Don’t Stay On The Sidelines

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. (1 Corinthians 9:24) 
 
If you’ve ever played sports, you know how frustrating and almost painful it can be to be stuck on the sidelines when you want to be playing in the game. No one wants to get benched. Everyone wants a piece of the action. They want to be contributing to aid the team. They want to use their skills to help their team win. But everyone knows how tough that is to do when you’re stuck on the sidelines. 
 
So why is it, then, that as believers, we often want to stay on the sidelines where it’s safe and comfortable instead of going into battle and helping our team win? 
 
We will either enter the war and engage into spiritual warfare as believers, or we will live our lives on the sidelines. If we think God has called you to be a spectator, He has not! He has given you everything you need to make an impact in your culture and in your family, all in the name of Jesus!  
 
Paul believed it. John saw it, and we need to believe it. God wanted me to tell you this today; this is the present reality, a war in heaven. We are experiencing the implications of that war in heaven because we are seeing war on earth.  
 
For many of us, there is a war in our families. We have family members who don't know Christ. We have friends who don't know Christ. They seem to be more directed by the evil one than the Lord Jesus. You need to step up and fill the gap; pray for them and intercede for them. Guess what? Satan knows where and who has been praying. Get ready for an attack. God wants you to stand strongly because you are not to live passively, just watching it. Instead, engage and understand that you are already victorious.  
 
I have told you this before; I have read the whole Book. In the end, “We win! We win!” Therefore, we need to act like we have already won, right now. God wants to use you to get on the battlefield. Enter the war for your family, friends, and for our country, to stand for Jesus. Live like that! Walk like that and make all of your decisions in light of the war that is in heaven!

2 Comments


Betty Jane Laughlin - September 6th, 2025 at 7:42am

I am in the spiritual battle.I see the faces of different people where I live whenever I tell them about what I did when I was at a church function. Or when I tell them I am going to church. There is a lot of fields to be planting God's Word ?

Don Francis - September 6th, 2025 at 8:27pm

I think todays devotional hit the nail on the head for what is happening in my life. I need to find a good way to help spread the Good Word of God. I feel like there is so much more work to do then I can understand. I need to get off the sidelines and be the vessel that God created me to be.

