All athletes need to go through this, but most would probably rather skip it if it were possible. It’s probably the part of sports that is the least fun. Yet this is also the part that separates average athletes from top athletes.

Have you figured it out yet? It’s training. Athletic training involves many different things. Proper eating, weight training and practicing are all necessary in order to get into top playing condition.

As Christians, we need to be training ourselves spiritually. This involves getting sin out of our lives and removing those things that may not be sin but are a hindrance in our respective walks with Christ. An example of this is when sports in your life begin to take away from time that you need to be devoting to God.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 9:27 that he trains spiritually so that he does not become disqualified for the prize. If a person comes into a game when he hasn’t been practicing or is out of shape, he is not qualified to play. He will not reach his potential.

The same is true in our spiritual lives: We need to continually bring ourselves under God’s command so that we remain qualified for what He has for us. We need to be like Paul and press on toward the prize.