Do you know there are bible verses for athletes who are losing faith in their athletic dreams?
You can use these scriptural verses to get strength, encouragement, peace of mind, and a sense of direction in your chosen sporting career.
Ordinarily, life is full of ups and downs. The present Covid-19 pandemic has proven to all mankind that we are living in a world of uncertainties.
The pandemic has rendered most dreams and pursuits up in the air.
Many have lost hope and sense of direction. They are just hanging on to life, almost giving up on all that they have worked for.
In the midst of all these, you can find true peace, and instead of sharing stories of woes, you can be singing songs of joy.
You can use the word of God to win in all situations, even in this Covid-19 era.
Study and meditate on these bible verses, and get inner strength that will enable you to overcome all the challenges you may be facing in your athletic career.
1. Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
It takes strength and courage to trust in God up to the point of seeing him move to help you.
You can comfort yourself in the words of your maker. He promised that he will be with you, and that is what he will do.
The presence of God is more important than any other thing you may need because it means that you will arrive at your destination and achieve your goal in the end.
You may not win all the time, but his presence will give you the assurance that God can even use losses to achieve his purpose in your life.
Joseph experienced the same in Egypt. He eventually became the prime minister because God’s presence was with him. Genesis (39-41).
2. Ecclesiastes 9:10 NIV
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
How do you feel when you are engaging yourself in any activity that has to do with your athletic dreams?
Are you seeing yourself doing what God wants you to do?
In this season, if you have discovered that there is no other alternative to your athletic career, then you need to commit all that you have to it.
Aim at being the best and the most sought for in that career.
God wants you to take your career seriously and make the most use of the opportunity you have to get the full reward for it.
God loves hardworking and well-focused people because it is part of fulfilling His purpose on earth.
Moreover, there is time for all things under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). Now is the time you can pursue your athletic dreams and realize your goals.
No one can take athletics to the grave. By that time, it will be too late for any sporting activities.
3. Hebrews 12:1 NIV
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
As an athlete, whatever is standing between you and your goals has to go.
There is a race that is set before you, and that is reaching the peak of your career, breaking and making records, and establishing yourself as an ambassador for Christ.
There are clouds of witnesses, men, and women who have achieved greatness in their chosen careers because they trusted in the Lord.
History cannot forget people like Michael Faraday, Martin Luther King Jr., Johannes Gutenberg, and others who hazarded their lives, trusted in God, and changed the world with their dreams. Study about them, and follow in their footsteps.
4. 2 Timothy 4:7 NIV
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
How do you want your later years to be? Do you want a life that can be described as fulfilled? If the answer is yes, then you need to start implementing your winning strategies now.
A time will come for you, when all races will end, including the ultimate race, which is the race to heaven, will you be able to raise your head high and say, I have kept the faith.
Remember this, you can afford to lose a race on the track, but you dare not lose the race to heaven. It is a one-off competition meant for only those who have prepared themselves.
5. Isaiah 40:31 NIV
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
God can give strength to whomsoever he wants.
He gave unusual strength to Samson, who became a one-man army and terror to the land of the Philistines (Judges 15: 14-16).
He gave supernatural strength to Elijah, and he was able to outrun the horses of king Ahab (the best and the fastest in the land, 1 Kings 18:46).
When you rely on God for strength in your athletic career, he can turn you into a tireless athlete.
Brood over his words, especially these bible verses for athletes, and gain strength.
6. Philippians 4:13 NIV
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
When you are faced with any terrifying situation, and it appears they will swallow you up, you need to make this declaration that you can do all things through Jesus.
Is there anything impossible for Jesus? The answer is no because he is the resurrection and the life, meaning that he can bring dead things back to life (John 11:25).
Never see impossibilities in your athletic dreams, instead see Jesus, your friend, and your savior who can do all things.
Always ask him for strength. Even when you are in the middle of a race, he will respond to your request and renew your strength.
7. Colossians 3:23-24 NIV
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Do you know that God is interested in your athletic career? He is, the parable of the talents in Luke 19:11-27, confirms that.
He has given you abilities and skills, which is why you can see that you are more endowed than some other people around you when it comes to sports.
God has invested in your life. You cannot afford to allow that to go to waste. You will give an account one day, just like the man that was given the one talent.
Endeavor to please Him with your life and your athletic career, never work towards satisfying man, but God.
Be law-abiding, and let the fruit of the Holy Ghost manifest in you.
Let your light shine, even on the track, to make others see the blessedness of serving Christ.
8. Hebrews 12:11-13 NIV
11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13 “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
Workouts and exercises are painful, yet you have to live with them every day if you want to be successful as an athlete.
As painful as they may be, they are the only route to success for an athlete, and if you want to remain in form, you have to keep doing them regularly.
Take your eyes away from the pain, and focus on the rewards awaiting you.
Every painful moment of physical exercise you go through will eventually pay off in the end if you keep at it.
9. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NIV
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Only very few participants reach the final stage in sports, and only one person wins the gold.
Never participate in a race with a mindset of losing the gold to others.
With excellent and adequate preparations and trust in God, you can win that gold. Do not limit yourself to getting consolation prizes or nothing at all.
Jesus has not come to give you consolation prizes but abundant life (John 10:10b).
Never live an aimless life, or approach your career without a definite goal which must be your motivating factor.
Dream that goal, envision and desire it. Pursue it with all vigor, and your reward will come at the end.
Winning in life is not by luck, but by obtaining the favor of God.
When you are favored, you will make little effort and achieve very great success.
Human strength can fail at any time, but God’s strength does not fail. That is what you will discover in these bible verses for athletes, and that is what you need. You have come too far to give up on your athletic Dreams.
