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This is a continuation on problems with competition for us as believers.

6. Competition is centered around the fear of man

The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe. Proverbs 29:25

Competition sets a standard that everyone needs to strive for. The standard of competition could be high and even unrealistic. Nevertheless, the goal is to reach a man-made standard, but it has nothing to do with God’s standard for His children.

For example, athletes are defined with how skilled they are in their sports. Most people don’t care about the person’s character, integrity, or how they treat their family members. All that matters is that they are winners on the field or on the court. A person may feel satisfied temporarily because others look up to them or follow them everywhere. However, God may not be pleased with that person at all. It is no wonder that many celebrities develop various self-destructive addictions. The world tells them that they are great and wonderful but deep inside that is not how they feel. Then they wonder what is wrong with them and why they can’t appreciate all their success or fame!

Similarly, we may reach a man-made standard in a certain field and be a winner. However, God cares about our heart condition, character, and obedience regardless of how impressive we are to others. When we allow the world to define our worthiness based on competition, we develop a faulty foundation and neglect what the Lord says about us. The truth is that competition can never create a solid identity because it is based on external accomplishments. Those who are ruled by competition, will have to prop themselves by drawing on addictive habits/relationships to shut the voice inside of them that is telling them that they are not good enough!

7. There is no end to competition

Competition has an insatiable desire for a person to continue to prove that they are the most capable, most beautiful, most athletic, most skilled, etc. It is an insecure state of being since there could always be someone better. One can never feel that they have arrived. As Proverbs 29:25 (see above scripture) states clearly,  people become enslaved to the need to do more and be more. Competition produces a vicious cycle, and it becomes a snare to the wellbeing and security of the person!

8. Competition inhibits vulnerability

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Competition changes the subject about one’s inner needs and focuses on accomplishments. Vulnerability is a bad word in the mind of one who is competitive. Those who are driven by competition feel too scared to open up and ask for help. That would be humiliating to them. Instead, they would rather be seen that they have it all together and be applauded in order to ease the pain of their brokenness. A Competitive person feels that they are always on stage performing to the crowd. Hence they have to be on their best behavior, look good, and be impressive.

If we really want to be touched by God, we need to have a safe place where we are not concerned about impressing or outshining others. We need to acknowledge our burdens, needs, and insecurities and be willing to receive help, healing, prayer, and counsel.

As children of God, how do we ensure that our identity is not based on competing with others? I will share about this in the next devotional. 

As I shared in the last devotional, competition is very much part of our culture and the way we live life. However, there are dangers to doing life with a competitive mindset.

This is the continuation of the potential problems with competition:

3. Competition demands to win

For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. James 3:16

Competition has the insatiable desire to win, and when winning is the goal, we become self-focused.  As a result, it would be difficult to be happy for others in their success or to encourage them to get better at what they do when we are in competition with them. The scripture tells us that self-seeking opens the door to every form of evil. We cannot embrace our carnal nature and feed it with competition and, at the same time, feed our spirit man by being willing to deny ourselves.

Competition does not allow us to see and appreciate the work that God is doing in others’ lives because we are so focused on our welfare. Would you be able to encourage others who seem threatening to you? Would the desire to win and compete inhibit you from speaking words of life to someone?

4. Competition does not allow us to esteem others better than ourselves

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Philippians 2:3

If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. Philippians 2:2-3 (MSG)

Competition compels a person to strive and connive to look better than others. It makes the person desire to outshine others and look perfect and mature! Competition can operate in  marriages, at work, in ministry, in lifestyle, and how one spends his/her money. Someone who is competitive has no joy in seeing others grow and become better than them. Competition does not produce love, peace, and affection but envy, sadness, and insecurity. 

5. Using spiritual terms to excuse/hide competitiveness

The authority figures of the outsiders play this game, flexing their muscles in competition for power over one another, masking their quest for domination behind words like “benefactor” or “public servant.” Luke 22:25 (Voice)

People use variety of spiritual excuses to be driven and competitive. They can use excuses such as: God has called them to fight; they are called to win; They want to be make a lot of money so they can fund the Kingdom; He has given them strength to do all things through Christ; they are called to be the head and not the tail, and the list goes on. All of those are true in the proper context, but if it feeds our selfish ambitions and our competitiveness, we are feeding our carnality!