Recent

Archive

 2025

Categories

Tags

Baptism Kingdom abandoned abandoning abandon abide ability abondoned abundant acceptable acceptance accepted accepting accept accomplishment accomplish accordance accountable acknowledge actions activity addiction admitting admit adoration advancing advice affection affirmation afford afraid aligned aligning alignment align alive allowedd allowed allowing allow almighty alongside altered amazed amazing ambition amount answered anxiety anxious anywhere appeared appearing application apply approaching approach argument arrogant aspect assurance assures assure attempt attending attend attention attentive attitude audience authority awaakenings balance banished baptized barely beaituful beautful beautiful behaviors behavior beiever beieve beliefs belief believed believeibng believerrs believers believer believes believe believing belong benefits biblical blend blessed blesses blessings blessing bless blossomed boldness bond borrowed brokenhearted brokenness broken burdens burden burial buried capable captivated careful cares care caring carrying carving celebrate challenges chance change changing charges charge choose choosing churches church claiming clarity climate coaches combat comfortable comforting comfort commanded commandment commands command commitment committed commit communicate communicating communion community companionship companion compared comparing comparisons compassion competition complain complete complicated compliment comprehend compromised compromise compromising concentrate concerned concerning concerns concern conclude conference confessed confess confidence confident confirms conflicts conflict confrontation confronting confused confusion connected connecting connection connect conquered consider consistent contact contentment content context continuation contradict control conversation conversion converted convicting convictions conviction convict convinced convince corrected correcting courageous courage covered cover created create creations creation critical crucial crucified crucifixation crucify culture cure curiosity customers daily death deceitful deception decided decide declaration dedicated deeper defend deflection deliberate delivers demand demolish denies denomination denying departure dependent depending depression describe description deserved deserves deserve desie designed desired desires desire desiring despite desrtuction destination destiny destruction determine devastated devastating develop devoted devotional devotion dictates dictate difference different difficult directing direction directly direct disappeared disappoint disciples disciple disconenct discouraged discovered discover discuss dismayed display disruptions distance distractions distraction dividend educated education effort eliminated embraced embrace embracing emotional emotions emotion emplower employer empower encoraged encounter encouraged encouragement encouragers encourages encourage encouraging encouragment endured endure energy engaged engagement engage engaging enjoyed enjoys enjoy enouragements enslaved ensure equation equip eternal eternity ethical evaluate everlasting evil exact example exception excited excitement exciting excluded expand expectations expectation expected expecting experiences experience expression express extended fair faithfully faithfulness faithful faith family famous favor fearful fear feelings feeling fellowship fighting finisher finish fire firm flow focused focusing focus followed followers follower following follow fooled forgave forgiveness forgiven forgive forgiving fortunate forward foundation founders found fracturing freedom free freidnships fresh friendship friends frustrated fulfilled fulfillment fullness future gathering gave generations generation generosity generous genuine gifts gift given givers giver give giving glady glad glimpse glorfiy glorified glorify glorious glory glroy godly goodness gospel goverment grace gracious grateful gratitude grave gravity grew grieve grieving grope growing grows growth grow grumbling guard guidance guided guides guide guiding guilty guilt habit handling happiness happy hardship healed healing health heal hearing heartbreak hearts heart heaven help hesitate holiness holy honest honorably honored honoring honors honor hoped hopefulness hopeful hopelessness hopeless hopes hope hoping horror humanity humble humbly humility identified identifies identify identity ignited ignite ignorant ignore imagine immature impacted impactful impact impatient implications importance important impossible including inevitable influence information inherent innocent inspiration inspired inspires instance instant intended intensity intentional intentions interceding interceptors interesting interest interpretations interrupted intimately intimate intrude investment invitation invite inviting involved itimacy jogging join jorful journey joyful joy justification justifying kindness knowing knowledge known laborers labor leadership leaders leader leading lead leaning learning learn leaving legacy limitations listening living lonely longing lordship loved loves love loving manipulate marriage married mature mediator meditate meditation membership members memeber memorable memory mentality merciful mercy message mindful minds ministers minister ministry miracles miracle miraculous missing mission moment motive moun notice nourished nourishment numerous obedience obedient obey obligation observer observe offering operate opinions opportunities opportunity oppressed ordered outcome outward overcome overcoming overlooked overpowered overpower overwhelmed overwhelming ownership painful paradise parenting particular partnership passage passing passion pastors pastor path patience patiently patient peaceful peace peae perception perfectly perfect performance perform perishing perish persecuted perseverance personally personal perspective persuade plan pleasing political politics pondering popular positioned position possession possibility powerful power praised praises praiseworthy praise praising prayed prayerful prayers prayer praying pray preached preachers preacher preaching preach prepared prepare presence present preserves pressured pressure prevail prevented prevent pride primary principle priority privilege proactive probelm problems problem process proclaim produce productive profess profit promised promises promise promote proof prophecy prophicies prosperous prosper protecting protection protect proud proved proven prove provides provide providing provision purify purity purposes purpose pursuing raises raise reaction reading realized realize realizing reassured rebelling rebellion receive recieved recover recuperation redeems redeem redemption redemptive referring reflection reflects refuse reignite rejected rejection rejoice relationships relationship religion religious remaining remedy remember remembrance reminded reminds renewal renewing repeated repentance repent represent resistance resisted resisting resist resolution resolve respect responsibility responsible ressurrection restful rest resurrection retreat return revealing reveals revival righteous risk ritual royalty running sacrifice safest safe salvation satisfied satisfies satisfy saved save saving scattered scriptual scripture secured security seeking seek selfish sensitive separated seperated seperate seperation sermon servants servant served server serve service serving shame shaping shared share sharing showed sidelines significance silence silent simple simply sinful sinless sinners sinner sin situation solve soul speaking speak specific spiraling spirirt spiritually spiritual spiritully spirit spiriutal spread srve stability stalking standards standing starting strengthen strength stressed stressful stress strive strong struggles struggle struggling submitted submit substain successful success suffering supply supported supportive support surrendered surrendering surrender surroundings surrounding surround survived sustain symbolic talents teachable teachers teaches teachings teaching teach tears temptaions temptation tempted testify testimony thoughtful thoughts through thrown together tolerance tradition transformation transformed translation treat trouble troubling true truly trusted trusting trustworthy trust truths truth trutyh ultimate unbelievers uncomfortable understanding understand union unshamed utilize validation valuable values value vanishes verbally victorious victory violated vocal vulnerable waiting wandering wants watchful willingly willing wisdom wisely wise witnessed witness wonderful wondering wonder worried worrying worry worshipped worshipping worship worthy wrath