What is more fascinating about these athletes is the disciplined training and diet they must follow in order to make sure that each muscle group is strengthened and prepared for each event. Their diet must consist of heavy amounts of liquid, complex carbohydrates and anything else to fuel their body for each training and the race itself.

Life is very similar to an Ironman race.  Each of us wake up every day with the great possibility of facing tests, trials, challenges and set backs. These pressure points hit at different levels of our being; body, soul and spirit. How we prepare each of these three areas of our lives will determine the outcome of our race.

You are a triathlete. Great skill and discipline is required to strengthen your body, your soul and your spirit. It is imperative that you understand the things that drain each of these areas of your life and what replenishes them.  Let’s consider the three.

BODY – What is it that drains your body? Lack of sleep, lack of exercise, or bad diet? Now ask yourself, “What is it that replenishes me?” How is your eating and exercise discipline? Are you taking care of the body God has entrusted to your care? You only get one body in this life, you ought to make taking care of it your utmost priority. No one can eat good for you or exercise for you. If you are feeling weary and tired, you might consider making some course adjustments to strengthen your body.

SOUL – How are your emotions lately? Do you know what drains  you? Are you feeling stress, worry, fear, anxiety, discouragement, anger, unforgiveness? If this is the case, chances are you are focused on the wrong thing. These are all indicators that something is out of balance in your life. God uses this gauge to help you realize that there is a course adjustment needed. Find out what you need to do to replenish yourself. It might be a date with your spouse (or a just a date for your single folk), a night at the movies, sleeping in and enjoying a day, a round of golf or even sky diving. Whatever floats your boat, find it and practice it often.

SPIRIT – There are obvious ways in which to replenish your spirit. A daily diet of prayer, bible and worship is a great start. The greater the pressure the greater the intake.  If you are hitting your pillow and barely making it through the day, chances are it is time to dial up the spiritual diet.  And don’t forget active involvement and attendance in your local church family.

As you look forward to the days ahead, put together a strategy that will allow you to finish the race with joy. Paul  says in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, “You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes’ race. Everyone runs; one wins. RUN TO WIN. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally. 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.”

Run your race to win. Train hard, make it your aim to succeed not just survive!

As a child, I was fascinated by the planets and stars. My father was an aeronautic engineer and partly responsible for landing men on the moon. I can remember getting a small telescope from my father for my birthday one year and perching it up on the back deck of our family home in Southern California (in those days, you could actually see stars at night). I remember looking through my new telescope and discovering a whole new dimension of creation that I never knew existed. I saw millions of stars, and I wondered, Who put them there? Why do they twinkle like that? Why don’t they fall? In my naivety I remember sitting out one night on a quest to count the number of stars in the sky … 99, 100, 101 … surely with a little time and effort I could count them in a single evening, right?

It is estimated that there are as many as 200 billion galaxies in the observable universe. We aren’t able to see all of them yet, as we currently can’t build a telescope big enough to peek into the farther reaches of space. Scientists believe the number of stars in the universe is about 50,000 billion billion. A billion billion? That’s 1 followed by eighteen zeros! That’s a thousand times one hundred million billion. And once we even begin to comprehend the concept of a billion billion, multiply that by 50,000. Believe me, it’s a lot.

Staggering statistics like these bring at least partially fathomable meaning to the phrase “God is awesome.” God called this vast universe into existence, and He knows every star by name. The Bible says, “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit” (Ps. 147:4–5, TNIV). That, my friend, is a bunch of names. You think about coming up with 50,000 billion billion names! I have four kids, and I can’t even remember their names all the time. But God knows each star individually. For God to intimately know each of the six billion people on the planet is easy!

David tried to understand this same mathematical perspective. He wrote, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what are mere mortals that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned them with glory and honor” (Ps. 8:3–5, TNIV).

Even beyond the splendor and expanse of a universe that we can’t even understand, God still looks at you as His greatest achievement. He created 50,000 billion billion stars, but none of them are as beautiful as the stars He put in your eyes. You are His masterpiece!

It has been calculated that since the beginning of man there have been fifteen to twenty billion people born. Some who believe that man has been around for millions of years (we’re not going to debate that) estimate the number to be upward of ninety-six billion. In either case, we’re talking about a bunch of people! Currently, there are more than six billion people alive today. Every person ever created is completely different than any other human being.

