Wesleyne (00:01.794)

What are you striving for? What are you running towards or running away from? What is that prize that you're trying to get on the other end of your obedience?

Wesleyne (00:17.966)

In 1 Corinthians 9 verses 24, it says, do you not 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. When I read that verse, it tells me, or the way that that verse speaks to me is that we are all running.

towards something or away from something. At all times in our life, we're moving closer to something or we're moving away from something. And at times, if I look back and I reflect, there are moments when I am running towards something and I get the thing that I'm running towards and I'm not satisfied.

or I'm running away from something and I just keep running away from it. I just keep running away from it. And I don't know when to stop running because I am trying to protect myself. I am trying to run so far and so fast and so hard, but I'm not running to win. If I'm running away from something or running towards something and I never

And I never allow myself to bask in the glory of completing the race. I never bask in the glory of getting to the goal, getting the thing that I was running to roars, running away from. Then I'm not running to win. I'm just running. And so how can I put this in a very practical sense for you?

may be in a job or career and you are trying to get to the next level, you are working towards a promotion. So you are running towards that promotion, putting in extra hours and doing all of the assignments that have been asked of you, going over and above. And you get the promotion and you're like, this is great. And the next day you're like, okay.

Wesleyne (02:45.038)

Now I want my next promotion in 18 months. So I'm going to move towards that. No, that means that you keep running and you don't celebrate the blessing, the thing that God has given you. God wants you to just sit in that win, sit at the goal line, enjoy it. Don't get complacent, but celebrate and say, thank you Lord for these blessings.

Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to achieve the success. And I'm going to do the best I can in this position. I'm going to focus on this position. I'm going to do the things that you have called me to do. That is how we sit in our win. That is how we sit in our prize. We thank God for it. We bask in it.

We do the best that we can do. And then after days, weeks, months, years, whenever God commands you to get in the race again, you get in the race. And when we run away from something, whether we're running away from abuse or addiction or heartache or grief or whatever we are running away from, our prize

Our goal line is that first ounce of hope, that first ounce of healing that you feel when you're going through a difficult situation, you're running as far away from it as you can. If you're dealing with an addiction, running away from it means every single day you focus on your sobriety

Every single day, you lay your burdens at the foot of the cross and you ask God to fill you up, to help you with your sobriety.

Wesleyne (04:58.406)

And what is the prize for you? What is that goal line? Maybe it's one week sober. Celebrate that. Be proud of yourself and keep doing what has gotten you there. Keep doing it. Because when you're running away from something, you are doing hard work. The hard work of healing, the hard work of repentance, the hard work of denying your flesh daily.

So, focus on each win. Celebrate your progress.

Keep moving, keep running, set yourself a goal line, run towards the prize. And remember, God is always walking with you. The Holy Spirit is within you, filling all the gaps up in your heart, in your soul, and in your body.