The race that is set before all believers in Christ is the heavenly race, which, as advised in HEBREWS 12:1, they must run with patience, through the narrow way of Holiness, that leads to eternal life. But unfortunately, majority of believers in Christ, today, have been diverted by the prince of this world, the devil, intothe broad way to run the earthly race, that will eventually lead them unto eternal destruction.
In MATTHEW 4:8, the devil, in his craftiness, sought to divert Jesus from this heavenly race, into an earthly race, by enticing Him with the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, but Jesus overcame the devil by using the word of truth, which is the sword of the Spirit. On the contrary, the devil overcame Demas, a co-labourer with Paul, by diverting him from his heavenly race, having enticed Demas into the loveof this present world, as written in 2 TIMOTHY 4:10a, and I quote, “FOR DEMAS HATH FORSAKEN ME, HAVING LOVED THIS PRESENT WORLD.” In like manner, many believers in Christ, especially many men of God, have subtly been diverted by Satan, from their heavenly race, into an earthly race, by enticing them withmoney andwiththe gloriesof this present world. In JAMES 4:4, it is written, and I quote, “YE ADULTERERS AND ADULTERESSES, KNOW YE NOT THAT THE FRIENDSHIP OF THE WORLD IS ENMITYWITH GOD? WHOSOEVER THEREFORE WILL BE THE FRIEND OF THE WORLD IS THE ENEMY OF GOD.” Believers in Christ, who are in friendship with the world or who are friends of the world, are running the earthly race, unknown to them. They have also become the enemies of God.
Believers in Christ who have been diverted into this earthly race, have their hearts overcharged with the cares of this life, and are being preoccupied withlaying up treasures for themselves here on earth. They are ignorant of the saying of Jesus, that a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things which he possesses, as written in LUKE 12:15, and I quote, “TAKE HEED AND BEWARE OF COVETOUSNESS: FOR A MAN’S LIFE CONSISTETH NOT IN THE ABUNDANCE OF THE THINGS WHICH HE POSSESSETH.”
Judas was one of the twelve apostles, chosen by Jesus Christ, but because of the love of money which he coveted after, he was diverted by Satan from the heavenly race that was set before him, into the earthly race, and thereafter got himself unequally yoked with unbelievers, the chief priests, who were the enemies of Jesus, as written in MATTHEW 26:14, and I quote, “Then one of the twelve,called Judas, went to the chief priests.”
It is even worse in this dispensation, for many men of God who, because of the love of money orpride of life, have gotten themselves unequally yoked with rich unbelievers and with politicians, running this earthly race with them, whereas men of God are warned by the Spirit of God, to flee from the love of money and from the love of this world and never to get themselves unequally yoked with unbelievers, as written in 2 CORINTHIANS 6:14-18, so that the devil will not divert them from the heavenly race, that is set before them.The lives of genuine men of God consist in the abundance of the spiritual riches that they possess, which are more to be desired than pure gold.And these spiritual riches are the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven which are given to only few chosen men of God, as spoken by Jesus in MATTHEW 13:11, and I quote, “BECAUSE IT IS GIVEN UNTO YOU TO KNOW THE MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, BUT TO THEM IT IS NOT GIVEN.”These mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are the hidden truths in the scriptures,which men of God are advised to seek and tobuy, and not to sell them, having found them, as written in PROVERBS 23:23a, and I quote, “BUY THE TRUTH AND SELL IT NOT,” andas writtenin REVELATION 3:18a, and I quote, “I COUNSEL THEE TO BUY OF ME GOLD TRIED IN THE FIRE, THAT THOU MAYEST BE RICH.”The more of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, men of God have, the richer they become and the more spiritually established they shall be inthis heavenly race, as they continue to live in obedience to these hidden truths. The conversation of those running the heavenly race is always heavenly and their minds are always set on things above, and never on things on the earth, as commanded by the Spirit of God in COLOSSIANS 3:2, and I quote,“LET YOUR AFFECTION BE ON THINGS ABOVE, NOT ON THINGS ON THE EARTH.” Christians and men of God, running this heavenly race, have their hearts set on heaven, because their treasures are in heaven, where they have been laying them, in obedience to the doctrine of Christ, written in MATTHEW 6:20-21, and I quote, “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
As believers in Christ, we must examine ourselves if we are still running the heavenly race, or if we have been diverted by the devil from the heavenly race into the earthly race., The devilIS that old serpent, that deceiveth the whole world. THEREFORE, LET US NOT BE DECEIVED, THE HEAVENLY RACE AND THE EARTHLY RACE ARE TWO PARALLEL RACES, AND SO, IT IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR BELIEVERS IN CHRIST TO RUN THE TWO PARI PASSU.
And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free, thus saith the LORD.
