The Race of Life – Tactics 5 and 6 “Lean Forward and Run Through the Tape!”
As we learn to respond to our Trainer in using Tactics 1-4 to avoid the snares and distractions of our opposer by applying His opposite exercises, we enter the final phases of the race, the sprint to the tape! To finish well we will need the last two Tactics but, before we move on, let’s review the snares and entanglements used by our opposer and look at our Trainer’s opposite exercises.
As we run we encounter the snares of: 1) Unbelief. 2) Complacency and compromise. 3) Self-righteousness. 4) The fear of, or desire for, the approval of Man. 5) Love of sensual or fleshly pleasure. 6) A worldly mindset or paradigm of life. 7) Self confidence. 
Hubris or arrogance. 9) Distracting and ungodly thoughts.
Our Trainer uses the exercises of: 1) Faith in God and His Word. 2) The Eternal Perspective of Life. 3) Meekness in serving others 4) Trust in God’s opinion of us. 5) A Stewardship Focus on God’s Kingdom. 6) Embracing the Narrow Path or the way of The Cross. 7&8) Humility and Accurate self-assessment. 9) Taking every thought captive to Jesus to help us over, around, or through the obstacles and, by our practice, He helps us build our skills in their use.
By keeping clear the overarching purpose of Finishing Well and the 6 Tactics we need, and learning to apply the positive exercises we keep a steady pace. Sure, we catch a toe or trip a bit once in a while, but our stride is sure and our Trainer is always with us encouraging and teaching us new ways to press on to the Master’s goal for us, our personal best!
The fifth Tactic in Finishing Well is Develop and Fight to Maintain a Teachable Spirit and Lifetime Learning. We never know it all, never have learned the final lesson, and are never as smart as our opposer. Complacency is a rot that we cannot afford! As we run our Trainer is constantly shaping us to look like our Master and teaching us new things. Snares and weaknesses appear that we were previously unaware of and He shows us new ways of using the exercises to resist and get through them. Some times He leads us in an endurance building exercise, sometime it’s weight training, sometimes flexibility, but one thing is for sure; there will never be a time when we don’t need to learn more from, of, or about our Master. Our race is a one trip, lifelong process of learning and training that only ends with our last breath! Whew!
Tactic 6 is Develop and Fight to Maintain a Heart to Help Others Finish Well. One of the very best ways to learn is to prepare and then to teach. Ask any Sunday School teacher who learns more from their class, them or their students, and they will tell you – they do. So, offering ourselves to help others learn to run and finish well is a great benefit because it’s a “twofer!” By giving of and from ourselves we help two run at the same time! What a deal! Our Trainer helps us here as well. If we ask Him He will match us up with others who we can connect with really well, who may have stepped in some of the same snares that we have or stumbled over a similar temptation. Our Trainer knows just who and when to connect us, He is awesome! It doesn’t matter where we are in our race, there is always someone we can help and in our Master’s review helping others will really matter big-time. One of the best things we can do for others is to reach out and give them a hand to step onto the track and start running with us, He loves that!
Speaking of our Master’s review, that always happens at the end of our race. At the end of the race EVERY runner is evaluated and rewarded. The evaluation is not comparative with other runners or competitive with them. It’s only with us and compared to our potential personal best. Our Master will have some prizes and awards for us depending on how well we do and they will be wonderful beyond words! The very best reward will be to see Him smile and to hear Him say,”Well Done! Great Race!”
These 6 Tactics; Develop and Fight to Maintain – The Eternal Perspective of Life, Intimacy with Jesus, Self-discipline, Open and Accountable Relationships, A Teachable Spirit and Lifetime Learning, and A Heart to Help Others Finish Well will combine in a synergism that only our Master and Trainer could explain to see us through the snares and entanglements, overcome the sins and temptations of our opposer, roar through the tape and – FINISH WELL.
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Buck Jacobs, Chairman and Founder of The C12 Group, LLC - Christian CEO and mentor. Buck has an extensive background in successful organizational development based on the principles found in scripture. The motto of the C12 group is "Building great companies for a greater purpose." 
