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dart4lod
  • 2 days ago
Transcript
00:00Our eternal hope. Let's get moving and not just drift along. That's a powerful message for
00:13believers stuck in fear or complacency about the future. Jesus calls all of us to run the race of
00:20faith as if we really want to win. In fact, countless faithful believers in Jesus did just
00:26that, facing terrible odds against them, and now enjoy their heavenly reward. They are a cloud of
00:33witnesses, cheering you on to run your race of faith by keeping your focus on Jesus. What holds
00:39us back from running free? Anything that causes us not to believe God. In fact, unbelief is the sin
00:47that hinders you from moving forward and growing in your faith. By focusing on Jesus and all he
00:53endured, we let loose all those shackles and sin. We can run freely and without hindrance.
01:00And God will do whatever it takes to set us free from things that hinder us from running the race.
01:06God loves us so much, as a father loves his children, that he's willing to allow difficult
01:11circumstances into our lives to help form our spiritual character. What matters is how you
01:18respond to God's gracious actions in your life. That's why it's so important for you to remember
01:24that God works continually in your life. He longs for you to trust him in deeper ways and to expand
01:31your faith in his purposes for you. The best response to God's loving discipline is learning from it
01:38and allowing him to work in you. When you allow God to train you how to live more effectively in the
01:44power of Christ, you join him in his loving purpose for you. We need to be trained and taught by the
01:51Lord's discipline, and then we will not find ourselves in the position of going weak in the
01:56knees, spiritually speaking. It is so easy to lose heart when life takes difficult turns.
02:03But God has loving purposes for you in those periods of trouble. You must trust him on that.
02:09Resist going through life as a follower of Jesus known for your continual complaining attitude.
02:16That's so unbecoming of God's desire for you. Unbelievers watch with intensity how you respond
02:22to adversity and disappointment, knowing of your faith in God. God can use your response to his
02:29loving discipline to bring someone closer to their own encounter with his Son. Keeping yourself on a
02:35straight path of obedience also helps guard against falling into a pattern of negative responses to
02:41God. When you stray from God's path, you risk stumbling and experiencing unnecessary injury,
02:48disruptions or distractions that hinder your walk with God. He can put you back on course,
02:55but you might walk the rest of your days with a spiritual limp. When we live our lives in holiness,
03:01in ways that are pleasing to him and honoring to his Son, people are attracted to that sort of
03:07authentic living. God can use your response to tough times to draw someone to himself.
03:14When we are at peace with God through Jesus, we can be channels of that offer of peace to those who
03:19need it most.