Athletes have to train to reach a point of higher endurance, greater strength, and stronger discipline to reach their goal of a higher level of competition. They don’t stay or want to stay at the same level they have been competing in. There is no ignoring the fact that the competition also have the same mindset. They want to level up! To level up they prepare. They prepare themselves in every area for those coming after them. The main goal of those coming is to make you drop a level or even remove you from the whole competition. Guess who else wants to drop you from your walk with Christ and doesn’t want you to get back up. He wants you dead. John 10:10 – The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

Training is part of the preparation.

• No one likes the pain that comes with the goal you have in mind.
• No one enjoys the pain, but what we do enjoy is: the results of our training as we reach and pass goals and make new ones.
  • Example: My sons trained for wrestling and Jujitsu. They hated the training, the soreness, the bloody noses, the scrapes, the dislocated collar bones, but when they stepped on the matt and the times, they were at the top of their game and were advanced to a higher level and winning. They loved stepping on the podium to receive their medal, belt, or sword.

My point is we have to go through the process and just because we are Christain doesn’t mean we are exempt from PAIN! We want to be exempt and to be honest when I first gave my life to God, I thought that I was exempt, but I am not. It just doesn’t work that way. Even Jesus endured the most extreme unimaginable pain on the cross all for YOU and ME! He did it, He went through the process because He trusted God the Father and His love. Even in His moment of asking is there another way but still he went through the pain of the process. Luke 22:42 – “Father, if you are willing, please take his cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

COMFORT is what we want to experience to our promise. It’s natural to want comfort, who doesn’t want to be comfortable all the time. We know that God uses the difficult circumstances that we come across in our lives to develop and transform us. John 16:33- I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. God is calling me and calling you to go through this process to experience the growth we need for what he is calling us for now and the next level coming. I know I will have to go through some pain to get to my promise, but being honest when I’m going through the pain, when I’m struggling to continue my walk, when I’m hurting, when I feel like I keep falling and every time it seems harder to get up, I forget this is the process to get closer to my promise. The pain is part of the process but just, HOLD ON! Hold on because the last time that I thought I wouldn’t or couldn’t get back up and by the strength of God I did, and you will too. I thought I just couldn’t continue this walk with God, but I am, and I want more. We avoid the pain through the process so just don’t try it but hold on because God will not let you go.

We want comfort! We want the easiest, smoothest, and fastest route to our promise. No pain, just easy and comfortable! The world will tell you to cover your sadness, anger, anxiety, or hurt with a pill, alcohol or something else. Don’t get me wrong if a doctor prescribed it then go for it but to use things to cover things up to not feel the pain will not make any of it go away. It will still be there! It isn’t gone! It’s covered up and hidden for a moment! BUT HOLD ON! GOD is standing with you, and he will not let you go.

We have to build, train, and search for THE ONE that can get us through the pain that seems like will never end but I want to tell you HOLD ON! That pain is temporary. 2 Corinthians 4:17- for our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

JUST HOLD ON! Hold on and look up and trust HIM!

The pain to your promise requires preparation. We have to train to be able to fulfil our purpose to get to our promise.

SO:

We will make mistakes…BUT HOLD ON!

We will want to quit…BUT HOLD ON!

We will fall …. BUT HOLD ON! Get up and keep going!!

I want you to know you aren’t reading this blog by accident. It has all been God’s plan. I encourage you as you read not to dwell in the pain but take some time in prayer and ask God, ” What are you trying to show or teach me?” As much as we want to, we can’t take short cuts. Short cuts won’t help you or build you up, it takes away from your growth.

JUST HOLD ON! The pain to your promise may make you feel broken but even broken, God will restore, transform, and rebuild you into a better version of yourself through him, making you stronger and wiser to be able to help others know that if they just hold on, the pain to the promise is life changing!