Running Your Race

Running Your Race

10/14/18

To get into shape for anything or to keep anything in shape energy must be expunged in order for all parties to be ready.  It does not matter what type of “anything” one may refer to either for all we know things must be conditioned before tests can be made.  There is no way possible that our lives could stand up to difficult challenges if we first did not keep our existence and surroundings complete as possible and it does not take a rocket scientist to know that if these settings are not kept in working order, no possibilities of success shall be on the table.  God wants us to know that if we do not keep up our dominion by preparing to run its course that we shall surely fall and end our existence with failure.  It is for this reason alone that it is our duty to first keep and to dress our dominions and secondly present to the dying world this truth about life and existence.

Now, I participated I track duties when I was in junior high and parts of high school but never really took it too seriously.  I understood the concept of getting into shape for those events but I just could not overcome the fact that training actually had to be done in order to compete.  I have no issues with walking a mile or two but to run and to train to become faster at the said distance just does not make sense to me.  Anyway, I say this from the beginning because even though I might not have liked this arena of sporting events others do and thoroughly enjoy every bit of it.  Training for such events takes time and dedication in order for someone to compete against another, and enemy or nemesis if one wishes to put it in this category.  Furthermore, one can even identify this type of setting to one’s dominion in that if defeated then it can be compared to a breach in the dominion and thus dangerous upon completion.

Beginning this message with a track example is probably the only one that could be acceptable for all of us have heard that our life is a race or a long journey that we are destined to follow and to complete.  All of us are on this journey together and while our paths not be identical in composition we all must run this course and do our best to conquer it as each day passes.  So, it is necessary that we heed to the ones who give us advice along our way, but when we seek solace and wisdom from those who are fallible it shall come back to haunt us some point down the road.  I am not saying that we should ignore all personal advice from others, but if the advice promotes the world and its standards it will not satisfy us in the way that we need and thus further seek worldly counsel instead of the One who Created us.  The world has its own beliefs about life and how we should act, but our Creator has other and holy orders that complete our lives and the only way possible to return to His Ways is to turn our hearts back to Him.

In order for us to know what our race is about and how important it is we must return back to the Book of Genesis and revisit Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  More specifically, Adam when he and God were talking about the place where he was supposed to live and the job that God gave him to complete.  In Genesis 2:15-17 we have the initial conversation between God and Adam concerning the responsibilities that God wants for His precious and perfect Creations to adhere to.  We must remember that when this command is given to Adam his heart is of a pure nature without any flaws to hinder or dampen his life and that since Adam is in this state a prime target for the enemy who is watching this process unfold.  God did not just create Adam and then allow him to roam without adequate knowledge of what to look out for or how to protect him when troubles (enemy) came along.  Satan knew exactly what God meant when He stated to Adam what was expected of him, for God had at some point in history given the exact same type of responsibility to Lucifer as well.

The command in Genesis 2:15-17 represents the race that Adam and eventually Eve were given to run.  This passage defines our race that each one of us must complete.  This process that God established in the Garden of Eden has not changed one bit for each one of us has the responsibility in completing this course that we have been given.  It does not matter if you are a minister, a business person, a physician, chef, or ditch digger we all have the responsibility to dress and to keep our work for the glory and the standard of God.  The only way that we can successfully complete this mission of ours is not only to have a great work ethic around us but to have the complete and holy Covenant over our hearts as well.  Having only a partial completion is just that, partial.  Our hearts are the most important portion of this equation for it is our hearts that define our lives and provide us with the necessary strength to complete the physical aspect of our dominion.  Dominion is not just the work itself but it also the individual origin of the person assigned to the task.

An important detail to remember here and that our dominion is all around us AND inside us.  In order for our dominion to be kept up and dressed both sides of our dominion need to be intact.  If God does not provide you with perfect dominion status without your own house yet does in your workplace, something is not right and needs to be adjusted; vice versa falls into this category as well.  When this type of setting occurs it may at first not be easily spotted but at some point, it will become clear to you that both aspects of your dominion are not equal.  The Holy Spirit is the one who pokes us in this manner and it is His responsibility to grab our attention so that we can change matters before the Father has to step in.  God absolutely loves to see His children be successful at keeping their dominions intact, but it saddens His heart when only a portion is truly fulfilled.

Because Adam and Eve were humans, it is guaranteed that our enemy convinced them that completing only half of their duties for the day or somewhere less than what was expected was okay and that nothing was wrong with less than 100% percentage completed.  All of us have had times where we just come to a point and say that I have done enough for the day and then walk away until the next day.  There is nothing wrong with this occurring once in a while, but if we allow our enemy to convince us that this practice is okay then our dominion takes a hit.  It is this avenue that Satan lured Adam and Eve down and at some point between Genesis 2:25 & Genesis 3:1 that avenue had been traveled long enough for him to finalize his lies into our DNA.

