Ready

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness…” – 2 Timothy 3:14-16  

Set

Some coaches are always incorporating whatever the latest fad is in their sport. When they hear of something that is working for another program, they abandon what they’ve previously done and try this new thing. Other coaches have developed certain convictions that drive how they coach year after year. While they are willing to tweak their approach based on ongoing learning, they rarely stray from their core convictions about what’s essential. The programs of coaches who stick to a clear set of convictions tend to be significantly more successful over the long haul.  

The same is true in life: developing and sticking to the right set of convictions leads to the right kind of success. 2 Timothy 3:14-16 points us to the source of the convictions we need—the Scriptures—and why it’s crucial that we hold fast to these convictions from God’s Word. According to this passage, here is what’s required for us to compete and live by the right set of convictions:  

1. Let the Scriptures define and shape your convictions. The Bible is “inspired by God.” It shows us what’s true about God, how we can experience salvation and life through trusting Christ, and what it looks like to live out our relationship with Jesus according to God’s good design. In all of this, the Scriptures clarify for us what’s most important: the priorities, values and purposes that are to define how we live and compete. Let the Bible form and shape your convictions.  

2. Reinforce your convictions through spending time with and learning from other committed Christ-followers. Timothy benefitted from the people in his life who taught him the Scriptures. We need people like this in our life so that we’re strengthened in understanding biblical convictions and knowing how to live out these convictions. That’s why it’s critical to be involved in a good local church that faithfully teaches the Bible. It’s also why studying the Bible with others in an FCA Huddle or church small group is really important.  

3. Deepen your convictions through ongoing practice. Paul puts it this way to Timothy: “continue in what you have learned and firmly believed.” In sports you faithfully practice certain skills so you develop “muscle memory,” making it much easier to perform these skills even in pressure situations. As you faithfully practice making decisions and taking actions based on biblical convictions, you’re developing “muscle memory” that helps you live and compete out of these convictions even when there is pressure to do otherwise.  

Go

1. What source are you looking to in order to develop the convictions that drive how you compete and live—the Bible, or something else? 

2. What is a next step you can take to gain greater clarity from the Scriptures about the convictions God wants to define you? 

Workout 

Psalm 119:9-16

Matthew 7:24-27  

Overtime