The word of God is rich with many truths, but what makes it powerful is not taking one scripture out of context to meet our needs but in spending time to allow the word of God to change us. If our passions, desires, and competitiveness have not changed after following Christ (except this time we give all the glory to God), we may be deceived! 

The transforming resurrection power comes to make us a new person and give us God’s desires. The Holy Spirit comes to empower us to say “no” to our old nature and to deny ourselves, so the life of Christ can grow in us. God changes our hearts, motives, and activities. If competition is the main way we feel alive, well, and whole, then there is a deeper spiritual work required. 

Competition is so ingrained in our lives, that it takes time to identify it and allow God to uproot it from our lives. I will continue with this subject in the next devotional. 

As Americans, Competition is a cultural value for us; it is a way we measure our success and achievements. Competition impacts many areas of our lives, we use it to evaluate people’s skill set, stamina, perseverance, and fortitude. It is a measure of performance in our society, and we celebrate it in our lives as well as in our favorite people’s lives. 

Competition begins in early years with spelling bees and science projects, and it extends to sports and musical performances through the childhood years.  Later on, teenagers compete indirectly with thousands of others for a spot in their college of choice. Finally, when children become adults, they have to compete against other candidates for the job they are seeking. 

There are some benefits to performance and competition. When a system such as our American system allows opportunities for many, it is necessary to have a set of criteria that allows elimination of some and rewarding the most qualified. However, when performance and competition become a lifestyle and the method by which we evaluate ourselves and others, it’s a slippery slope!

The constant bombardment and evaluation of our activities causes us to rely on competition as a source of identity. If winning makes us feel valuable and worthy, then these attributes have taken over our identity!

What are the potential pitfalls of competition?

1. Competition causes us to be driven and makes us feel that we always need to do better to feel important or worthy.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

The Lord has created everyone one of us for Himself. His pleasure is for us to represent Him well on the earth and to do the work that He has for us. We can glorify God in every activity, but if the activity defines our worth, now we have elevated the activity/competition to a level that God did not intend. Would we be able to hear God if He told us to stop the activity? Is there a drive deep within us that cannot stop?

2. Competition demands comparison.

For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. 2Corinthians 10:12

We cannot compete without comparing our abilities to others and plan to outperform them. Comparison has at least two bad side effects. We’ll either think we are better than others and feel proud about it. Or we’ll feel that others are better than us and will feel lowly and not good enough. Either position is not what God has intended for us. As Paul beautifully stated, it is not wise to compare ourselves to others. It just leads to carnality and competition and does not produce good fruit.

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

I shared in the last devotional that as we go through different seasons, we don’t know exactly how the harvest will look like. What we we know is that God has promised a harvest of righteousness for those who live/walk through various seasons according to His plan.

Raising children is one of the areas that the harvest cannot easily be determined. Every Christian family makes their own decisions on how to raise their family.  Hopefully, they are all seeking the Lord as they raise their children. However, the harvest will look different in each child’s life and from what parents imagined.  One of the big variables is that children develop their own minds, free will, and emotions, and, as a result, they form their own path. Our part is raising them to adulthood according to God’s instructions, but we’re not responsible for the choices they make as adults. 

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

The above scripture is a reminder that raising children is seasonal.  We plant the seeds of faith by reading the Bible to them, taking them to church, and praying for them. We raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord and introducing them to Jesus. In addition, at the natural level, we are called to hold them accountable and allow them to see the consequences of their actions. We also set the example by living a life of diligence and taking responsibility for our choices. This kind of lifestyle allows the years of childrearing to be used wisely and effectively. When the children become teenagers, they strive to make their own decisions, and to some degree, we need to let them. Eventually, when they become adults, they have the responsibility to take ownership of their faith. This may take a few years, but the parents are not in control of it anymore.

The problem is that sometimes parents think that they are responsible for their adult children to be spiritually connected to the Lord. The truth is that our season of responsibility is over, and we need to make the necessary adjustments. The adult children need to be encouraged to pray for themselves and not to expect parents to just pray for them. We should also point them to the Bible to find the direction they are seeking and refrain from offering our counsel to them.  As long as, we are taking care of their spiritual needs, they will not develop an appetite for God, and we become enablers in their arrested development. The adult children will have to go through their own seasons of faith, and we can’t rescue them from their spiritual fall and winter seasons. When we are willing to show courage and set boundaries for our children while young, we enable them to set boundaries for themselves when they become adults.

