Run Harder

I received a phone call from a dear friend who is also a pastor's wife. What a wonderful gift friendship is and how God uses it to sharpen us and shine His Light into areas of our lives.
The conversation we had impacted me as a result of one sentence that my friend said..."I can run harder"...meaning that she could submit to Him more. She felt God had been showing her this lately and since she said this to me I can't seem to shake it from my thoughts. The Lord has been showing me that I too can run harder for Him. He has shown me the areas of my life that I'm not running rather a good description would be a slow walk. Some areas I'm not submitting at all; I'm at a stand still.
So now comes the crucial part; I've been convicted and shown how I can run harder for Him in this race of life and now I must put what I know into practice and not just think about it but do it. Knowledge must produce action at some point or it is wasted. This applies to all aspects of life...sharing the gospel...spiritual disciplines...diet...exercise...etc.

Acts 20:24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
Galatians 5:7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?
2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Hebrews 12:1 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.

Oh that I may run harder this race that has been set out before me.

Honesty: Silence Is Not Always Golden

Seeking God for personal revival requires a level of honesty that, at first, may seem quite threatening. Covering up our faults and failures is an involuntary reflex. At first glance, it often seems like the best option. We want others to think the best of us. However, humility-one of the first prerequisites for revival-requires the willingness to be honest with God and others about our true spiritual condition.

Quoted from: Seeking Him - - Experiencing The Joy Of Personal Revival, Nancy Leigh DeMoss & Tim Grissom with Life Action Ministries - pg. 41

We are to set aside falsehood and speak truth in love. It is a vulnerable place to be when we admit our true sin and our true spiritual condition before God and man. The cost of pretending to be something we are not is devastating. Denying sin hinders fellowship with God and cripples our relationships.
This is what I am learning these days and I'm so grateful for God's unfailing love and faithfulness to His Word.
"Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy." Proverbs 28:13