Here’s how: DNA molecules can unite in an infinite number of ways. The closest number we can figure is 10 to the 2,400,000,000^th power. That number represents the likelihood that you’d ever find somebody just like you. If you were to write out that number with each zero being one inch wide, you’d need a strip of paper 37,000 miles long. In fact, if the DNA strands from your body were stretched out in sequence, they would reach to the sun and back (93 million miles) four hundred times.

In a twenty-four hour period your heart will beat 103,689 times. Your blood will travel through your veins more than 168,000,000 miles. You will breathe 23,040 times. You will move more than 750 muscles, speak 4,800 words, and exercise more than 7 billion brain cells.

Your uniqueness is a scientific fact. When God made you, He broke the mold. There has never been, and will never again be, anyone just like you.  Your uniqueness is unfathomable!

This morning I came into my office to do my usual routine of reading the Word and praying. I got my cup of french press, french roast, rolled my chair back and peered across the desk to a small, tattered piece of familiar paper that I recite each morning as a way to start myday. It is only one of many things I ponder, but have grown fond of this little 4×6 piece of paper. There are days I read it and it nothing more than lip service. There are times where I read it and get inspired, and then there are the times I read it and it catapults from where I sit into the incredible possibilities that await me on the other side of my office door.  I know you want me to give it to you right here, but just give me a few more seconds.

I believe that positioning yourself to succeed and fulfill purpose can only be accomplished by being strategically intentional. As humans, ‘we leak.’ Everything that we put into our lives has the tendency to be compacted or eroded into annals of history and the challenge to embrace another day with great faith and expectation stands right in front of us, requiring the same level of intensity to make it through another day as a winner. Starting your day by understanding what lies ahead and the attitude needed to succeed in those circumstance is strategic. Having the discipline to apply the truths that were deposited into your spirit throughout the day is intentional. Hence, the daily charge!

Here is my PERSONAL CHARGE that has inspired and challenged me many mornings. It was written by a guy who I grealy admire and allow to speak deeply into my life on a regular basis. It is filled with copious amounts of slow-release nuggets that will give you the energy and inspiration to make it through another day as a winner and not to just scrape by. I challenge you to print this out and try reading it every morning for thirty days and see if you don’t have a better perspective and great faith for each day you face:

MY PERSONAL CHARGE

“You’ve been to the stadium and seen the athletes’ race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that  tarnished and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally. 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 up in napping, telling everyone else all about it and the missing out myself.”

By the way, these are the word of Paul, the apostle. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 MSG

Prayer has been considered one of life’s greatest mysteries, yet seems to appeal to over 85% of the population. Surveys show that most people today both believe in and participate in some form of prayer.  For myself, I dedicate a good chunk of time every morning to prayer as I have learned it is a critical piece to my life.  Recently, I was reading through a great book by my pastor, Frank Damazio and came across this great list of reasons to pray. It revived my passion and commitment to prayer and thought I would pass it on to you as well. I hope it inspires you to pray more. These twelve principles have been taken from his book, Seasons of Intercession.

1.   Christ left us an example of the importance of prayer.

      (See Matthew 14:23; Mark 1:35; Luke 6:12; 3:21, 5:16, 9:18) 

2.   The Apostles left us an example of the importance of prayer.

      (See Acts 1:14, 4:31, 6:4, 12:5, 13:3, 16:3, 21:5)

3.   Prayer is God’s method for obtaining joy.

      (See John 16:24; Acts 16:25)

4.   Prayer keeps us spiritually fit and alert.

      (See Matthew 26:41; Luke 21:34-36; 1 Peter 4:7; Jude 20)

5.   Prayer enables us to receive wisdom and the mind of God.

      (See James 1:5; Acts 1:24, 10:9, 13:3, 14:23; Luke 6:12-13)

6.   Prayer transforms us into the image of Christ.

      (See Luke 9:28-29)

7.   Prayer is God’s means of obtaining our material and spiritual desires.

      (See Matthew 7:7-8; John 14:13-14, 15:7, 16:23-24)

8.   Prayer moves the hand of God to work in the affairs of men.

      (See Exodus 3:7, 14:10-11, 10:15; Jonah 2:1; Acts 12:5; James 5:17)

9.   Prayer expresses our dependence upon God.

      (See John 15:5; Zechariah 4:6)