When we were raising teenagers, I would hear how some Moms were their children’s best friends. However, I chose not to go that route. I was willing to go through choppy waters and not be afraid of the displeasure of my children. Now it is clear that those kinds of relationships did not produce good fruit in the friends’ lives. I am very thankful that I did not give in to the voice of the culture and the peer pressure!

If your adult children are not walking with the Lord, continue to pray for them that God would intersect their lives. If there was negligence or sin on your part while raising them, ask the Lord for forgiveness and, when appropriate, ask your children for their forgiveness. In addition, cut off ungodly soulish ties with your children that hinders them to be free to seek truth without your pressure. Forgiveness and cutting off soulish ties shuts the door to the enemy to play with your mind and emotions and his attempts to torment you about your children’s choices. Continue to surrender them to the Lord and speak words of life that calls them to a higher place!

God’s seasons are necessary at the natural and the spiritual level. The different seasons prepare the way for good harvest to come forth at the right time. If we have done things God’s way, sooner or later there will be a harvest of righteousness waiting for us.

Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion ovecr the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28

The Lord designed us with a desire to build, multiply, and increase. God gave the mandate to Adam and Eve to multiply and subdue the earth. This increase and multiplication covered every area of  life, and it included both our natural and spiritual lives. For example, we seek to grow and develop our relationship with the Lord. We also want to develop healthy and loving relationships with others. We desire to have a healthy marriage and raise Godly and responsible children. We aim to prosper financially and hope our hard work will pay off, so we can save for our retirement, give generously, and enjoy what the Lord has blessed us with. We also want to be fruitful in ministry in reaching others for Jesus and helping the believers to get stronger in their walk with God.

All these areas demand hard work and long seasons of faithfulness. They require us to be in tune with the Lord about those things that no longer serve a good purpose and allow them to be cut off in the fall and winter seasons. We also need to pay close attention to His word and grow our roots deep in Him, so we can flourish in the seasons to come. Eventually, when the season for plowing and planting comes, we are called to do them with diligence and seek His wisdom in every area of our lives.

Do we know how the harvest will look like? Not really.  There is no defined harvest that we all can expect. The harvest will look different for all of us, and it will not necessarily be what we imagined it to be. In addition, it will show up on God’s timetable not ours! What we know is that God provides a harvest of righteousness for those who follow Him (See 2 Corinthians 9:10 NIV).

One of the areas that the harvest is not clear is raising children to adulthood. I will share on  that subject in the next devotional.

God’s seasons are valuable to the earth and to our spiritual wellbeing. As I shared in the last devotional, during fall and winter the plant sheds all its beauty and becomes doormat. Similarly, fall and winter cause believers to slow down from busyness and activities. This is the season that they need to dedicate more time in seeking the Lord and in growing deeper in Him. 

As the spring comes along, the activities being to change. Farmers begin to plow, sow seeds, and to nurture what has been planted. These are critical actions in preparation and expectation of the harvest in the next season.

Give ear and hear my voice,
Listen and hear my speech.
Does the plowman keep plowing all day to sow?
Does he keep turning his soil and breaking the clods?
25 When he has leveled its surface,
Does he not sow the black cummin
And scatter the cummin,
Plant the wheat in rows,
The barley in the appointed place,
And the spelt in its place?
26 For He instructs him in right judgment,
His God teaches him. Isaiah 28:23-26

The above scripture describes the process that a plowman goes through to plant various seeds. At first, he has to plow the field to get it ready to be sown. In addition, each seed has its proper place and way to be sown. All of this comes from the Lord’s instruction in helping the plowman to judge and assess accurately what each plant needs.

Spiritually speaking, God gives His children the wisdom to make the necessary preparations and plans in the appropriate seasons. The season of preparation will look different for every person. God knows our abilities and personalities, and He also knows what is needed for us to be prepared. Some may require more work than others because of their history, unbelief, stubbornness, or their particular calling. Nevertheless, God is still after a harvest in each of our lives. 

Moses tended his father-in-law’s sheep for forty years before God spoke to him about his assignment as the deliverer of His people. David was being prepared for over a decade before God allowed him to be the King of Israel. Joseph had a few winters and springs before the Lord opened the door for him to become a ruler in Egypt at age 30. Jesus was being prepared for 30 years before the Lord directed Him to begin His ministry. 