I have no idea of how much time passed from Genesis 2:25 until Genesis 3:1 appeared, nor do I know how much time passed between Genesis 3:1 and Genesis 3:6 but I do know that that scheduled amount of time had a large impact on what Satan had planned for Adam and Eve and that he had them well in hand in order to complete his mission.  A detail here that should really place a fire under our dominions and that is this: Satan completed his mission to the fullest in Genesis 3:7 so why is it so difficult for us to follow through with God’s command for us concerning our dominion?  If we do not complete our race on a daily basis then we allow Satan to best us and get our goat if you wish, so for this reason alone, we should be totally motivated in dressing our dominion on both sides of the command.  It is easy for us to believe that we can continue to separate our two halves and keep one in hidden enough that our other actions will not produce any activities that would deem a normal life otherwise.  This passage clearly states that this “separation” policy cannot be true and that eventually all aspects of what lies within our hearts shall be made manifest.  We really need to think about this truth when we try to procure policies to keep this or that private from other eyes and this truth also defines just how easy it is for others to notice everything we do, as in for all to see.

Are we honest enough with ourselves to ask if both sides of our dominion are intact and dressed?  Are we honest enough with ourselves to address this question with the allowance of God standing right by our side while we ask for healing?  Or do we superficially look at our outside covering and say nothing is wrong, all is okay and then turn around and face another inner dilemma alone?  For most of us, it is easy to hide our inner dominion from those around us who do not see our worries on a personal level, work usually does not suffer much at first but eventually, it will and our inner dominion defaults ooze out into our public dominion.  God created us in such a manner that in order for our lives to be complete, we must be in tune and in alignment with Him and His Ways.  Even after all of the issues and sinfulness, we place over Him He still offers us an eternal way out of this wickedness, the end of Genesis Chapter 3 gives us this precious and vital detail about how much God wishes for us to be with Him.  This eternal salvation is our true hope in life and it is our responsibility to tell those who do not know about this glorious escape plan.

Another aspect of running our race is how we represent our dominion to others, for it is obvious that if our hearts are not right with God and in constant communication with Him that something will be amiss and quickly detected by others.  Over the last few years, the news concerning the number of suicides that have occurred both in popular culture and in personal towns has skyrocketed.  When these tragedies occur, most people are at a loss for words for society has made talking about this evil act an off-topic subject, screaming foul when someone addresses the spiritual aspect of this procedure.  One can add into this picture any other type of tragedy they wish and the same responses hold true.  It is these types of stories that we read about that define just how bad off our hearts are and how divided our lives have become, simply because we have thrown out God from our lives.  What kind of life expectancy can we believe or live within if the Creator of our existence is not part of our picture?  It is no wonder we have such a high suicide rate and crime rate within our communities, big or small it does not matter.  There is no possible way to live a perfect life in complete harmony and in peace without God, read Genesis Chapters 2 & 3 and it is clear that this is a true claim.

Church, we have fallen down on the job by not believing in what the Word of God states and the reason we have come to this point in our history is that we have believed that we can have portions of the world in our lives without any consequences rendered.  We have believed this lie for a very long time now, so long that we have totally forgotten to look at the condition of our heart and to remember the ONLY way possible for that black spot to be covered correctly.  No physical deeds can mask the identity of our diseased heart and unless we live completely under the blood covenant of Christ there is no way possible that our hearts shall survive eternity.  It is our responsibility to cry unto God for salvation and restoration and it is also our great mission that we tell others about this saving grace that only He offers.  Witnessing to others and sharing the truth about our lives is what defines our hearts; it is up to us to either tell this truth or to tell a lie to those around us.  It is obvious of how and where our hearts are by what we teach and present to others for if we do not measure up with the Word of God at all times and at 100% continually, the blackness of our heart will eventually show through as our sinful nature deems convicted.

Running our race and completing it does not mean that we cross that finish line and then our life is over, but in order to really and truly complete our race is to allow others to understand what Jesus does to the appearance and condition of our hearts.  One day each one of us shall have their heart stopped permanently and then our eternity begins and it is up to us to show others that this eternal placement of ours depends totally on the fact if we live for Christ or not and if we really live for Christ we will gladly spread the eternal gospel to those who we have relationship with, whether they receive it or not we still need to live in this mission statement that Jesus gave to us so long ago.  How is your heart?  Is it running the race to its fullest or is it on the sidelines watching soul after soul depart this earth for their eternal placement?  Come on, Church, let us wake up and turn our hearts back to God so that we too can breathe the eternal air and give it freely to others that are dying.

DLB