Hebrews 12: 1 ( NIV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

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In the 1990 Tour de Trump, an eleven-day bike race, a little-known Soviet amateur held the lead for seven days ( 1 ). He took the lead on day three and did not relinquish it to any of the more experienced professional riders until the next-to-last day. At one point, he had a 12-minute advantage over the next closest rider.

However, this young rider found himself over half-an-hour behind by the end of the day on which he lost the lead. Likewise, he finished the race far down in the pack.

A few things in life are like a sprint, but most things are more like a marathon. The issue, then, is not how you start but how you finish!

Many of us are good starters. We have talent, we have enthusiasm, we start off with a burst of well-doing. But sustaining that beginning--that is the main issue. That's true in our commitment to Christ, to our partner, in our work
and in a host of other endeavours. How are we at finishing?

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We see from the following scriptures perseverance is a function of suffering,  facing trials of many kinds and patience.

Romans 5: 1- 5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

James 1:2- 4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Hebrews 10: 35,36 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

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Marshall Field ( 2 ) once offered the following twelve principles for determining life’s core values. He stated, “We need to understand: (1) the brevity of time (2) the power of perseverance (3) the rewards of hard work (4) the importance of simplicity (5) the worth of character (6) the fruits of kindness (7) the power of example (8) the call of duty (9) the value of economy (10) the virtue of patience (11) the development of talent (12) the joy of creativity.”

Can you state your core values? In the Bible we find another list: “Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive…” (2 Pet 1:5-8 NIV).

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Going back to our opening scripture in Hebrews 12:1 the author admonishes us "throw off everything that hinders." In other words participants in the race are to strip off every unnecessary weight that nothing may impede them from running the race.

Hebrews chapter 11 speaks about the deeds of faith and has been dubbed by many as the "Faith Hall of Fame." "Without faith," Hebrews says bluntly, "it is impossible to please God"(11:6).

The picture of faith emerging from these scriptures in Hebrews contains words and phrases like "persevere," "endure," "do not lose heart." So we find perseverance is an important additive to our faith.

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2. UCB, " Core Values" ( 2002).

 

A 2. Person Who Has Had An Influence Upon My Life

By Sarah*

I had great difficulty deciding whom to write about. Most of the people I have met in my life have had a very negative influence upon my life and I didn’t particularly want to write about such experiences. In the end, I decided I would write about Jesus. For many people Jesus is but a fictional character, but for me he is a reality. Heaven and hell are a reality.

Let me explain why my belief is real. About three years ago, I was sitting in my flat at the Y.M.C.A. whilst reading a book called “ I Dared To Call Him Father.” It is a book about a Muslim woman who becomes a Christian after a series of visions about Jesus. I believed that this woman was telling the truth. After reading this book I thought to myself, if Jesus could come to this woman then why could he not come to me? That same night I went to sleep and behold I saw a man in my dream with blood dripping from his palms and next to him was an angel. He was wearing white robes and he had a big smile on his face. When I awoke in the morning, I recalled my vision. I knew that this man was Jesus and never in my life had I felt so blessed. Since then my belief in Jesus Christ has been strong and never again will I doubt.

I know that there are many unbelievers out there, but I hold onto my belief because it helps me survive and it gives me hope. My vision proved to me that Jesus is real. I ponder upon the universe that exists around me and I know that Jesus created it. Such a complex creature like myself exists upon this planet and her every need is catered for. There is air to breathe, there is food to eat, water to drink, land to walk upon and numerous other things that I have not mentioned. The earth knows to revolve around the sun and day knows how to turn into night and vice versa. Every thing has a divine order about it and the universe works in perfect harmony with everything in it. The sun provides light and heat for the earth. Plants that grow naturally have medicinal purposes. The human body knows how to function and regulate itself so that it survives. Such a world has been created by a divine power and that divine power that I believe in is Jesus Christ.