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due  season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9

Are you faithfully plowing, planting, and nurturing in your spring season? The season of preparation may feel like a lot of work with not much reward.  At times, we may not even know what we are preparing for. The truth is that this season will not last forever. God promises that when we do good and do our work unto Him, we will reach the season of harvest.

Encourage yourself in the Lord and regain your strength in Him. Trust Him that the harvest is coming. Our part is to continue to do good, to not quit, and keep looking unto Jesus. We do not want to reach the reward with our own strength and ingenuity. The harvest is not our responsibility. The Lord is the rewarder, and He shall bring it to pass!

God’s seasons have profound physical and spiritual ramifications. The more in tune we are with the season that we are in, the better aligned we are with God’s purpose and the less frustrated with our state in life!

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.  You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.  Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. John 15:1-4

In our success-oriented culture, we love and aspire to be like those who can do it all without slowing down a bit in life. However, when we look at the nature, God has designed it that even the earth takes a break. In Fall and winter, the vegetation goes into quiet existence. It stops producing new leaves, fruit, or flowers.  There is even the loss of dead and diseased leaves. In addition, Gardeners use this time to prune dead or useless branches. Those leaves and branches had a purpose in the past seasons, but they are no longer beneficial.

Similarly, we go through fall and winter seasons with God. He examines our branches as an expert gardener, and He knows what has not been fruitful in our lives. He cuts off those unfruitful branches. He also cuts off the branches that have had some fruit, but he prunes them to bear more fruit. 

Are you willing to slow down and allow God to speak to you about what needs change in your life?  The Lord will bring to our attention those things that have become diseased in our lives and have caused emotional, mental, or physical baggage. It is time to shed everything that impacts our spiritual health and wellbeing. It is time for God to prune those things, in order for new life to grow. We cannot hold on to the past but expect new and fresh growth. 

What is God speaking to you about the branches that have become diseased or unfruitful? Are you willing to look bare and give up those branches? Can you say “no” to relationships or activities that have not produced good results without the fear of feeling lonely? Who do you need to forgive so you can cut off the bitterness in your heart? Can you live without the need to impress others, so God can do a deeper work in you? Are you willing to cut off murmuring, complaining, and gossip and trust God’s work in your circumstances?

If we are believing God for better things in the future, this is our opportunity to believe God’s good purpose in our particular season and not be afraid of the change that it requires. I will continue with this subject in the next devotional. 

I love how God created a natural system that in many ways reflects His workings in the spiritual. The natural world is faced with different seasons, and each season accomplishes a purpose on the earth. Similarly, God uses seasons in our lives to develop us and to fulfill His purpose on the earth. 

In the old days, people were more in tune with seasons because their lives and livelihood depended on it. My grandparents owned vineyards and orchards, and where they lived enjoyed having all the four seasons. They planned out their particular activities based on the upcoming seasons. During winter when they had heavy snow, there was not much outside work to do with for my grandfather. However, when the season changed, he would begin to work in the fields along with his laborers. During harvest, my grandparents would move from the city to the village to be closer to their crop. My grandmother would use the bounty in summer to prepare fresh meals for the family. At the same time, she made pickles, preserves, cheeses, and she canned vegetables in preparation for the upcoming winter. 

Nowadays, most people do not work on farms and their lives do not depend on local farms. We can have any produce we wish at any time of the year. We also go to a 9-5 job, which generally its nature does not change from one season to another, so we have a different mindset about life and seasons. We think that whenever we want something from God, it must be the right time to have it. When we don’t get it, we become disappointed and disillusioned with God and with our walk with God.

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; Genesis 1:14

Seasons are God’s creation, and the Lord uses them to speak to us and to teach us about His ways. At any one time, the earth is going through two very distinct seasons. If the Northern Hemisphere is closer to the sun, it is going through its spring and summer. At the same time, the Southern Hemisphere is going through its fall and winter season.  Similarly, People around us may be in a different season than we are. That’s why Paul said that comparing ourselves to others is not wise!

God uses seasons for propagation in the life of animals and vegetation, and He also uses them to make us fruitful! We need to be in tune with our seasons and make necessary preparations for the upcoming season. Spend sometime in the Word and in prayer and ask the Lord to show you about the season that you are in.

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional. 

