In his message titled ‘The Race’, the Senior Pastor of The Fountain of Life Church, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, took his anchor Scripture from Hebrews 12: 1 – 3 to explain the importance of believers coming to the understanding that life is a race.
He said this while noting that this race of life is ordained by God and unique to each individual.
Referencing Hebrews 11, the man of God alluded to the great cloud of witnesses as those saints who have gone ahead to Heaven being the source of encouragement to those alive and running their race.
“Those saints are waiting for our triumphant conclusion in order for them to have closure,” he said.
While admonishing the congregation, Pastor Taiwo argued that it is worthy of note that this race is not just about an individual; noting that while the race is unique, the purpose is for each Christian to know that he is a champion.
He explained that the race had been set, predetermined, and marked out. Pastor Taiwo added that while this race, like others, is a competition, the difference here is that one competes with himself. He advised that it is critical to note that the next person is not one’s problem, mentioning that no one can run one’s race as ordained by God.
He stated: “Many eyes are on you, and you cannot afford to mess up”! In buttressing his points, he emphasized that the Kingdom of God is depending on Christians to run the race with discipline to obtain the crown.
Pastor Taiwo highlighted the importance of setting aside all distractions and sins that may hinder the successful completion of this race. He told the congregation that the race is fraught with obstacles, and he listed these obstacles to include anger, fornication, unforgiveness, envy, jealousy, bitterness, pride, and greed and charged the worshippers to focus on Jesus entirely.
The cleric reiterated the need to get over the obstacles and questioned why a Christian should continue to cede his time to the devil.
He encouraged the congregation that it is too late to quit the race, stating that “there are no chances in your assignments” while recalling the Biblical experience of David’s encounter with Goliath.
According to Pastor Taiwo, nothing is more important than for Jesus Christ to be glorified. Therefore, he re-emphasized the necessity of looking away from everything else while focusing only on Jesus.
