AGAINST THE ODDS: Shall We Begin?

‘’Challenges’’, what comes to your mind when you hear this word? Where does your mind run to when you encounter difficult situations?
How about when it seems there is no way through, over, or around a difficulty?

Have you seen a mountaineer attempt to reach the peak of maybe Mount Everest or Kilimanjaro? Have watched professional athletes charging down the race track with blood pumping through their veins, beads of sweat trickling down their bodies, squinted eyes, and a passion burning within them to win the prize and cross the finish line?
Better still, can you remember running in your school sports competition? With someone else a hairs breath behind you while you push yourself to the limit in an attempt to catch up with just one person in front of you?

Apostle Paul had this scene in mind when he wrote in I Corinthians 9:24 “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.”
Of the mass of athletes that attempt to get into the 100 meters dash at the Olympics, only a handful qualify. Of that handful, only eight track stars make the final. And out of that eight, the gold medal is handed out only to the winner.

How then do you run against the odds, against the opposition, against whatever else might be in your way to emerging champion?
“And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”
– I Corinthians 9:25-27

To be successful at any endeavor, you first need to understand the rule of engagement. For Christians, the rule of engagement involves bringing your flesh under control. Not giving in to self-will or everything you desire simply because you can. There are a lot of variables against you out there, but you begin your journey by first bringing your body under your own control.

The literal meaning of “Against the odds’’ is overcoming a seemingly impossible or difficult situation. When the tide is against you or stumbling blocks have been laid in your path to delay you from reaching your goals.
Like the hurdler who is expected to jump over barriers as they sprint towards the finishing line, as a Christian, there are also external circumstances against your progress and the fastest way out of some of them is to jump right over them.

As a believer, it is important to note that you cannot and should not be less of what God has made you. Remember the prophet Jeremiah, when God told him in Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee: and before thou camest forth from the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”
This just confirms that God is indeed thinking of you. He has a plan for the whole universe and everyone in it, but He also has a plan and purpose that is uniquely and exclusively for you.

Against the odds is a series that will dive into the scriptures and Christian histories to draw out relatable stories that will not only motivate you but also make you know that ‘’Delay is not Denial” and what you adjudge as a full stop is just a rest point in the sight of God.
Join us as we look through the lens of those that have gone before us to draw strength, hope, and build our faith so that in the days of adversity our strength will not fail us.

Let’s learn from men and women of faith in the bible like Joseph, Daniel, Paul, Deborah, Hannah, Ruth, and many others that have walked in the sands of time. Their imprints have set an example for us to learn and follow.
We will flip through history and learn from men and women of past centuries and contemporary times, who have defied the odds through God’s grace to become the best version of themselves.
From the story behind the popular hymn “It is well with my soul?”, to ‘’Azusa street revival”, the popular evangelist “John Wesley “and his mother “Susanna Wesley”, and others whose names we can’t touch on today, we will be challenged, refreshed, and renewed.

Together through the help of God the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, we will discuss pivotal moments that shaped Christendom, and one article at a time, you will receive unction from on high to break the barriers in your life.
Remember, God is not done with you, and He is thinking of you.
Go forth and live an overcoming life. Live a life that trounces depression, rejections, failures, and past mistakes. A life that wins against the odds.