Running to Win, Part 3, "The Control"
Control is something we like to hold on to, but if you want to win this race you better be prepared to let go and let God! Holding the control switch makes us feel powerful, but Paul said, "When I am weak, then am I strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10) Are you under God's control?

Temperate in all things
1 Corinthians 9:25 says, "And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible." Self-control means that you do what's right even when you don't want to. Do you love Jesus Christ this much? Would you trade the world for Christ? Are you sold out to Christ to the point that you would, "sell all that thou hast...and come, follow me"? (Luke 18:22) Even Jesus' flesh had no desire for the Cross! The disciple must continually discipline himself as discipline is nothing less than a life-style, not an occasional religious activity. "In ALL things..." There's no room for self in that statement! Jesus never gave His disciples a day off from the Christian life. Self-control in the Christian life is equivalent to long-distance endurance in the runner of a marathon. The marathon runner can run the same speed for the entire race. Christians are not in a sprint, but in a marathon! "They do it to obtain a corruptible crown..." If the lost man will give his life for the temporary rewards of the devil the Christian should be running circles around him with his all-out lifestyle for Jesus Christ! 1 Corinthians 9:26 says, "I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air". Because of his assurance as to the importance of his race, Paul ran and fought until the day that he died, through the mountain tops and the valleys. Such endurance comes from focusing closely on our Lord who endured to the end because of His great love for us! Keep your heart on Him and the control will come as natural as breathing.

Spiritual Exercise
1 Corinthians 9:27 says, "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." The exercise and bodily subjection performed by athletes is both impressive and essential! A swimmer may swim 10 miles a day, the marathon runner may run 10-20 miles a day, just to be competitive! Christ has called us to go the 2nd mile and nothing less, otherwise the devil will be the one running circles around us! Do you pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), shine day and night (Matthew 5:14), and meditate in the Word day and night (Joshua 1:8)? Such spiritual exercises are only the basic essentials to becoming competitive, enduring the hardships of the competition, and ultimately gaining the victory in the Christian race! A lack of such preparation will lead to certain loss. The Christian will surely cross the finish line, but what will be waiting for you afterwards? "For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." (1 Timothy 4:8) Eternal rewards can be lost and they are often lost when we begin to focus on the life that now is and forget that which is to come. A brief look behind, though near the finish line, may very well cause the runner to stumble and be overtaken and loose the prize that was his to claim. "Remember Lot's wife." (Luke 17:32)