10.  Through prayer we gain freedom from worry.

      (See Philippians 4:6-7; Psalm 22:1-5)

 11.  Prayer unleashes the power and blessing of God.

      (See 2 Chronicles 6-7; Acts 1-2, 4:23-31)

12.  Prayer teaches us to know Christ intimately.

      (See Jude 20-21; Philippians 3:10; Colossians 1:9)

The times in which we live are difficult times. Many today have suffered significant loss. Millions of homes have gone into foreclosure. Tens of millions are unemployed. Multitudes are looking for help in finding their next meal. It is in times like this that many struggle with being thankful for what they “do” have, instead of being discouraged with what they “don’t” have.  I understand that this perspective is easier stated than walked out in real life, but I think we can all agree that there is something in our lives that we can be grateful for, if we just stop and look.

In her classic autobiography The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom tells of the time she and her sister were forced to take off all their clothes during Nazi inspections at a death camp. Miss ten Boom stood in line feeling forsaken and defiled. Suddenly she remembered that Jesus hung naked on the cross. Struck with wonder and worship during that seemingly forsaken moment, ten Boom leaned forward and whispered to her sister, “Betsie, they took his clothes, too.” Betsie gasped and said, “Oh, Corrie, and I never thanked him.” Thanksgiving does not require bounty–just recognition of what our Savior has already done.

I don’t know about you, but when we compare our challenges to the circumstances in Corrie’s life, things just don’t appear to be as severe as we thought them to be. I think it is safe to assume, it is all a matter of perspective.

If you are in a stretching time and find yourself wondering what tomorrow might bring, why not take a few minutes and get alone with God. Take some time to reflect on all the wonderful things He has done for you. I promise you, it will brighten your day and give you the strength to move forward into tomorrow with a heart of thankfulness.

If you have a few minutes, Check out Corrie sharing her heart. Get a box of Kleenex, you will be inspired!

A young man from a wealthy family was about to graduate from high school. The custom of this affluent neighborhood was the bestowal of a car once the student graduated from high school. The boy fully expected the norm would hold true for him as well. He had spent months talking about cars and looking at them with his father. Just a week before graduation this father and son found what appeared to be the perfect car. The young man was certain he would see the car in his driveway. Yet, when he opened his father’s graduation present it was a Bible. He was so mad that he threw down the Bible and stormed out of the house. He never reconciled with his father and remained estranged until the father died.

As the son went through his father’s belongings, he came across the Bible his father had given him years ago. He brushed off the dust and opened it. To his surprise and horror he found a cashier’s check between the pages of Scripture. It was dated the day of his graduation for the exact amount of the car he and his dad had chosen together. God’s greatest gifts are still found in the pages of Scripture, but we sometimes allow greed to destroy relationships and divert our attention elsewhere.

Can you imagine a loving father introducing his children by saying, “This is my daughter, Meagan, who stained the carpet with grape juice when she was two”? Or, “This is my son, Myles, who broke a valuable vase last week.” If loving fathers don’t have a need to memorize their children’s failures, you can rest assured our loving Heavenly Father has no use for such memories either. When we accept God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ, he forgets our failures.

As a kid, I remember playing a game with the neighborhood kids called, “King of the Mountain.” The goal of the game was to step on heads and attempt to make your way to the top of a heap of bodies and remain on the top as long as possible. There was no consideration of those under you and it was inevitable that someone would always get hurt.  This innocent little game was only one of the many influences that enforced the secular approach to doing life.

This approach permiates most sectors of our society and is more formally known as, “survival of the fittest.”  It has become common place in our culture to, “look out for number one”  and do whatever it takes to get to the top, regardless of the expense of others around you.

Could it be that there is another perspective that should be considered? Is true fulfillment really found at the top of the pile, as the world so eloquently portray it to be? Is there another set of values that we should be pursuing that just might bring a higher level of satisfaction and fulfillment to our lives? Does God’s word have something to say about where we should  be investing our passions, energy and interest? Could it be that millions are giving their lives to climb to the top of the pile only to find that there is nothing of true value once they arrive?

One of the most meaningful, yet challenging books to me is Philippians. It is while in prison, that Paul begins to unveil his discovery of finding the revelation regarding his intent to journey toward the bottom of the pile. Paul opens his heart, shares from his life experiences admitting he had tried the “top of the Dog Pile” approach only to find it empty and worthless.

