You, man, must know the routine of a professional athlete: the sun hasn’t even appeared and he’s already warming up and preparing himself psychologically for the daily training. He has to dedicate his time exclusively to this and put leisure aside. The diet is rigorous and the physical and mental wear and tear , to achieve the desired result, easily takes you to the limit. All this just for the chance to compete. However, all that focus and discipline is no guarantee of victory. And if, even overcoming all these obstacles, he manages to reach the top, he will probably have to face the loss of memory of the fans after the championship, which sometimes, over time, forgets his accomplishments.

In the Bible, the apostle Paul compared the life of a follower of Christ to that of a competitor in the stadiums. However, as he explains, those who dedicate themselves to achieving Salvation , proposed by the Lord Jesus, do not compete for something passing, but seek a prize that will have eternal validity. In chapter 12, verse 4, of the book of Hebrews, we see that it is necessary to “resist even to blood” in the fight against sin.

That’s what warned the lecturer Renato Cardoso, during the monthly meeting exclusively for men, held at the Templo de Salomão , in São Paulo, on February 11: “many have not ‘resisted to the point of blood”. And if you haven’t ‘resisted to the point of blood’, it won’t help to resist just a little. Because there are only two options: you resist sin or you are overcome by it. It is a war fought every day. And what is sin? Sin is any mistake. It’s when you bring harm to yourself. Jesus said that the way to salvation is narrow. And you have to pay attention to that, because, in the fight against sin, the majority has lost.”

Maybe you, partner, are even thinking: “but I haven’t been able to overcome my temptations. It feels like it’s something stronger than me.” However, one must learn to lose in order to win . There needs to be delivery. And we have a beautiful example of this in the Bible: the Lord Jesus.

“Blood speaks of loss, of sacrifice. You ‘resist unto blood’ means paying the price. When it is said that the Lord Jesus endured to the cross, it also means that He kept His focus, His eyes, on Heaven. He didn’t take his eyes off Heaven. For Him, the loss He was suffering was momentary. He, apparently, was going to lose, but he knew what he was going to win”, clarified the speaker.

Have you, friend, truly “resisted unto blood” in the race to obtain your soul’s Salvation ? Do a self-assessment and change your way of thinking if necessary, but don’t lose this battle.