Start Where You Are

will never go on with our lives as long as we concentrate all our attention on our present pain.

He poured out his heart before the Lord . . . got things squared away vertically, which helped clear away the fog horizontally. He did not surrender to the hard times.
Why not? How did he go on?
By refusing to focus on the present situation only.

By believing the truth.
Living the truth

become my Savior from sin. Birth must precede everything. With it I receive Christ’s life, power, and cleansing.
Then comes faith. I draw upon the power that is in me. I no longer operate on the basis of human strength, but by faith, I rely upon divine power. The difference in the two is like that between rumbling along in a twenty-five-ton tank and lifting off the runway in a Phantom jet.
Look again at what was said in 1 John 5:4: “And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”
Everything is made possible by the truth. By believing the truth. Living the truth. Allowing the truth to invade, reshape, and cultivate our lives anew.
Tell me, have you had such a

Jesus called this process being “born anew” and/or being “born again.” It occurs when I accept the gift of eternal life made possible by Jesus’ death and resurrection . . . when I, personally, ask the Son of God to

The crown of glory (1 Peter 5:1–4)
This reward is promised to those who faithfully “shepherd the flock” in keeping with the requirements spelled out in verses 2–3 of 1 Peter 5.

The imperishable crown (1 Corinthians 9:24–27)
This reward will be awarded to those believers who consistently bring the flesh under the Holy Spirit’s control and refuse to be enslaved by their sinful nature.
The crown of exultation
(Philippians 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:19–20)
Our Lord will distribute this crown to those servants who are faithful to declare the gospel, lead souls to Christ, and build them up in Him.
The crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:7–8)
This crown will be awarded to those who live each day with eternity’s values in view, anticipating Christ’s imminent return.
There are times when the only thing that
keeps me going is a promise from God
that
My work is not in vain.
The crown of life (James 1:12)
This crown is promised not to those who endure suffering and trials, but to those who endure their trials while loving the Savior all the way.

To use Paul’s words, they “run in such a way, as not without aim.”

Flip back to 1 Corinthians 3 and note with me three primary facts regarding these heavenly rewards.
MOST REWARDS ARE RECEIVED IN HEAVEN,
NOT ON EARTH

Not so for the Christian conqueror! Our victory wreath is designated by God as “imperishable.”