The document discusses Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps' victories at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he won 8 gold medals. It notes that Phelps trained every day for 4.5 hours a day for 4 years leading up to the Olympics. In one race, the 200-meter butterfly, his goggles filled with water in the last 50 meters so he couldn't see the wall, but he still won and broke the world record. The document uses Phelps' success and discipline as an example for Christians to focus on daily spiritual disciplines and incremental goals to ultimately achieve victory, even when circumstances seem against them.

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Bible Lessons
For Youth -
Training for the
Race
Keep going, even when
you can't see the goal!

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The world watched with amazement
as 22-year-old Michael Phelps seized
8 Olympic Gold Medals in the
Olympics in Beijing. Amazingly this
was in addition to another 6 Gold
medals in the previous Olympic
games. And the 8 Gold medal
victories were not in solely personal
events but also team efforts. Victory
could only be achieved together. He
carried his segment of the race, and
could only watch as his team
members each carried their own
segments. – spurring one another on
to ultimate victory!

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Most amazing was the 200-meter
butterfly where, after diving into
the pool, his goggles began to fill
up with water so that by the last
50 meters he could not even see
his goal. After the race he tossed
his goggles aside in frustration
and stared at the official results.
He had still won, even breaking
his own world record in the
process.

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“I couldn’t see the wall. I was
just hoping I was winning,” he
later told reporters. He had
simply relied on his training and
counted his strokes to his goal.
In one of the many news stories
on this amazing swimmer, it
was mentioned that he trained
EVERY day for 4 ½ hours a day.
This included his birthday and
even Christmas. 4 ½ hours a
day, 365 days a year, for four
years since the last Olympics.

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He credited his coach with
giving him benchmarks and
smaller goals along the way to
his Ultimate Goal of eight Gold
Medals at the Olympics. For
many of the Gold Medals, he
was not only victorious, but
broke world records by a fairly
big margin in a sport often
measured by hundredths of a
second.

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More than one swimmer had set
Phelp’s defeat as their goal.
“Before the 200 meter Free style,
South Korea’s Park Taehwan said,
“I will defeat Phelps tomorrow.”
“Everyone on the planet is trying
to make him work, giving him
obstacles,” said Milorad Cavic, the
Serbian Swimmer who was closest
to defeating him and lost by only
one hundredth of a second. The
world deemed 8 Olympic goals as
impossible. But Phelps, through
daily discipline and training, found
victory in every test!

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I believe the same is often true in
our spiritual lives. How often do
we set goals yet fail to measure
up? So often we are
overwhelmed with the voices of
discouragement. Principalities
and forces in the heavenly realms
are focused on our defeat.
(Ephesians 6:12)

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We fix our eyes on the goal, on
Jesus, the Author and Perfector of
our Faith. (Hebrews 12:1-3) But
then when we finally stretch out
and reach for our goal, our vision is
hampered, and we can no longer
see the goal ahead. It is at these
times that the daily discipline and
training carries us through. (1
Corinthians 9:25 – 27, 2 Timothy
3:16-17)

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Like Phelps, if we are to achieve that
ultimate goal for which God has
called every one of us, we have to
have incremental goals and daily
disciplines. Luckily, God doesn’t
come into our lives and demand that
everything change immediately. His
Spirit works with us in small ways,
slowly transforming us to experience
personal victories as well as
corporate victories in the body of
Christ.

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Many of those victories are
personal, but many are also
achieved only through the
combined efforts of the Body of
Christ as we spur one another on
and exercise the individual gifts he
has given us for the common good.
(Hebrews 10:24, 1 Corinthians
12:7, Ephesians 4:11-12, Hebrews
3:13, Galatians 6:9)

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Are there areas of your life where
victory seems impossible? Are the
voices of discouragement
overwhelming? Do the
circumstances of life seem set on
your defeat? Does God’s purpose in
your life seem out of focus or
completely obscured? Then focus
daily on your spiritual disciplines, on
the Spirit’s moment-by-moment
promptings and you will one day see
clearly and realize fully God’s
victories through your life! Present
yourself daily as a living sacrifice.
Keep yourself on the altar! The
biggest problem with Living sacrifices
is we keep crawling off the altar!
(Romans 12:1-2)

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Whenever you feel like giving up,
read 2 Corinthians 4:7-16. As
Christians, even when we cannot
see the goal, we don’t have to
simply “hope” we are winning.
Victory is assured in Christ! Even
when the world seems against us,
Christ is working in us and through
us! Don’t lose heart! (2 Cor. 4:16)
Don’t give up! With God, ALL things
are possible. (Luke 1:37)

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Creative Youth Ideas
Go for the Gold
Need an evangelistic Youth Camp/ Bible
Study Series with an Olympic Theme?
What is salvation all about? What does it
mean to be saved? This sports themed
Bible Study / Camp Curriculum uses the
Olympic Flag to introduce the concepts of
sin (black circle), forgiveness (red circle),
purity (white background), spiritual growth
(green circle), heaven (Yellow Circle) and
(Baptism) blue circle.
-> Tell me about “Go for the Gold”
www.creativeyouthideas.com/goforthegold.html

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Creative Youth Ideas
Destined to Win
Need a Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series
on ”Running the Christian Race”?
The race as a metaphor for the Christian
life is used in several places in the Bible.
This series is a great follow up for new
Christians or to re-emphasize the basics of
our spiritual Journey in the Faith. This
Bible Study / Camp Curriculum has a
sports theme and is great for athletes as
well as a tie in to the youth Olympic
Games.
->Tell me about “Destined to Win”
www.creativeyouthideas.com/destinedtowin.html