There is a finishing line that must be crossed for the believer to receive the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Unlike the earthly, the heavenly race is not a competition, therefore everyone that crosses the finishing line wins the race. Runners in the heavenly race encounter a lot of hindrances and distracting circumstances occasioned by the devil. Therefore, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.

Mary Magdalene was the first to discover the empty tomb and she promptly informed Peter and John that the Lord had been removed from the tomb. When these two disciples ran to the tomb and confirmed that the Lord was not there, they returned to their own home. But Mary stayed back at the tomb weeping, until she eventually saw two angels in the tomb and Jesus standing behind her. Mary's persistence paid off in the end.

God's will for everyone is that they get saved and make it through to heaven. Unfortunately, Satan is deceiving many people to remain in their sins by rejecting the offer of salvation which comes by grace through faith. Even those who eventually get saved are always opposed and attacked by the devil, making it difficult for them to sustain their salvation experience. But by the grace of God, we are more than conquerors.

If you are living one foot in the Church and one foot in the world, you are actually living both feet in the world because you cannot serve God and mammon. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils - 1 Corinthians 10:21. God hates adultery, therefore whosoever will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God - James 4:4.

The heart of the believer is tender and needs to be constantly watched over to avoid corruption and defilement. When God justifies a man, and makes him righteous at salvation, He also gives him the charge to keep himself pure. Failing in the responsibility to take away the things that have the capacity to defile a man will eventually result in eternal damnation. The believer is therefore expected to eschew evil and to abstain from all appearance of it.