Are you ready to live and compete with a new perspective and a new audience?

 

We all live out our life in front of an audience. Whether it’s neighbors, roommates, family, Facebook or thousands of fans. People watch us and evaluate us everyday. It’s easy for us to get caught up in trying to please these audiences. But you need to realize an amazing truth…that there has been Someone else watching you for a long time. The Almighty God, over all creation, made you and has seen everything you have ever done (Psalm 139). He really is your Audience of One as He watches everything you do.

 

God as your Audience of One doesn't mean that you are playing for God, in the sense that you must impress Him, as if His acceptance of you is based on your athletic performance. You may think that the harder you play, the more God is pleased with you, like He is the heavenly scout watching your every play and when you fail athletically, He drops his head and shakes it in disappointment.

 

You don’t need to perform or compete in order to try and receive love. Check this out…if you are surrendering your life to Jesus Christ, then God is fully satisfied with you. God’s love for you is complete. He loves you unconditionally and lives in you eternally, because of what Jesus has done on your behalf through His life, death and resurrection. (Ephesians 2:8,9; Romans 8:1-4; 1 Corinthians 6:19)

Your sin is forgiven and you are a new person, who is being renewed every single day (2 Corinthians 5:17; 4:16). You also have a new identity as a child of God. When you choose to listen to God’s voice above all others, and live in the identity that He gives you, now you become an audience of one to Him.

 

Every day and every play, you have the opportunity to respond to God with thankfulness for His love, through your attitude, effort and interactions, on the field of competition…as well as off the field

(Psalm 100:4; Colossians 3:23; Luke 10:27). You don’t need to be motivated by fear...fear of what your coaches will think, your teammates will think, the scouts will think, or your family will think (1 John 4:18). You are now free to be motivated by God’s love for you...because no matter what happens in your sport, you are fully loved by Him (Psalm 103:17; 1 John 4:19). This should free you to compete to your full potential. (Galatians 5:1)

 

Jesus’ power and love can overflow through your life in all that you do (2 Timothy 1:7; Galatians 5:22). This love doesn't make you play softer, it is a love that roars deep inside you, waiting to be unleashed...it drives you intrinsically to live and compete with passion, power and purpose (Colossians 1:29; Ephesians 2:4-7).

 

God is our ever-present Audience of One, who lives in us and shines through us for His glory.