Playing With A competitive Edge

02/23/2021

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Where are the athletics in the blog!? I was in the marching band during high school, which took a lot of talent and physical strength. So I would consider myself an athlete, but you may differ in opinion. However, Apostle Paul might have been into sports. How do I know? Because Paul would use sports analogies throughout his letters to illustrate spiritual truths. 1 Timothy 6, 2 Timothy 2, 1 Corinthians 9, etc.

We understand that, like sports, competitiveness is a huge thing. So today, we will be discussing how to play with a competitive edge. Continue reading to learn how.

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In Ephesians 6, Paul states that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world.

First, we do not compete against each other but with each other for God’s glory. There is enough room in the Kingdom of God for everybody, so we don’t have to fight for a position like in sports. God built His Kingdom with us in mind and hand-selected each of us to be part of it.

What makes you unique?

In His grace, God has given us different gifts to do certain things well. As mentioned in Romans 12:6-8 (NLT), it may be the gift of prophecy, serving others, teaching, encouraging others, giving, leadership ability, showing kindness, etc.

God, Himself has given different species of animals distinctive qualities. The eagle has some unique attributes that give it an edge while flying through the wind. However, human beings are the only part of God’s creation who

Either don’t know what gives them an edge
Don’t want to accept it or
Wish they have what someone else possesses

Today we are going to discuss a few things that give us our competitive edge.

What gives you a competitive edge?

Accepting what you can’t do
1. Not only is knowing what we can do empowering, but accepting what we can’t do also. You might have heard, “you can do whatever you want in life.” Sounds inspirational, but it’s not true. God hasn’t given us the grace to do EVERYTHING.
2. Accepting what you can’t do should help you better understand what you need to do. For example, ants can carry 5,000 times their body weight but that strength does not do them any good for fighting their predators. Instead of focusing on what they can’t do, they utilize their power to carry food, supplies, and resourcefulness to prepare for contingencies. Ants have accepted the fact that their competitive edge; their real strength is planning for the future.
The way you train and prepare
1. There are many sports factors that athletes cannot control—for example, weather, equipment integrity, the speed and strength of their opponents, etc. However, there are two things they can handle. 1) training and 2) preparation. These things can’t guarantee a victory, but they can help put them in a position to win.
2. There will always be factors we can’t control in our lives, like death, pressure, persecution, etc. But there are some things within our reach that we can control. For example, the way you train. There is a connection between how you train when no one is watching and how you play when everyone is watching. STOP TRYING to make it happen and START TRAINING to make it happen. When people are training, they want to know the end goal, what the win looks like, and gain a competitive edge. Training helps prepare our mind and body’s reaction to pressure. It helps maintain focus amid distractions.

“All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:24 (NLT)

Know when it’s time to call a timeout
1. A timeout is not a sabbatical or vacation. It is a time to reflect, refocus, talk a bit less and listen more. If an athlete is injured, they will sit on the bench and take advantage of that time to watch others, learn from others, and realize how important they are for their team. So know when it is time to call a timeout. Everyone needs it once in a while.

So what is your competitive edge?

Written by Jazmin Miguel – FCC Marketing Assistant