READ
REFLECT
Competitors have the guts to go the distance. It doesn’t matter what gets thrown at them. They replace their fear with courage and take on obstacles most people wouldn’t.
If the walls feel like they are closing in, competitors figure out how to buy a little more time, or devise a new strategy. No matter how long it takes, they find a way to hit the next level.
Competitors also have spiritual guts. They aren’t afraid to do the things God wants them to do and don’t fall in line with what modern culture says is acceptable. All that matters to them is what God has said and that His final word is the last word.
But competitors also understand this: It takes guts to choose Jesus. You have to live differently than before, but it is more than worth the sacrifice.
There are numerous examples in Scripture about people who had spiritual guts.
King Nebuchadnezzar had a gold statue of himself built for the people to worship. Those who chose not to worship the statue were to be thrown into a blazing furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to follow the order and were tossed in the furnace.
Scripture tells us that the furnace was so hot that the guards that forced the three courageous men into it, died from the heat. That thought of burning alive didn’t phase Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They knew God would deliver them.
When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not impacted by the flames whatsoever, Nebuchadnezzar was amazed. The miracle changed his perspective. He released Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and praised their God.
RESPOND
1. Find another story in the Bible about spiritual guts. Read it and write down the feelings you have about it.
2. The next time you don’t feel you have what it takes to be stronger spiritually. Read the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel.
