Second Wind: Truth for the Champion in You

By Marion D. Skeete

Do you need a second wind? All champions do.
Perhaps youre struggling to keep a relationship from falling apart or picking up the pieces of a broken one. Maybe youre dealing with a life-threatening illness or the loss of a loved one. Perhaps its financial hardship, or stress on the job. Even if your situation defies a reasonable explanation, the bottom line is, you need the spiritual oxygen of Gods Word to breathe a second wind into you.
The term second wind is well known to athletes. It is defined as the renewed energy or strength that empowers that long-distance runner or fighter to push forward to win the gold medal.
God calls us to be spiritual athletesin fact, champions. Champions are people like you who are willing to push forward despite the odds because of the DNA of God within them.
Using wisdom, humor and storytelling, Marion presents Gods Word in a profoundly relevant way, offering life-changing truths that can be applied right where you are, so you can seize the prize and fight to win!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 17, 2014
• ISBN: 9781479752621

Marion D. Skeete

Marion is a Certified Professional Life Coach, Mediator and talk show host, as well as an ordained minister, preacher and motivational speaker. She is the Founder and President of LegacyMakers International Ministries, a potential development network that trains, equips and inspires individuals and organizations through Coaching, Conversations and Community Transformation. She is the host of the “Second Wind” Radio broadcast that can be heard daily on WEZE and Boston Praise Radio& TV.

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Copyright © 2014 by Marion D. Skeete.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version of the Bible.

All of the stories in this book are true, unless otherwise indicated by an asterisk (*). Some of the names and identifying details have been changed.

The name satan and related names are intentionally uncapitalized.

To book Rev. Marion Skeete as a Preacher, Speaker or Group Life Coach, contact her at [e-mail]. You can also call or write to: [phone] or LegacyMakers International Ministries, PO Box 256108, Boston, MA 02125.

Rev. date: 10/30/2015

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Contents

1. The Truth about Prayer & Purpose

• The One Thing

• Perseverance: The Mark of a True Champion

• Defining Moments

• Vertical Advocacy: Doing Justice to Your Prayers

2. The Truth about Our Orginal Design

• God’s Masterpiece

• American Idol & the Search for Fulfillment

• Champions are Change Agents

• Redeeming Our Past

• Recasting Our Future

3. The Truth about Overcoming Adversity

• Extreme Environments & the Life Forms that Thrive in Them

• Breaking Generational Curses & Receiving Generational Blessings

• From Recovery to Renewal!

• Living in the Shadow of God’s Light

4. The Truth about the M.O. of the Kingdom of God

• Gain through Loss

• Success through Servanthood

• Strength in Weakness

• Less is More

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my parents, the late Rev. Dr. Edward B. Skeete and Rev. Yvonne V. Skeete. I feel so profoundly blessed that God gave me the unique opportunity to spend your latter years with you. The joys, the pain, your indomitable spirits till that final breath… Your lives and legacies live on in me.

Acknowledgments

To my siblings: Lincoln and Brenda Skeete; Pastors Ronald and Kathleen Verna; and Sean and Betty Skeete. I love you more than you know. We have an unshakable bond, loyalty and respect for each other that profoundly blesses me. Wherever I roam, I know I can always come home, because of you guys!

To my cousins: Arlene Campbell Luces; Carol John; Sharon Cole; and Avonelle Hector Joseph. Your prayers and unwavering support have been the wind beneath my wings throughout the years.

To Rev. Rose Ryner: Sis, I can’t say enough about how much your support has meant to me. Thank you for your tireless efforts on behalf of LegacyMakers, and especially for your stellar editing of this book.

To Aunty Pearl and Aunty Ena: I don’t know if I’ve ever told you how much it means for me to look out into an audience and find your smiling faces. It’s as if Mom (alias Tita) has put you on assignment. I love you dearly.

To my CrossTown Family: You have been my human shield that has helped me weather the storms. I thank God whenever I think of you all!

