OWN IT 

"I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave" 

In this verse, when Paul says he “strikes a blow to his body” he isn’t talking about self-mutilation. He’s speaking figuratively about discipline. When it comes to fulfilling our purpose, none of the other things we’ve gone over so far matter if we don’t have the discipline to follow through to the end. And in order to follow through, sometimes we will have to “strike a blow” to some of our wants and comforts along the way. It’s similar to when we have a physical goal for our bodies. If we have a goal to get into better shape, we can’t just eat what we want and work out if we feel like it. We have to make our bodies our slave and learn to put mind over matter. 

In short, you won’t always want to do what you need to do to accomplish your purpose. Sometimes it will be hard and you’ll want to quit. Sometimes you’ll have to sacrifice sleep or hanging with friends in order to get where you need to be. Whether we like it or not, laziness disqualifies us from reaching our prize. If you aren’t willing to persevere and work harder than everyone else, you’ll end up as one of the people who run the race but never get the prize. Discipline separates the winners and losers. 

So, you’ll need to ask yourself: How far are you willing to go to fulfill your purpose? Because you will only get what you put in. Whether or not you win is up to you! 

I. How far am I willing to go to fulfill my purpose? 

II. How will I need to step out of my comfort-zone? 

III. How determined am I to get my prize?