Trying or Training?

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! As Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins once said, “You know what today is? An opportunity!” What will we do with this great gift?!?!

Earlier this week I listened to a Pastor Craig Groeschel sermon from January 24, 2021. It was so good that I listened to it again, and again, and again! I took notes so I could share them with you. The message was titled, Why Can’t I Change? – Greater Reward Part 2.

Pastor Craig opens by asking, “Why aren’t we winning?” He then offers that the reason we are not winning is that we have been “trying” for too long. He joked that it is the Theology of Trying – I am trying to serve God. I am doing the best I can.

He then challenges the listeners with this; Stop trying and start training! Trying never achieves consistent results, training does!

He then breaks down the difference between trying and training.

Trying – attempt to change with minimal commitment; almost implies you are planning to fail.

Training – wholehearted commitment to achieve a specific result.

He then hammers away a little bit more at the differences between trying and training.

Trying – show up hoping for a better result.

Training – game plan, strategy, show up with the eye of the tiger; intentionality; focus.

Trying – you give up when it gets hard; quit when you don’t feel like it.

Training – you don’t act according to your feelings, you act according to your commitment; takes all the power you have and some you don’t.

He then offers several other great points:

Not trying to compete, training to win.

When you have a vision, a God-ordained purpose, you train to win.

He then points out in 1 Timothy 4:7 that Paul implores Timothy to train to be godly.

“Have nothing to do with godliness myths and old wives’ tales; rather train yourself to be godly.”

I am not trying; I am in training – it is a different mindset.

So, what is training? Pastor Craig offers this definition of training:

“Consistently doing what I can do today to enable me to do what I need to do tomorrow.” God is giving us His power one step at a time.

And he closes with these critically important points:

It starts with identity – not just what you want to do, but who you want to become.

When you are trying, you are hoping to become something that you are not; when you are training, you are becoming more of what you already are!

Training is not a hopeful experiment; it is a devoted commitment driven by a deeper why.

Training is driven by who you are! We are a great marriage in training. I am a godly Dad in training.

I hope this message is 10% as powerful to you as it is to me! I am ready to fly out of my chair right now!

Friends, let’s give up the trying and let’s get to training! Let’s make the commitment to be who we were created to be! Let’s be intentional, with a strategic plan! Let’s identify the areas in our lives where we want to learn, grow, and become all that we are capable of becoming! No more, “I’ll try.” Come on, you know what I am talking about. You and I have said it knowing full well that not much was going to change. Let’s train and let’s speak words of life over our training. I am a godly man in training! I am a godly husband in training! I am a godly dad in training! I have a godly marriage and godly relationships in training! Whatever the declarations are in your life, speak them! Nothing will change by trying; everything – including eternity – will change by training!

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious family, please stay well, and let’s get to training!

Kev