Athlete, have you examined your heart? If so, maybe you’ve been convicted in an area where you need to surrender control. Or perhaps you’ve been challenged in an area where you need to imitate Christ by faith.

The hope is, as a believer, you will submit to God’s Holy Spirit, as He shines His light into any area where you need to call sin, sin.

Conviction can be scary, but hang in there, Christian, because God will speak to you. And when He does, be ready to listen, because His desire is to draw you closer to Himself. So let’s dig a little deeper and listen a little more attentively.

What does our soul have to do with being “ALL IN” for God and for others? As the heart is the center of our expressive humanity, the soul is the core of our eternal spirituality.

We have been created by God with souls that long to be in relationship with our Creator. In Psalm 42:1, it says, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.”

What keeps us from engaging our souls in fully loving Him in this way? Sin! We are born as sinners, and we struggle to reclaim the created, daughter/son relationship with God that He originally intended.

We go so far as to deny God’s sovereignty, and we often misunderstand His character or misrepresent His intentions. We even fail to surrender to His Lordship in our lives.

As fallen creatures, we succumb to all manner of unbelief and disbelief. And the problem lies in our damaged and distorted souls, our broken identities.

If I’m ALL IN with my soul, I believe:

• That God is my sovereign Creator. Psalm 139:13
• That God loves me. 1 John 3:1
• That God created me with a purpose. Jeremiah 29:11
• That God has a good plan for my life. Ephesians 2:10
• That God gave His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to save me. John 3:16
• That God’s Holy Spirit indwells me. Romans 8:9

God is: Creator, Holy, Sovereign, Father-Son-Holy Spirit, Love, Worthy. I am: God-made, loved, created with a purpose and a plan, redeemed and empowered.

Athlete, as you see who God is and your true soul identity is revealed, you can reclaim your rightful, created relationship with our Creator God.

Now you are enabled to walk humbly in light of God’s sovereignty, in reverence and fear of His holiness, in faith, trusting His goodness in all circumstances and in truth, believing His Word.

Simply put, a right view of God is the only way to have a right view of self, sports and others.

A prayer to consider: Lord, help me understand my making and my Maker, so that I can love You with all of my soul!