Training for Reigning

Sep 14

I am so honored and glad that you are taking the time to read this newsletter because I believe we all need to understand God’s heart for us and how we can spur one another on to do good works.

If you love podcasts, I will also be sharing my thoughts from this newsletter on my next Kingdom Create Talks, which is available on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts.

The Power of Vision

We have an Ironman event happening in Redding this week (see photo above) and for those of you who don’t know exactly what that entails: it’s a 2.4 swim (I can barely swim across our pool and back without huffing and puffing), a 112-mile bike ride (hmm I could do 30 miles on an electric bike), and a 26.2 mile run (okay I DO jog around 3-4 miles a day—but 26??) all back to back.

What??? Who even thinks these events up? And who is even crazier to enter??

So, I researched (thank you Google) why people DO this—I mean actually train for this. And you know what I found out?

People Do It

“to test the upper limits of their physical and mental resilience, find a deeper sense of personal identity, and experience the unforgettable milestone of crossing the finish line”

Then, I looked up how long a person has to prepare for an Ironman event (thanks again google) on average (it would take me 3 years) and you know what they said? It cost them a lot I mean a lot of time and mental energy:

Weekly Time Commitment

· Base Phase: 7 to 10 hours per week for 8 weeks

· Peak Phase: 12 to 18 hours per week for 12 weeks

· Frequency: Training usually takes 5 to 6 days per week.

Lastly, most people who are inexperienced or out of shape who train for an ironman find a team a must (hmm that would be me—but not a team—an army):

The Value of Having a Team

Accountability: Knowing your training partners expect you to show up at 5:00 AM makes it much harder to skip a workout.
Social Outlet: Ironman training takes massive amounts of time; a team provides a built-in social life with people who understand your goals.
Pacing and Safety: Group long rides teach you how to draft and ride safely in a pack, which mimics race-day conditions.
Potential Pitfalls: Peer pressure in a group can sometimes push you to race your teammates during easy recovery days, risking injury.

Now this led me to compare the Apostle Paul’s mindset for us in Philippians 3:13-14 and how it compares to the training for an iron man:

"Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

What’s interesting to me is that Paul is calling for a Lifestyle Training For Reigning program, which is not meant for a season—but it covers our lifespan.

Who Sets the Race Parameters? GOD

If we have Christ living in us and we are running a race as we fix our eyes on Jesus according to Hebrews 12:1, then my question is how are we doing?

How are WE preparing to run our race and are we taking it seriously as those who are running a day long Ironman?

Are we aware of a greater spiritual reward for those who press on to know Him?

What I am saying is that we need to change our mindset from living as a wimp to fighting and overcoming as a warrior! Mindset is EVERYTHING (Romans 12)

Why? Because we OWE THE WORLD AN ENCOUNTER! He gave up everything for us to have eternal life and now how we live our life is our gift back to Him!

I love Jim Elliott’s quote: “He is no fool to give up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Who is spurring us on and helping us to go the distance?

I wonder what Paul would say to us today. I think he is looking for us to be champions and has equipped us with everything we need to go the distance because our light needs to shine in the light of our crumbling culture.

If you follow news in America, the state of Massachusetts’ legislation just passed full term abortion as legal. We have got to wake up and start fighting the giants that are destroying the fabric of God’s Family!

Anybody with me?

Spiritual Thrive Life Ironman Event is On

I believe that Paul and the Holy Spirit are encouraging us to prepare ourselves—in every way to cross the finish line well.

We need to become spiritually fit and develop a plan for being spiritually, emotionally, relationally, and physically fit, so that we can run the race that God has set out for us to run.

We need to support Kingdom beliefs and initiatives for families to be whole, schools to be safe, creative community ideas to emerge, and for us to show the world the power of the cross through how we live, love, and support.

If we don’t look at the finish line (becoming like Jesus and completing His assignments for us), then we can easily let busyness, the cares of this life, apathy, humanism, or lukewarmness settle in and take up real estate in our hearts.

If we let this happen, we will end up with flabby beliefs, weak habits, and compromise. If we are not pressing on toward the mark, then that means we don’t have our eyes on the goal and most likely, we are doing it alone or with the wrong team around us.

That’s why David in the Bible asked God to search his heart to see if there was anything holding him back—anything that was keeping him from His presence (Psalm 139:23,24).

I want to stay close to Jesus and let Him search me today. I want to let what is happening in Massachusetts awaken the call of God on my life. We need to care because HE cares.

What about you?

In order to do that I want to encourage you to take an inventory of your life. Are you training for reigning with God? Are you going after your personal destiny and dreams? Are you looking for what He is stirring in your heart to fight for? Is your time filled up with loving God, others, and learning to love yourself the way God loves you? Are you seeing the needs around you and saying like Isaiah, “Lord, send me?”

Life goes by so quickly—and we can decide today on the direction we are headed in.

My Personal Mission

I was just with a student of mine, Melody Hwang, who had served me for 3-4 years at Bethel in the School of Ministry from 2016-2018. I was on her podcast, and we were talking about the trips she had taken with me, the songs she had written, the musical she had produced, and how she had won awards after she left to go back to Taiwan.

She had learned to run her creative race and it has changed a nation!

It all started because I taught her to dream, take risks, lead, believe in who God had called her to be, and never- I mean never give up. She is now about to embark in writing more songs and helping to lead other musicians and worshippers.

She is pressing on toward the mark.

As we were talking, I realized even more so that raising up people to lead and learn to create with God is why I am running my own personal Ironman with the Trinity and why I encourage others to never give up on their dreams.

As you read this newsletter, I want you to know you are worth it.

How I run my race every day and how I believe in people when they don’t believe in themselves is what I do best.

I guess you could call me a spiritual coach in the spirit, which is why many people call me “Mama T.”

It’s because I truly care and I will be out there with you when it’s raining or when you’ve lost your way or when you are starting your own ironman spiritual journey.

I want you to finish well…

In 2 Timothy 4:7, Paul writes: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" as he faced the end of his life.

In my life, I have made decisions to sacrifice, to grow, and to become the woman of God I am today—and I never want to stop.

Let me equip you to run your race with the tools you need to fulfill your creative dreams, supernaturally release His Presence, and thrive in your identity and calling,

You are born to create and cross the finish line!

-Theresa