Phil 3:4-7 ( The Message Bible) “The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash–along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant–dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash.”

Earlier on in Chapter 2, he prefaces his conclusion by describing three simple, yet priceless nuggets regarding his perception of life’s journey to the bottom of the pile and uses Christ’s example regarding this true path to fulfillment.

1. Selfish ambition and fleshly pursuits will get you nowhere in God’s eyes. (Philippians 2:1-5)

 “If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care– then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

2. Serving others before yourself is the real road to fulfillment. (Philippians 2:5-8)

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself.  He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death–and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion.

3. The degree you serve determines the degree of God’s honor in your life. (Philippians 2:9-11)

Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth–even those long ago dead and buried–will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.”

Before you waste another moment working your way to the top of the pile, you might consider living life another way. You just mind end up more fulfilled. Think about it!

Most people believe in some concept of God. Yet how we define God is as important as our belief in Him. Four percent of Americans today believe they are gods themselves. Another seven percent believe that God is the total realization of personal, human potential. (2) If that happens to be a belief system to which you ascribe, be prepared to accept the colossal ramifications of being bound by your own human limitations. On the other hand, if you believe that God is unchangeable (Heb. 13:8), unequaled (Isa. 40:13-25), infinite (1 Kings 8:27), all-powerful (Jer. 32:17), ever-present (Ps. 139:7-12), and all-knowing (1 John 3:20), there is a much better chance that you will reach your intended destiny with the assistance of an incredibly powerful God who is willing to lead you every step of the way.

It is also important to understand that He is a personal God. He personally loves you very much (1 John 4:8,16). He will always be truthful with you (Ps. 117:2). You can count on Him being merciful when you fall short (Lam. 3:22–23). He is also fair in every circumstance (Ps. 89:14), and thankfully, He is very patient (Exod. 34:6-7).

What a relief to know that there is a loving, personal God that is on our side, coaching us and believing in us. He is for you, not against you. He is your number-one fan. Understanding that God is a very personal God and that He possesses these unchangeable attributes brings added confidence that you can really make your life amount to something eternally meaningful.

Praying God’s Word is one of the most powerful acts a human being can initiate. When you activate the principle of prayer along with the promises of God, their is a synergistic power that is released in  your life.

Knowing that 2010 will bring us great surprises and opportunities, our faith must be secure in who God is, and who He promises to be in our lives. Here a great scripture to apply to your prayer life this  year. It is taken from Psalm 23 and outlines the seven characteristics of God, derived from the Hebrew names of God. Try if for a week, and see if you aren’t encouraged with a fresh perspective for 2010:

* * * * * * * *

Psalm 23:1 – “The Lord is my Shepherd…” -

Prayer -”Lord you are Jehovah Rohi, MY Shepherd, the one who cares and protects me in all that I face. Thank you for loving me and caring for me.”

* * * * * * * *

Psalm 23:1 – “I shall not want…”

Prayer – “Lord, you are Jehovah Jireh, MY Provider and you will supply my every need according to your riches and glory. I will trust in you to take care of my needs.”

* * * * * * * *

Psalm 23:2 – “He makes me lie down in green pastures…”

Prayer – “You are Jehovah-Shalom, MY Peace and you will give me the peace that passes all my human understanding and reasoning, despite what I see or feel.”

* * * * * * * *

Psalm 23:3 – “He restores my soul…”

Prayer – “You are Jehovah-Rapha, MY Healer, and you will restore my body, soul and spirit and make me complete in you. I believe this year to be replenished in You.”

* * * * * * * *

Psalm 23:3 – “He guides me in the path of righteousness…”

Prayer – “You youre Jehovah-Tsidkenu, MY Righteousness and you will guide me to do what is right in your sight in all that I do. Let me live a live of purity and integrity this year.”

* * * * * * * *

Pslam 23:4 – “Though I walk through the valley of shadow of death… you are with me…”

Prayer – “You are Jehovah-Shammah, MY Presence and I thank you that you are always with me and will never leave or forsake me. Whether I feel you, or not, I know you are by my side.”

* * * * * * * *

Psalm 23:5 – “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies…”

Prayer – You are Jehovah-Nissi, MY Defender, and you will alway protect me from the evil one. Lord build hedge around me today.”