In your worship and prayer life, just keep on getting it done every day. Don’t be moved by how you feel or what you see. God is pleased. It is a blessing to have a child that just keeps praising by faith.

If you are sick, depressed, lonely or just tried, don’t be move by what you see or how you fell. Faith is being sure your Father will never leave you nor forsake you. Faith pushes on when there doesn’t seem to be a natural answer. Faith says: My God supplies all my needs according to HIS riches.

2 Peter 1 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mind Change: God has given me EVERYTHING I need for this life. He gave it to me by his Spirit. Today – by faith- I will receive from God what I need. I can’t see it, but by believing that God does not lie, I will complete my course and keep moving with no sign of change. When the results of your faith become visible, make sure you let others know that Your God is good all the time and His love never fails.

PS:  A Marathon is just one step at a time for 26.2 miles.   Easy – Peasy by Faith

Running

You Did a Few Good Things – God is Happy

Posted on by Carl / 2 Comments

The greatest feeling in my running life is the moment I finish a Marathon. Months and months of grinding out hours of running. In those months, I live through pain, cold, heat, dehydration, runners high and long hours of being alone. But when I cross that finish line all the pain, cold, etc. vanishes for a few minutes and I feel wonderful. But after the high wears off, the pain of recover starts.

When a women is carrying a baby, there are months of pain, uncomfortable hours, joy of the baby moving, sometime sickness, swollen parts and hours you feel alone. But when that baby is laid on your chest, all the pain and months of problems fade away at the sight of the baby. Of course when the baby is taken to the hospital nursery, the pain of recover starts.

Every Christmas, we run around for day’s spending money. We get ready for the big meal. We fight the crowds to get a gallon of milk. We scrimp and save and then spend money we don’t have. Then Christmas day comes and for a few minutes it is wonderful. The kids are playing with the box the $100 toy came in and the food smells wonderful. The family is all together and all is right in the world. Of course, you wake up December 26th with a new feeling. Your clothes don’t fit. You have a food and drink hangover and the bank account is empty. You remember the slide remark someone made yesterday. You start to look over the past year, as New Year’s comes on. You remember the love ones that were not there this year. The Accuser of the Brethren (your enemy) starts to tell you how bad things are and you put on 10 pounds. He tells you how bad you suck at life and the bills will never get paid!

DON’T CRASH THIS YEAR – GOD LOVES YOU –  Does anything else really matter?

I have gone through a 2 year battle that is finally coming to a “good” finish this week. I started thinking this week about how I had just missed God this whole two years. It didn’t go my way, SO BY THE TRADITIONS OF MEN – I must have missed God somewhere! My faith was just not strong enough. I was too carnal minded. I should have zigged, when I should have zagged!

Well thank God for his fellowship , because in my early morning worship this verse came out of my spirit:

Matthew 25:23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

Listen, you have been faithful with a few things this year. If we could be perfect, there would be no need for Jesus. But we all need a Savior! DON”T GET DEPRESSED this year. Come and share in your Master’s happiness. God is happy today and he will be with you all day. Don’t let the Accuser beat you up. You are a child of God and he is pleased. The Word says: without faith it is impossible to please God. I know you have faith in God’s son or you would not be reading this. Let your joy today be in the fact that your Father is happy with you.

Mind Change: I have been faithful in a “few things” and so today I will share in the Lord’s happiness over my faith. God loves me and everything else is a zero with the rim knocked off! Today is the Day the Lord has made and I will rejoice WITH him!

Running

Peace on Earth and Goodwill to Men

Posted on by Carl / 2 Comments


Running and walking for me is a great release of stress. The pressure of the world can sometimes force me to the trail on non-run days. I believe exercise is a God-given way to help us cope during times of testing . Of course, we don’t always cause our stress. We live in a fallen world that will always be flawed by sin, because Adam and Eve’s decided to know the “Knowledge of Evil”. I have struggled with the same thing myself over the last 60 plus years. (lol)  Grandpa Adam was just the first of us!

God has also given us a Spiritual way to deal with stress!

Around 2000 years ago, our heavenly Father  sent his Son to mankind. God told Satan in the garden, after the fall, that he would correct the mess created that day. God’s peace is not a peace between men, but a peace between God and man. God got all excited the night Jesus was born.  God sent his Angels to some old boys out in the fields watching their sheep. God’s sacrifice for sin was in the earth. The war between God and man was over. He had His sacrifice was on the earth to take away every past, present and future sin for all of mankind.

On the night Jesus was born into the world, I believe God had a wonderful day of rejoicing over His creation . I believe all of heaven got excited over the birth of the new God/man – the Savior of the world.

   Luke 2: 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

We live in the greatest age mankind has ever known. We are at peace with God. He is not angry and loves every man, woman and child born on the earth. The pressure is off and if you re-new your mind, you will have peace with God through The Anointed Savior – Jesus Christ.

Thirty years later, John the cousin of Jesus had this to say:

    John:1: 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Mind Change: God is no longer angry with men over sin. The sacrifice of His Son takes away the sin of the world. If you have received Christ Jesus as your Savior, the price for your sin has been paid. His blood was put on the altar in the Holy of Holies and you are at peace with God. You are Born Again into God’s Kingdom and family. Talk with your Father this season! He wants to hear from you every day. According to the Word, you were made for His pleasure. Prayer is just you talking with the Father.

