In order to keep focused and keep reaching towards your God-given goals, there are three obstacles you need to be aware of and overcome: 1) Weariness. Racehorses run at approximately the same speed; there often isn’t a lot of difference between the first and the last runner. Sometimes the difference between them winning and losing a race comes down to their ‘heart’ to win. So, take a look into your heart today and check if you’re truly committed to reaching your goal. ‘Do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise’ (Hebrews 10:35-36 NKJV). 2) Fear. When it comes to commitment, there are basically four kinds of people. a) Those who have no goals and who don’t commit to anything. b) Those who don’t know if they can reach their goals so they’re afraid to commit to them. c) Those who start towards a goal but give up when things begin to get tough. d) Those who set goals, commit to them and are willing to pay the price to reach them. Which of the four do you think you are? Fear and faith will always be present; our success in reaching our goal depends on whether we allow our faith to overcome our fear. 3) Complacency. Don’t settle for yesterday’s success. Don’t settle for ‘good enough’ or ‘that’ll do’. Take regular times of rest to refresh yourself, renew your mind and strength, and refocus on your goal. Be like Paul: ‘I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race’ (Philippians 3:13-14 NLT).

What Now?

Do any of the obstacles in today’s reading sound or feel familiar to you? Ask God to help you look beyond that obstacle and refocus on the goal He’s given you.