That girl is DEAD!

Several weeks ago, I did something that had previously
seemed impossible.

 

I ran a 5K.

 

For some of you, running a 5K is a “walk in the park.” But for others, the thought of running just over three miles makes
you want to faint. I was that person in the past, believing that it was
physically impossible for me to complete such a feat.

 

Let me take you back in time.
As a freshman on my high school volleyball team, I was one day given the assignment of running a mile. While walking from the locker
room to the track, I kept hearing voices that said, “You can’t do this. You
will fail. You might as well quit now.� The problem was, I believed those
voices and gave into the failure before I even began.

 

Do you want to know what happened that day? I didn’t
complete the required four laps. I remember lying on the ground in pain and
telling my coach, “I can’t do it. I just can’t do it.� I remember feeling the
shame and embarrassment of my peers as they watched me fail. It was a painful
defeat in more ways than one.

 

Several years ago, I didn’t believe I was cut out for the
World Race. There was no way I’d be able to live out of a tent for a year,
carry all my belongings on my back, raise that much money, and simply be that
adventurous. I just wasn’t THAT girl.
The problem was, God wouldn’t relent in his prodding.

“The World Race, Janina. You can do it.�

 

I finally applied and was accepted. I knew that God was
calling me. The problem?

I was told in my acceptance packet that I needed to be able
to run three miles in 30 minutes.

Though I’d failed at running in the past, I decided that I was going to do this. I would conquer this fear
instead of letting it conquer me! I began to speak words of life over myself
rather than death. I chose to replace the voice of defeat which said, “You
can’t do this!� with the voice of TRUTH which said, “With Christ, ALL THINGS are
possible!�

 

I started out slow; I mean, REALLY slow. Some days were
tough, and my body wanted to give up. However, I continued to choose to believe
the TRUTH, and God was victorious! I set my eyes on the prize and chose not to
relent.

 

Allison (my former roommate in
Michigan!) and I completed the 5K in Port Huron together, crossing the finish
line in just under 30 minutes!

 

This is what happens on the World Race.
*God causes the old
parts of us that hinder us from walking in freedom to DIE.
*The lies that were
once a part of our identities become squelched by the TRUTH of who God says we
are as children of the Most High.
*The result is that we begin to walk in heavenly confidence and
authority, ready to follow God wherever He leads and no matter how impossible it seems!