For me, the Bible is a reality and not fiction. I try to follow its’ teachings and apply them to my life. I am far from perfect, but I can attempt to live a good life. Jesus and his teachings influence me greatly. They teach me to love, be kind, be generous and be hospitable. Above all, Jesus prevents me from living a sinful life. I have decided that I am going to allow Jesus to mould and shape me. Since my vision I have changed a great deal. I have learned a lot from reading the Bible. I feel that I have become a nicer person and in general I am more loving to people and the world around me. Changes have taken place in me since I have become a Christian and I will continue to change and grow spiritually. There is nobody in this world that has had a greater affect upon me than Jesus. I cannot prove the existence of Jesus, but I want people to know that I am who I am because of Jesus. My strength comes from Jesus. My life comes from Jesus. I give thanks to him.

The Bible portrays Jesus as a Father for his children. He is loving, kind, considerate and compassionate. He cares about me and he is a good friend to have. He is not a figment of my imagination. He is someone who knows me intimately. He knows the good within me, he knows the bad within me. Yet he loves me so completely. The Bible talks about the love Jesus has for his children and through reading it I have got to know Jesus better. I do not know everything about Jesus, but ever since I had the vision I wrote about earlier, Jesus has controlled my life. I know that Jesus is the truth and I share my faith with other people. I attend church regularly, which is very good for me. I have lived an isolative life therefore, any interaction is good for me. For a large portion of my life I refused to have contact with other people, but all this changed after Jesus blessed me. My experience shows that Jesus reaches out to his children and that our innermost prayers are heard in heaven. Prayers are the voice of our heart, our deepest desires and it is nice to know that Jesus does listen to them.

Jesus has an enemy. This is someone you would not want to get personal with. This person is Satan or as some people know him, the devil. Without sounding absolutely crazy, I am going to confess something. Satan is just as real as Jesus is. I know this because I have had experiences with the devil. Prior to my experience with Jesus in the vision I was visited by the devil. This is not a symptom of a mental health problem or the product of an overactive imagination. I know the reality of what happened to me. Neither am I trying to scare anyone. This is another reason why my faith in Jesus is so strong. I know that the devil is real, therefore Jesus is also real. This is not some problem for the doctor to deal with. I need more of Jesus in my life. Satan is very different to Jesus. He is evil, cruel and manipulative. He is not a friend. This is all I am going to write about Satan because I do not wish to discuss him any further.

Jesus lives in heaven. He is the king and heaven is the kingdom of God. I often wonder what heaven is like and I worry about the fact that I might not be going there. I imagine heaven to be beautiful and vast, a place where souls will continuously offer praise to God. Earlier I mentioned an angel in my vision. Angels are delightful characters and prior to my vision I had always been interested in them. I am sure that there are plenty of angels in heaven, all assigned to different tasks. I believe that they take part in worship and the service of the kingdom of God. I am lucky in the fact that I have been blessed with a vision. It has given me insight and much encouragement. For me, all this is not a world of make-believe but a taste of things to come in the future. I cannot convince anybody of my testimony and I am sure that some will think that I have gone completely mad, but what matters is my faith and the fact that I believe.

How can I prove to anybody that this is not all a fantasy? Where would I be without Jesus in my life? How could this universe just have come into existence without the aid of a divine power? Many doubt the existence of Jesus, but I know that he is a reality. He teaches me how to live. I joyfully take part in worship because I know that Jesus is real and everyday of my life I think of him and ask him to forgive me all my transgressions. I am not some God sent being. I am merely human and above all I am a great sinner. I am mortal, yet my faith in Jesus helps me to continue day by day. Jesus touched my life just once, but it has had a great impact on the whole of my being. The fact that I exist is a miracle in itself. The fact that the whole human race exists is a miracle. The fact that this universe exists is a miracle. Man has developed the technology to travel into space. The question I pose is, who gave man that wisdom and insight to be able to do that? Who created man? There are some questions that you will never find the answers to, but I believe that Jesus will answer all when he finally comes. I wait in patience. Maybe this will not happen in my lifetime, but Jesus will do everything in his own timing.

