Eric H. Liddell was a Christian missionary and Olympic runner of Scottish origin in the 1920s. He played rugby as well to a degree but he was mostly known for his athletics exploits.
His life was the inspiration for the 1981 Oscar-winning movie, Chariots of Fire. Eric was a devout Christian and at one point refused to run a race that took place on the Sabbath.
After his running days he went to China where he did a lot of missionary work. Sadly he died at the young age of 43 from a brain tumor as a result of overwork. He used to exert himself to extremes in everything that he did.
Here are 7 of some his best quotes about living with purpose:
1. “The secret of my success over the 400m is that I run the first 200m as fast as I can. Then, for the second 200m, with God’s help I run faster.” ~ Eric Liddell
This is an interesting analogy of how we must live our lives as we serve God. God requires your best effort in whatever you do for him, whether in your career, ministry, relationships, etc. When you give your best, you eventually get to a point of exhaustion and perhaps weakness.
This is the point that most people give up on their pursuits, because they feel like they can’t go any further. But it’s at this point where God’s power kicks in to carry you through to the finish line; if you give up halfway, you won’t get to experience the amazing power of God working in your life.
The next time you feel like giving up, remember the words of the Apostle Paul – “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
2. “Obedience to God’s will is the secret of spiritual knowledge and insight. It is not willingness to know, but willingness to DO (obey) God’s will that brings certainty.” ~ Eric Liddell
There’s a big difference between knowing and doing something. A lot of people believe that knowledge is power, which isn’t exactly an accurate statement. Knowledge alone is not enough, it is applied knowledge that translates to power. The same applies to your relationship with God; applying his word and following His will translates to power in your life.
Obeying God’s will helps you know Him at a much deeper level than just knowing His will. In fact, you never really master a skill or anything else until you’ve put it into practice.
3. “If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race.” ~ Eric Liddell
Loving Christ is seen by your obedience to His commandments. The Bible says that loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, strength and mind is the most important commandment. The next most important is to love your neighbor as you love yourself. Living by these two commandments enables you to run a straight race and bring God glory.
Keep in mind that you can’t claim to love God if you hate your neighbor whom you have seen. The reason why that is so is because God Himself is love; and if He dwells in you, you’ll have the capacity to love the people around you.
4. “The kingdom is where the King reigns. If He is reigning in my heart, then the Kingdom of Heaven has come to me.” ~ Eric Liddell
As the Bible says, the Kingdom of God is not a mystical place that’s far away from you. If you follow Jesus Christ, His Kingdom lives inside of you. This is why you can establish His Kingdom in your spheres of influence. Some of the critical areas where it’s needed include governance, business, family, media and the arts.
Whatever your sphere of influence, that’s your area of ministry. Ministry isn’t restricted to just the four walls of the church, it extends beyond them. Take it upon yourself to be salt and light in your spheres of influence using your God-given gifts.
5. “Every Christian should live a God-guided life. If you are not guided by God, you will be guided by something or someone else.” ~ Eric Liddell
When it comes to allegiance, it’s either you’re serving God or something else other than God. And in many cases, anything else other than God, tends to draw you further and further from Him. This usually happens when we want to satisfy our flesh in one form or another.
But when you allow God to guide and direct your steps, the things you desire come as a by-product. Instead of personal ambition being your focus, let God be your main focus and He’ll take care of your needs. He promises that if you seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, all other things will be added to you.
6. “Anyone who, neglecting that fixed hour of prayer, [will] say he can pray at all times but will probably end in praying at no time.” ~ Eric Liddell
Prayer is an integral part of the Christian life that must be prioritized every day. It’s how we build our relationship with God- to know and follow His will, and to thwart the enemy. Having a set time to pray every day keeps you focused and prevents you from being sidetracked. When you pray randomly, you end up forgetting to even pray at all.
When that happens, it gives the enemy an opportunity to strike when you least expect him to. Most people are motivated to pray only when they’re in trouble, and then relax when everything seems fine. To be on the safe side, commit to a fixed time of prayer and stick to it.
7. “Learn in the days of ease and comfort, to think in terms of the prayer that follows, so that when the days of hardship come you will be fully prepared and equipped to meet them.” ~ Eric Liddell
In your seasons of peace and quiet, it’s wise to prepare for the coming seasons of turmoil. It’s not a time to entirely relax and do nothing, it’s a time to build yourself up. This might mean adding to your education to position yourself for better opportunities. When you take advantage of those opportunities, they’ll provide a hedge of protection against the storms of life.
Preparing for the storm when it has already arrived is usually too late; there’s not much you can do at that point. Ask God to help you know what to do at every stage of your life.
Preparing for the storm when it has already arrived is usually too late.
Every one of us is born for a purpose that gives expression through good works that God prepared beforehand. It’s through those good works that the world gets to see God’s glory and minister to other people. Running for Eric Liddell was that thing for him and he used it to glorify God. I realized early in life that encouraging other people was that thing for me.
I started my search for what God created me to do in my late teens into young adulthood. It’s been a journey of discovery that has helped me see things I never knew I was capable of doing. I have a natural propensity to encourage other people to become more of what God wants them to be. I’ve been in many difficult situations in my life and can therefore relate with people in their low moments.
