Lesson 21: Running the Right Race
Read Galatians 5:1-26 - www.bible.com/bible/59/gal.5
7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you.
9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump.
10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is.
11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed.
12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

Paul uses the picture of running in our verses for today, thinking of our life as if it is a race. This picture is a great one to show us how our Christian life can be a success or failure. Think of the last time you ran a race. It may have been when you were still a child, or you may be involved in sports or running even today. Were or are you a successful runner?


What is the greatest hindrance to running successfully? Someone might say it is the danger of falling. But what makes you fall? Is it not that you took your eyes off the track or the person in front of you? You became distracted and lost your focus.

Distractions are Satan’s greatest weapons against us. He wants us to focus on something other than our race, so he sets things before us to take our attention off what God has for us. This distraction may be as simple as something our bodies want or need, or as complicated as circumstances around us over which we have no control. The distraction may be something we like, or it can be something painful or causing fear and despair.

God does not cause these distractions, but He does allow them to enter our lives. What Satan means for evil God means for our good – see Genesis 50:20. God uses everything in the life of the believer for good – this is His promise in Romans 8:28. This does not, however, mean we should seek the evil so God can make it into good. Verse 9 above says even a little evil in our life can cause great harm. While He will forgive us when we confess our sin, as He has promised in 1 John 1:9, there are always consequences to our sin. We lose blessings and rewards God meant for us.

Just as a runner must stay dedicated to running to be successful, so we must stay dedicated to our life with Jesus to be successful too. Distractions will always be there – our health, financial problems, family issues, even the needs of our bodies as God created us to be. None of these distractions should become our focus, for then we stumble and fall. Keep focusing on Jesus.

 *What is your greatest distraction in your life today? How does Philippians 4:8 help with this distraction?