Good afternoon, Making Space for God friends! Yesterday I had the privilege of preaching at my church, St. Andrew’s, in Mt. Pleasant, SC. The theme of my sermon was “Press On” and I used Paul’s letter to the Philippians to help illustrate this topic. So, today I wanted to share with you an older blog post on this topic and the “training tips” that Paul gives us in his instructions:

Training Tips

In his instructions to the Philippians, Paul tells us to press on running like a trained athlete. As we run the race God has planned for us, training is the key. Let’s look at some tips.

Tip 1: A Schedule

1. A trained athlete must have a schedule – a plan to get in shape and to prepare for the race. As Christians we need a plan to get in shape spiritually. Living a life that is purposeful is what we are after. If we are intent on knowing God intimately and in sharing the good news about Jesus Christ with others we will be plenty busy – wonderfully busy – and our business will yield a great harvest.

Tips 2 and 3 (from Philippians 3:12)

2. Acknowledge that your life is out of control. In humility recognize that you are not perfect.

3. Press on to take hold of Christ’s goal for you. Surrender daily to God’s will and stay in touch with God through prayer daily to accomplish His will. Listen for His instruction, then follow it.

Tip 4 (from Philippians 3:13)

4. Forget what lies behind; don’t look back. If your life has been out of control and filled with stress and disappointments, look forward. Paul actually says to strain toward what is ahead. That is a picture of stretching yourself forward. It may be a stretch to look ahead when life in the fast lane keeps calling you back.

Tip 5 (from Philippians 3:14)

5. Never give up. Keep pressing on to the goal that Christ has for you. Purposeless life in the fast lane is not really living; life pressing into God’s plan for you is the goal.

Tip 6

6. Have a plan to spend time each day in the word and in prayer. Keep paper and pen close by and journal what you sense God is saying. Surrender your day to Him, and you will never regret it. Good athletes have a plan of exercise and diet. Time with God exercises your spiritual muscle and reading His Word is the bread of life.

Which of these tips resonates most with you today? I’d love to hear from you – please share in the comments!