That expression comes through speaking directly to people or through writing which is how this blog came about. I used to write in journals for the fun of it and to also encourage myself when I was going through hardships. I can somewhat relate to King David in how he wrote the Psalms. Writing has a therapeutic effect which helps me see things from a better perspective.
My interest in the web and being able to connect with people on a global scale tie everything together. I’ve used these skills for the longest time and whenever I’m working on them, I feel like I’m in my element. I find so much joy in working with this that it doesn’t feel like work and time doesn’t matter in a sense. It’s work that I can do forever.
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To be successful in the pursuit of what God has created you for is to walk in obedience to God’s will. How do we know God’s will you might ask? God’s will is found in His word and the Rhema word He gives you when you seek Him in prayer. He has given us the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth because He has the mind of Jesus Christ.
This has been true for me in the pursuit of my life purpose and he confirms it through the lives I touch. Your purpose should enable you to be salt and light to other people around you and point them to Christ. That’s the pattern you’ll find in the Bible in the lives of men and women whose lives glorified the Lord Almighty. You can look at the lives of people like King David, Abraham, etc.
Knowing what to do is one thing and following through to do it is another. There are often consequences associated with not doing what you know God has called you to do. I have missed out on certain opportunities when I hesitated to obey instructions from God. Doing so led to regrets that make me wish I could have done otherwise if I had another chance.
God desires our obedience more than He does our sacrifices which is seen in how King Saul lost the kingdom to David. God equated rebellion and disobedience to the sin of witchcraft which illustrates how much He wants us to walk in obedience to His will. It’s safer to be found on the side of caution doing God’s will even when the outcome is unclear. God rewards us when we walk in obedience.
It’s safer to be found on the side of caution doing God’s will even when the outcome is unclear.
The way we conduct our lives gives us an idea of what guides our decision-making whether God or the devil. I have come to realize that there are good people who sometimes do evil acts and those who are evil at heart. It’s scary sometimes how people can intentionally do child trafficking and subject people to slavery. Most of these people worship at evil altars and have no remorse about it.
I’ve since learned to be careful who I allow into my circle by knowing people in the spirit. Your spirit man can sense other people’s disposition whether they serve Christ or the devil. It’s true that the people you spend the most time with end up influencing your behavior. It’s a case of understanding that birds of the same feather flock together. We therefore must be careful not to be guided by the wrong things.
I thank God for delivering me many times and opening my eyes to the evil practices of people I associated with. This wasn’t because of my intelligence that I didn’t completely fall apart, it was God’s grace over my life. I’m humbled realizing how much God loves me and the things he’s kept from destroying me. He’s saved me from people that had sought to destroy my life.
Because of that, I’ve learned to be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit in everything I do. Some opportunities may seem like open doors yet may turn out to be trap doors in the end. The same applies to relationships that may open doors for you. You need to be discerning and know which doors to open or avoid. That’s where the Holy Spirit comes in to guide and direct our steps.
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Getting to that level of relationship with God and the Holy Spirit is accomplished through diligent and consistent prayer. Christianity is a relationship after all and the more you spend time with God, the better you will know Him. As I’ve matured in my faith journey, I’ve learned to speak to God every waking moment of each day. On top of that, I also set aside dedicated time to seek Him in prayer.
Time in God’s presence is never wasted time and is the most valuable investment of your time. Setting up an altar and bringing all my desires, hopes, struggles, and concerns has worked wonders in my life. As I learned from Dr. Francis Myles, altars are places of divine exchange here on earth. They are the places that bring the manifestation of what’s in the spirit whether good or evil.
It’s our altars that give power to our prayers to accomplish God’s purposes here on earth. This point hit home for me when I realized that my life was in real danger through works of witchcraft. The devil’s agents here on earth also understand altars and their dedication to them often defeats believers that aren’t as dedicated to righteous altars.
For more insights about altars, I encourage you to read Dr. Francis Myles’ books such as The Battle of Altars. I’ve since set up a righteous altar where I petition God and hear from Him about His plans for me. My life has since changed because of that and certain strongholds that were in my life have since fallen away. Don’t be one of those believers who are destroyed because of a lack of knowledge, these things are real.
In times of peace, learn as much as possible regarding God’s word and apply it to your life.
In times of peace, learn as much as possible regarding God’s word and apply it to your life. What often happens is that when times of hardship come, you won’t have time to prepare counter strategies. They should just come out of you because of prior preparation. When you’re not prepared, chances are high that you’ll fail the tests that will come your way.
I came across a quote that says, “In times of war prepare for peace and in times of peace prepare for war.” How I understood that was that when everything is calm, it’s an opportunity for you to prepare for challenges ahead. On the other hand, when you’re going through adversity, you’re to have assurance that it will come to pass. It simply shows us the cyclical nature of life and that nothing ever stays the same.
I’ve seen how true that is in my life having gone through both phases in the last few years. I went through so much training about manhood and learning to honor God with my life for a season. I enjoyed the experience of learning the principles I learned at that time. What I didn’t exactly expect was the adversity that followed that season. It only makes sense now when I reflect back.
The enemy came in like a flood to attack my marriage, career, finances, relationships, and destiny almost all at once. Those lessons I learned before are what have guided the decisions I’ve made along the way. When you pass the tests that come, you’ll know it by having a sense of peace in your heart. That assures me that everything is going to be all right for me.
1 Comment
Ntando
Eric Liddell was quite a runner. Thanks for the quotes