Manna for Your Morning

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. — 2 Timothy 4:7 (NKJV) Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. (1 Corinthians 9:24 NASB1995) …since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. (Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT) May you keep the faith and finish the race God has set before you.

This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. — Psalm 118:24 (NASB) Brothers and sisters, as I said, I know I have not arrived; but there’s one thing I am doing: I’m leaving my old life behind, putting everything on the line for this mission. I am sprinting toward the only goal that counts: to cross the line, to win the prize, and to hear God’s call to resurrection life found exclusively in Jesus the Anointed. (Philippians 3:13-14 VOICE) May we look unto Jesus and keep our ears attuned to the still small voice of God, as He leads us and guides us through this day. Stay mission minded, because God has a good plan and a purpose for you to fulfill.

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. — 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 (NLT) All serious athletes, train hard and consistently. Let us run our race with perseverance, keeping our eyes on the prize, not allowing the hurdles of life to be a stumbling block. Press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us (Philippians 3:14, NLT). Let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us, [looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus… (Hebrews 12:1-2, AMP)

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 3:14 (NKJV) God chose us and called us, and He has plans to give us a future and a hope. We are to progress forward and upward, as we pursue the good plans and purposes God has for us. In Philippians 3:12, the Apostle Paul says, not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. May we too, PRESS ON! Instead of letting the difficulties set you back, use them to take a step up, into a stronger, more spacious place in God. Run your race, with your eye on the prize, being fully confident that He who began a good work in you, is faithful to complete it.

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. — 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 (NLT) We are in a race, however we are not competing against each other, but against an enemy whose only desire to trip us up, and keep us from crossing the finish line. All he wants us to do is give up on God and quit. I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself (1 Corinthians 9:26-27 MSG). Let us run with purpose in every step!

“There is the sound of war in the camp.” — Exodus 32:17 (NIV) Wake up! We are in a war. Every day we are in the midst of a battle. In Revelation 12:17, the devil declared war with the woman and the rest of her offspring, those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Let us be good soldiers. Good soldiers stay focused on the mission of the Commanding Officer. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier (2 Timothy 2:4). Good soldiers do not quit in the middle of the battle. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 2:3). Get your boots on the ground and stay engaged in the good fight of faith. The PRICE is the war that must be fought, but the PRIZE is the wedding to come (Revelation 21:1-4). March on good soldiers, with your eyes on the prize!

Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. — Isaiah 43:19 (AMP) “Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare;” (Isaiah 42:9, NKJV). God is doing a new thing! Stop studying past events. They cannot be changed. No longer cling to what is old and familiar. The Apostle Paul said, “one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus,” (Philippians 3:13b-14, NKJV). Today is a new day! May we press on and look forward to what lies ahead!

I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward.  — Philippians 3:13 -14 (AMP) Sometimes it is a strain to move forward, but when we lay aside the disappointments and regrets of the past and throw off everything that hinders us, we are able to run with perseverance the race marked out for us. So let us press on, with our eyes on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus! Let there be no turning back or getting side-tracked.

“For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but your life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in Me,” says the LORD.’” — Jeremiah 39:18 (NKJV) Because you have put your trust in the LORD, no weapon formed against you shall prosper. Your life shall be as a prize to you, a life in the eternal realm, in the Presence of our great God forever. Wow! How awesome is that? We are WINNERS! So let's press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us (Philippians 3:14, NLT).

It’s not that I’ve already reached the goal or have already completed the course. But I run to win that which Jesus Christ has already won for me. Brothers and sisters, I can’t consider myself a winner yet. This is what I do: I don’t look back, I lengthen my stride, and I run straight toward the goal to win the prize that God’s heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14 (GW) Congratulations! You may have overcome many obstacles this year, but the important thing is that you persevered and made it through. Praise the Lord! As we look forward to the New Year, may we resolve to get rid of everything that slows us down, especially sin that distracts us. Let us run the race that lies ahead of us and never give up (Hebrews 12:1, GW). Run straight toward your goals, jump over any hurdles and keep your eyes on JESUS. Run to win! Complete the course!

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14 (NKJ) Brothers and sisters, don't get hung up on what happened in days gone by. That is like driving down the road while looking in the rear view mirror. You will not get very far before you crash. Instead, keep reaching forward to what lies ahead. Press on toward the goal, to finish the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT) Forget the past and focus on what lies ahead. When the winds of adversity hit you in the face and the stormy waters beat against your back, keep pressing on. When you feel the flames from the furnace of affliction, press on. Look to the future. God has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57). Love, Jackie