As an apostle of Jesus Christ, Paul had a passion for God’s people to come into greater knowledge of the Lord and understand their position in the Kingdom of God. He regularly instructed the believers in the truth that God had revealed to him, and at times, he corrected the churches for some of the false teachings or practice. In addition to all the teachings and exhortations, Paul’s letter to the church of Ephesus contains powerful declarations and prayers that we can use in our devotional time!

As we begin the New year, let’s pray some of these scriptures and invite the Lord to take us to deeper places of intimacy and growth in Him. We all know that there are deeper places to go with God, but sometimes we don’t know how to get there. We also recognize that those around us need a deeper revelation of God and greater freedom in Christ. Below is Paul’s prayer for the people in the church of Ephesus. This is a good prayer to pray over ourselves, family, friends, pastors, other believers, or even backslidden believers.

Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,  do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,  the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,  and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power  which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,  far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,  which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:15-22

Currently, the body of Christ is struggling with lack of Bible knowledge, false doctrine, distractions, disunity, and relational issues, and we need to pray for the body to grow in maturity, in unity, and in strength. It is easy to criticize a church for its shortcomings since there is always room for growth and transformation in every congregation. However, we should lift up our churches in prayer and ask the Lord to change and grow them in His ways.

Below scriptures were penned by Paul to explain how God intended to establish and grow the body of Christ. Those with the gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastors, and teachers are called to fully operate in their calling and gifting. If the people of God utilize their gifting with a pure heart, with no selfish ambition, and no fear of man, the body of Christ has the potential to grow in health and strength. Use below scriptures as a declaration to pray over your church and the body of Christ as a whole.

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says:

“When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men.”

 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?  He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;  that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—  from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:7-16

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

I shared in the last devotional that Christmas is not the end of the story but the beginning of Jesus’ life and ministry on the earth. The Messiah came in the form of a baby, but He grew up to become all that God intended Him to be to save humanity from sin and lead us back to God. Christmas is not puzzling but powerful! Jesus’ attributes in the above verse are important truths in what we have in our Messiah. Below is a continuation of those attributes from the last devotional.

Mighty God

Jesus was with the father from the beginning. We look to Jesus as Mighty God who rules the universe, and that everything in heaven and earth belongs to Him. We understand that we are only stewards of our time, temple, treasure, and talents that He has given to us by His mighty hand. His awesome might causes us to have the fear of the Lord, and it gives us the conviction to do all our ministry and our work heartily as unto the Lord. He is the one we serve regardless of who we work for.

God separated the Red Sea with His mighty hand and made a way for the Israelites in a hopeless and unnerving situation. We also trust His mighty hand for our protection and for making a way where there doesn’t seem to be a way. He is powerful and capable to be our provider and protector. Do you believe that He is mighty in your situations of life? Do you recognize that His supernatural power provides you with everything you need for life and godliness?

Everlasting Father

Jesus came as the representation of the father to show us the way back to God. He came to redeem us from being orphans in this world and adopt us into His family. There are many people who have come from dysfunctional homes and have never felt wanted, valuable, or included. The good news is that with Jesus entering our world, He reversed every form of rejection and reconciled us to our heavenly father who never leaves us nor forsake us. We have an everlasting Father who is with us always! Have you been delivered from an orphan spirit? Do you still go into self-preservation mode whenever you feel an opposition? Are you on the road to thriving in God?

Prince of Peace

Jesus came full of peace! His identity and security was unshakable because he did not look to those around Him to validate what God had already spoken to Him. His security allowed Him to not take the bait of the enemy. Hence, He did not open the door to torment, guilt, or shame. Jesus came full of truth and grace. When lies are absent and the truth and the grace of God prevails in our lives, peace is ushered in.

In ministering to people, I found that when they recognize God’s truth and love and understand the lies of the enemy, it leads them to repentance. This breaks the chains of oppression, delivers them from torment, and their world becomes so peaceful! Jesus’ offer of peace is available to every weary soul. He invites us to cast our cares upon Him for He cares for us! Are you able to guard the peace of God and enjoy His rest in your life?

As we begin the new year, let’s consider all of Jesus’ attributes that make our lives rich, powerful, and meaningful. Pray and press into God in the areas that you desire a greater level of victory. Ask Him for what you need and patiently wait for Him. Allow the Lord to show you and change you from the inside out. Remain teachable and accept the dealings of God to change your life and your perspective.