I was so excited when I was invited to speak at The Spark Women's Conference …so of course I immediately started praying and asking God to give me something to say… I would read the bible and study and it just seemed like heaven was closed up and this went on for a couple of weeks…then one day my sister and I had taken my mom to her one of many doctors appointments, and we were done early so my sister said…Let’s go by and watch my neice play soccer, so I said ok, we will.

It had been years since I’d been to a soccer game, but we got excited and cheering for her team, and after watching for a while I thought to myself;

Oh!! Man I could not play this game…I mean every time one of those girls kicked the ball toward their goal, the other team kicked it right back and farther back than where they were the first time, and this would go on and on until finally they got the ball really close to the goal, and then with a final kick the ball was headed for the goal and it was going to make it!!! Oh My gosh !!!  Then that goalie came running and caught it, and you know what He did?  He ran out on the field and kicked that ball right back into the field as far as he could, then it was time to start all over again, except this time the ball was farther back than any other times before.

As I sat there saying to myself, there is no way I could play this game I mean It’s like you never can reach your goal and your always having to start over.. then all at once like a light bulb came on in my spirit, I heard a still small voice say..you and every one of my children play this game everyday… Look at it again… then my spiritual eyes were opened and I saw in the spirit…this is exactly how we feel sometimes as God’s children, spiritually and in our everyday lives.

We set goals for ourselves, physically, spiritually, financially, and we kick that ball of life toward that goal and it seems that every time we make progress and we’re getting closer to our goals, the enemy ( the devil ) kicks that ball of life right back and we end up farther away than we were when we started…

And in my spirit I said yes God, this is exactly how we feel sometimes, it feels as though we’re constantly fighting to reach our goals but we are always getting set back.

Tell us how to win…Lord?  And as I sat there and listened  this is what I heard :

                S    P  A  R  K

S is for Stamina – or strength.. this team practiced and they worked hard every day to gain strength and muscles that would prepare them  and give them the strength they needed to stay in the game.

P is for perseverance – They understood that when that game started they would have to give it their all, and they had to stay in, they couldn’t quit, for if they quit fighting in the game the other team would make the goals and win the game.  They had to make up their mind that no matter what they would perserveer and never quit until the game was over.

A is for Attention – next they had to pay attention, they had to watch the enemy, they could not take their eyes off of that game not even for a second, because if they let their attention be sidetracked or distracted from what was going on in that game then the enemy would steal that ball and all the ground they had fought to gain would then be lost lost.

R is for Resistance – next they had to develop resistance, they could not turn and run from the enemy…they had to stand face to face with them and fight them for that ball.  They had to resist the enemy, no matter how big they were or how intimidating they became… their eyes were never seeing the things that would make them afraid but all they saw was that ball and their goal was to never let that ball reach the hands of the enemy.

K is for Kinmanship -  or  commerodery, partnership, team mates,… we have to understand that we cannot play and win this game alone…none of us can, this is why we must learn the lesson of brotherly love, Jesus spoke about when He said..

Love your brother as yourself.  We must fight for one another at times, when we see one of our brothers or our sisters and they are surrounded by the enemy we must learn to fight with them… to help overcome the enemy and in turn they will make that Goal.

Most of all we have to understand that in order for us to win we must stay in the game, not  only must we stay in the game but we must complete it.

 Stamina!!

Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud

 of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and finisher or the perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning it’s shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God…Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Perseveer!!

 James 1:2-4

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Attention!!

 1 Peter 5:8

Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.

Resistance!!

James 4:7-8  Submit yourselves, then, to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Come near unto God and He will come near unto you.

 1 Peter 5:9

 Resist him, firm in the faith knowing that the same sufferings are being experienced by your brothers in the world.

Kinmanship !!

 1 Peter 5:10

 Now the God of all grace, who called you to His Eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will personally restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little.

Listen Jesus already played the game and Let me tell you HE WON!!!

 And we are destined to win too!!!…Jesus already played out the game and took every blow, every setback, every Knock down to the ground…He took it all and He triumphed over all the plays that the enemy could ever throw our way.

You and I, we are already winners all we have to do is stay in the game, don’t give up, keep fighting to win,  don’t be intimidated by the enemy when you feel like your blocking him at every turn and when you feel like all that God’s promised you seems to get farther and farther away…

 Paul said “ run with patience the race that is set before you”  

 By maintaining, cultivating and reigniting that spark  daily …

And finally we must  realize that all it takes is a little SPARK to make a Flame…

A SPARK here and a SPARK there and before you know it you have a massive explosion…that the world can’t help but see…

It’s there, in all of us…destined to win, to fulfill God’s purpose in our lives and to reach our own personal destiny He has created for each of us our own personal game strategies, through hardships and triumph’s, we all must continue to fight through everyday but we know at the end of the game we will reign in victory…

For the end  has already been written:

        WE WIN!!!!