Merry Christmas to all and to all peace with God!

 

Running

Life is a Marathon – Training Can be Easy

Posted on by Carl / 4 Comments


When you are my age and size sprinting is just not part of the life style. Over the last 15 years, I tried to play softball several times and each time pulled a calf muscle on the first sprint to catch a ball or run a base. It was really pitiful to be laid up on the bench, after running so many jogging miles. The sprint and marathon use different muscles and movement in your legs. I can jog all day, but one good sprint and I am hugging the bench for several days.

Overall, our walk/run with God is a marathon. I have tried to sprint in my spiritual life for years also. It usually works out about the same as my softball games. I get all excited over a Word that someone shared, but it takes time to become spirit minded and change our carnal minds. We are so carnally minded that a spiritual change may take years. When I started learning about the real grace of God (unmerited favor), it took years to start believing God loves me – because he is love. I still struggle and fight a lifelong believe that I have to earn the love of God. I will start with grace, but usually at some point get “deceived” by my enemy and start “working” for God’s love. If you are earning God’s love, that is a wage and not a gift.

There are times we need to sprint in our spirits, but you have to train to be a sprinter. If I trained to sprint, I could do it without an issue, but I never train. For many years, I only trained once or twice a week in the spirit realm. I would go to church twice a week and expect to run in the spirit realm on 2 training days a week?

Are you training a couple of days a week to run with God or do you spent some time each day with your trainer the Holy Spirit?

Do you know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, be we do it to get a crown that will last forever.              1 Corinthians 9: 24-25

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.    Hebrews 12 1-2

In your spiritual life, we have sprints and marathons. I would say that most changes will come from training our carnal minds over long periods of time. During a major crisis, we may have to sprint but make sure you have trained for the short fast runs and long slow runs. Jesus has perfected our faith in himself and given us the gift and measure of faith. We have to keep our eyes on him each day through fellowship of praise, worship and mediation on his word. Fellowship with the Lord is not hours of praying and Bible study. You could mediate on the two verses above for the next month and just talk to the Lord about them each day. The Spirit of God dwelling in us will help with  “repenting-mind changes” and spend time with you to guide you. The Word says we have the mind of Christ. God loves you and will spend time with you each day. The true nature of God is revealed to us by spending time loving him each day.

Mind Change: My spiritual growth is a lifelong pursuit developed by daily fellowship with the Lord. If we spend time each day in fellowship with the Lord, his Spirit will lead us in the path we should take and fill us with His love. We have a hard time resolving problems when we lean on our own carnal minds for guidance. When we renew our minds to God’s Word and daily fellowship, life just becomes easier. Bodily exercise makes our bodies stronger and spiritual exercise makes our spirit and mind stronger.

P.S. – My daily fellowship is listening to the New Testament on my way to work. I walk or run early and just pray (talk with the Lord) and praise. It is not hard nor a burden, he is my father. By the way, one meaning of prayer is too “kiss the face of God”. Does that sound hard? I kiss my wife every day before I leave for work, so kissing my Father is not a burden.

Running

The Son Gives Faith On Cloudy Days

Posted on by Carl / 2 Comments

I went out Saturday to start my long runs for a Marathon in January. It was a cloudy, cool day with no hope of sunshine. I hate to run on days like that and this day was no exception to that rule. My mind is just not positive on cloudy, dark, misty days. I wanted to run 14 miles, because I only have 10 weeks to complete my training.

I did good on my first 3 ½ mile loop through the park and downtown. I did the second loop and came back to the car for a drink and candy to restore sugar levels. I have just started running in a hilly terrain, so add that to the “I hate to run on days like this” theme. As I sat there, I started the van and headed home. I had all I could take for this day! As I pulled out, I knew I had to get back out and run more. I knew if I left, I was done for this marathon. My key to completing a marathon is making the long runs and dreaming of finishing during the run. I pulled back in and took one more lap to get my mind right. I didn’t make 14, but I didn’t quit at 7 either.

That is the way you have to use your faith. Faith is the source you go too, when you can’t see the answer.

“ NOW faith is being sure of what you HOPE for, and certain of what you CAN NOT SEE”.

Hebrew 11:1

” For we live by faith, not by sight”.

2 Corinthians 5:7

When you start to give up on anything, your faith is the source of staying power. In the darkest times of your life, God has given us faith by the Spirit. God has given you this most powerful source of ENERGY. In Galatians 5, you see faith is a fruit of the Spirit given to each one of us. You don’t have to build faith, just use God’s gift given by his Spirit. A gift can’t be earned. If you earn something that is a wage. God gave us faith by his grace. God is not looking for you to be the most wonderful Christian in the world. He makes us wonderful Christians by the gifts of the Spirit. If you could live a sinless life, then Christ came in vain. We live in and by his power.

You are never alone. If today is a cloudy day in life with no hope of sunshine, use the gift of faith to complete your run today and everyday.

MIND CHANGE: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! My faith solves problems where I can’t see an answer. Faith is the power used to deal with unseen answers and resolutions. Do you want to please God – use the faith he gave you. How do I get faith: I confess with my mouth that I have faith and believe in my heart that God gave it to me. You get it by the confession of your mouth and what you believe in your heart. The same way you got salvation.