Jesus is about love. Jesus is love and I remember how unloved I was before Jesus came into my life. Now I do not lack anything because I know God is there. He is omnipresent and he listens to all his believers. I hope that my faith will reach many and transform their lives just as my life was transformed.  I do not have parents because they have died, but the church replaces my need for family. At the end of the day Jesus is my true Father and I love him because in the Bible he promises to love me. I have not had any more visions and I long for the loving gaze of Jesus to touch my life once more. Jesus is eternal and he lives forever. Hard to believe? The Bible promises that nothing is impossible for God. How much is there out there that we know nothing about? We have to admit that we do not have all the answers. Even though science has advanced so much, there are still a lot of things that the human mind cannot comprehend. Research into life goes on and on. It is all a mystery, but it is the mysterious that attracts me.

I feel privileged to be sharing my experience of Jesus. It is very special and dear to me. God has blessed me with the wisdom to write it down. I hope that I can do something to encourage others, as I have been encouraged. It is up to the reader to decide whether my belief and my experience is fact or fiction. I know that it is fact and I am quite happy to have written it all down. I intend to carry on in my faith and it will continue to give me strength and hope. Reading the Bible is a vital part of becoming a Christian. The Bible is full of common sense, morals and codes of conduct. It provides all this as well as an insight into the nature of Jesus. Blessed be the authors of the Bible who have helped me in my daily living. Jesus is now a very important part of my life and I will never let go of him.

The Bible does not portray the world as perfect and without blemish, but as sick with illness, suffering and sin. It paints a realistic picture of the fact that we are living in a fallen world, but I live in hope and faith because I know that one day Jesus Christ will return. All suffering and illness will disappear and living in that hope appeals to me. I am not trying to convert anybody, but I am merely writing about my own experience of Jesus.

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* We first met Sarah ( pseudonym name ) while street preaching on October 4, 2003.

Hi Could you please join us in prayer..we have a small woman`s intercessory prayer group and the asst. Pastor of our church has severe colitis (medication is not working for her). She is in a lot of pain and it is getting to the point where can`t make it to church. We are going on a 7 day fast (starting tomorrow Oct.1st) because we believe the Lord has called us to do this, for a breakthrough. Could you please pray for her (Janet`s) healing or whatever else the Lord may want to do? Thank you and God Bless ... Heidi

03 IN 114

I do not know if this is the right way to do this but I am requesting prayers for a very close friend of mine. She is a young mom of three small children and has been in a very bad car accident. she has a broken nose fractured face ,hurt back and broken foot that has had two surgeries and is going to be facing more in the future. She had just left her physically and emotionally abuse husband when this happened. He beat her up and was arrested but was just let out of jail. he has
threatened to take the kids and kill her and she is very scared for her and her kids. She is unable to walk now and I am trying to help her the best that I am able but I too am disabled and also trying to take care of my mother and two small nephews my father passed away this past weekend . She is in desperate need of any and all help she can get.
Anything will be appreciated. She is in need of groceries and/or food card to walmart or kroger , she is facing eviction if she cannot pay rent, she has no heat and needs the bill to be paid so she can get it back on before it gets cold which is next month where she lives and clothing for her and the children . Her husband threw out most of her
and the kids belongings and what he didnt throw out he broke and damaged them. If you cannot help please just keep this young mother in your prayers. I do not know how posting this prayer for her may help but I am hoping it reaches someone that may be able to find it in their heart to help her. God bless. I have strong faith and so does she in our heavenly father and I know somehow she will get through this. ...Bo

03 IN 119

A pastor asked me what my calling is-refering to the 5-fold ministry (Eph.4:11). My response was to commit it to prayer so the Lord will reveal it! Pls. intercede and pray! Let me know of your blessed discernment. In Christ. ...Carlos

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