Therefore, do not throw away your confidence which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. Hebrews 10:35-36 NASB

Have you ever noticed the amount of physical endurance one needs in order to stay strong until the end of the race, or until the end of the game? Athletes practice hard, and then at the end of practice run sprints or "suicides" to build up endurance. Runners run tempo runs to build up endurance for the long race. After all, we run to win, not fade out in the last 400 yards! Physical endurance is something that you work hard to build up, and can also be lost in a matter of a little "time off."

A robust physical endurance means that your body can sustain long periods of exercise. When you begin training, you are not able to endure as much heavy aerobic activity as you are a few weeks into your training. Marathon training programs begin with just a few miles, and then mileage is added each week. Each time you train, your muscles become stronger, and your body can take in more oxygen to sustain you longer.

Physical obstacles are overcome easily when your body is strong, however building physical endurance is tough! It takes a determined commitment from you. This commitment takes time out of our schedules for training, to reach the end goal.

Actually, you can compare your Spiritual endurance to your physical endurance. The race is just a little different. The Greek word for endurance is hypomone. It means steadfastness, constancy, and describes a man who does not swerve from his deliberate purpose. Hypomone also means a patient enduring, sustaining, or perseverance! We need Spiritual endurance in order to persevere through the trials in our lives. So how do we get it? Where does this endurance come from?

Spiritual endurance training begins with knowing who you are in Christ. Once you realize that God sent His Son for you, you may begin on your journey of Spiritual endurance. Then you must commit to your training. It's not easy to spend time studying His word each day. You must be determined to find out who God is, and set aside time to get to know Him by studying His Word and spending time in prayer and worship. Sacrifices of other things that occupied your time before this commitment will have to be made. When you give yourself time to get to know Him you begin to look up, instead of looking out all of the time, and your perspective on the world and life’s troubles begins to change.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV

We all have a race called “life” to run. Our race is not a sprint. It is a marathon and we need endurance to run it. Are you ready to run it with endurance? Let the training begin. There is no time like the present!

Heavenly Father, I pray that I may continue to set aside time to spend in Your Word, pray, and worship to build up my Spiritual endurance. I pray that I do not slack-off, because I know how much I need the endurance to get through each trial that comes my way. I praise You for the shift of perspective that comes when I have a strong Spiritual endurance. Confidence for each day comes from having a strong Spiritual endurance. There is so much more to this world than what I can see. Thank You for Your presence in my life and for helping me to keep my focus on You. I am eternally grateful. In the Precious Name of Jesus I Pray, Amen.