To those trained athletes, the Gold Medal represents the best or the reward for all their hard work. To be in competition for the Gold Medal, you must be highly disciplined, committed, dedicated, willing to do things that other people are not willing to do, and have a no-quit attitude. You make rules on yourself, you draw boundaries around yourself, and you simply do not compromise... if you're aiming for the Gold! I've never heard any Olympian say, "I'm training for the Bronze."
In comparison, I've wondered, as Christians, if we are settling for the Bronze. Why are so many Christians not going for the Gold? Their standards are too low. They're satisfied with barely getting by. They're satisfied with "making heaven by the skin of their teeth." Not me. I want to excel. I want the best. I'm going for the gold! How about you?
Aim for the Finish Line
First Corinthians 9 (in the Message translation) says, "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!" You can't expect the Gold if you're going to be sloppy spiritually. It takes a lot of discipline. For the most part, discipline is not a favorite word in Charismatic circles. When I talk about discipline, I've had people say, "That's bondage, Brother Jerry."
What Is the Gold?
Going for the Gold, or God's best, is more than being blessed occasionally, or every six months, or once a year. It means walking in the blessings of God every day of your life. We should be exactly what the Word says: "Blessed coming in, going out, in the city, in the field, and in everything we set our hands to do" (Deut. 28:3). Apparently, the Body of Christ is just satisfied with whatever we can get. God is saying, "Go for the Gold!" I'm not talking about just financially but in every area of our lives.
God's best is blessed. Do you really understand the true meaning of blessed? Blessed means you have entered into a state of being. You are not experiencing this occasionally or once in a while but all the time. The word blessing means that you have become an instrument through which God's divine favor flows, bringing joy, happiness and prosperity, and preventing misfortune in the lives of others. I would say that's attaining the Gold!
It's proven in God's Word that He intended for you and me, as the seed of Abraham, to be blessed every day of our lives. And when you're blessed, that means that you're not having to believe for miracles all the time. Miracles are great, but living blessed is better. When you're blessed everyday, then you don't have to wait for miracles to come along. If you had a choice to live in divine health or be healed every six weeks after you got sick, which would you choose? Divine health. I've rejoiced many times when healing has come, but that's not God's best. God's best is that we live in divine health.
When you look at an Olympic athlete, you see someone who is in great physical shape. They are focused, determined and passionate about winning the Gold. They didn't get to that place overnight or in just a few weeks. The condition they are in took years of disciplining their bodies, renewing their minds and redirecting their focus toward their ultimate goal.
In order to train for the gold, you have to restrict yourself. Most Christians don't like restrictions. They want to eat what they want to eat, as much as they want to eat, watch what they want to watch, go where they want to go. If some preacher starts telling them to bring discipline into their lives, they start backstroking out of the church and find another one. You cannot expect mediocre training to produce Gold Medal results. Don't just be like the average Christian. Go the extra mile. Average athletes don't win Gold Medals. It's people who are willing to discipline themselves. Average Christians don't abound in blessings. It's those who excel. It's those who will do not only what is required but go beyond. It's time to quit settling for less than God's best.
How to Get Started
When these athletes make a decision to go for the Gold, they have to take a complete inventory of their present lifestyle and start making changes. They have to cut out of their lives anything that is a distraction. They have to begin conditioning their bodies through vigorous exercising. And they have to get adequate rest.
If you're going for God's best, you'll need to take inventory of your present lifestyle today. There may be some unprofitable things in your life that need to be removed. There may be things holding you back from winning in life. You're going to have to invite the Holy Spirit to help you do an inventory in your life. If you'll obey the Holy Spirit, then it will produce freedom in your life like you've never known before.
You're in training now. Remember: strict training demands strict discipline. So, start today by praying and discovering what kind of distractions you may have allowed in your life without even realizing it. Is it unforgiveness, strife, moral impurity, or have you become lukewarm in your relationship with God? Pray it out and determine that today you begin your road to victory. Quit settling for less than God's best. Set your sights higher. Begin believing for divine health, divine prosperity and living blessed every day of your life.
Excerpt permission granted by Jerry Savelle Ministries International