ENDURANCE- Don’t get tripped up!

It was THE race everyone was waiting for. It was the 1984 Summer Olympics, Mary Decker and the barefoot running Zola Budd. Decker was heavily favored to win a gold medal at the Olympics, held at Los Angeles. In the 3000 meters final, Budd, running barefoot half a stride ahead of Decker, moved to the inside lane, inadvertently crowding Decker, who collided with Budd and fell spectacularly to the curb. Decker's hip was injured and she was unable to resume the race. She was carried from the track by her future husband. At a press conference she said that Budd, who finished 7th, was to blame for the collision. After review, it was found that Budd was not to blame for the collision. But both women’s dreams of winning an Olympic gold medal were destroyed.

Gal 5:7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? NIV

Gal 5:7 You were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the true course of obedience? TMB

Gal 5:7 You were running the race nobly. Who has interfered in (hindered and stopped you from) your heeding and following the Truth? AMP

All these verses give a rendering of the KJV word ‘to hinder.’ It is anakopto- to strike, impel. To beat or drive back, hinder. It is an Olympic expression related to a race, meaning to come across the course in such a manner as to jostle and throw a participant out of the way.

One thing that we all have to watch in our Christian walk, especially Pastors, is someone, it could even be ourselves, tripping us up in the Call of God on our lives. It has happened all too often among ministers, they were doing great, very successful, and then WHAM!, someone cuts them off.

We know we have an adversary that is fighting us all the way and wants to defeat us, trip us up and knock us out of the race set before us. We have to guard ourselves and make sure that we give no place to him nor an active course of attack.

If we know that the major reasons that pastors get tripped up and knocked out of the race are conflict, burnout, and sexual impropriety, you would think we would guard ourselves all the more diligently!

But no, another one bites the dust;

and dreams and the Calling are destroyed!