To Nicole Larsen: Sis, you are indeed an original design! In all seriousness, thank you for allowing the Lord to use you in my life and ministry. You have an amazing connecting anointing!

To Rev. Marjorie Moraldo: Thank you for your kind hospitality and generosity that have made this book possible!

To Paula Fuller: Your unshakable commitment to praying for and with me has never ceased to enrich my life.

To Julie Sjofjan: Thank you, Sis, for your wonderful design of the book cover!

To all my dear friends, and supporters of LegacyMakers: Each of you has in some way been an important part of the shaping of my story and life. I thank God for such a rich cadre of relationships. I indeed have social capital!

Introduction

I T WAS A beautiful day in Barcelona. You could already taste the thrill of victory. Derek Redmond, who formerly had won three goal medals, was the British favorite to win the gold medal in the 400-meter sprint at the 1992 Olympics.

Derek was poised at the starting blocks. He had previously undergone eight surgeries due to injuries, but today he was in optimal shape for this history-making event. The shot rang out and the race began. Very soon, Derek gained a significant lead over his competitors. The large crowd of spectators went wild!

A true Olympiad, Derek covered 150 meters with gazelle-like speed and agility. He was clearly the winner. Or, so everyone thought. But they were wrong. Suddenly, Derek felt an excruciating pain. For a quick second, he literally thought he had been shot, but soon realized that he had severely torn his hamstring. Derek limped to a halt, and in agony, fell aimlessly to the ground. The spectators let out a loud gasp. Then, silence.

The stretcher bearers advanced toward him, but Derek decided that he was not about to give up. He got up and hobbled along the track. What is he doing? you could almost hear people say. He couldn’t possibly think he has a chance of winning.

Barging past security and onto the track, a man ran up from behind Derek and embraced him around his shoulders. It was Jim Redmond, Derek’s father. You don’t have to do this, Mr. Redmond whispered to his son. Yes, I do, Derek replied, tears streaming from his eyes. You’re a champion, you’ve got nothing to prove, Mr. Redmond insisted. Well acquainted with his son’s tenacity, Mr. Redmond realized that he could not convince Derek otherwise. He said, Well then, we’re going to finish together. With Derek leaning on his father’s shoulder for support, they completed the lap of the track together and crossed the finish line. The awestruck crowd of 65,000 spectators rose to give Derek a tumultuous standing ovation.

Although Olympic records state that Derek Did Not Finish, Derek’s actions made Olympic history. In fact, the famous video clip of the race has been used in Visa and Nike commercials to demonstrate the qualities of a true Olympiad. No doubt, Derek was last in the race, but to a vast number of people, he was first.

Derek found his second wind. Sometimes a second wind means gaining that last-lap potency to break through the tape and win the gold medal, as Derek had done before. Other times, it means finding a wellspring of strength within yourself that empowers you to stay the course—at a point when others would likely have bowed out from sheer pain and exhaustion. Whether it’s breakthrough power or staying power, that internal resource called "second wind" is the true mark of champions.

Some medical scientists explain the concept of second wind as physiological—when the body becomes so exhausted that it begins to search for other sources of oxygen to sustain it. Others say that it is, among other things, an increased blood supply to the diaphragm. Psychologists have a completely different take. They say second wind is a sort of mind over matter. It is the ability of human beings to triumph over the odds when faced with extreme pressure.

Whether or not you believe these physiological or psychological explanations to be true, second wind is undoubtedly a spiritual principle. God has destined for all of us to be champions in life, to be victors and not victims, to be overcomers and not merely undergoers—and we can discover these championship principles in God’s Word—the Bible. When we receive God’s truth into our spirits, it rejuvenates us and gives us the strength and direction to go the extra mile.

Perhaps you’re struggling to keep a relationship from falling apart or you’re picking up the pieces of a broken one. Maybe you’re dealing with a life-threatening illness or the loss of a loved one. Perhaps it’s financial hardship, or stress on the job. Even if your situation defies a reasonable explanation, God can give you breakthrough power to finish first. Or perhaps your situation calls for staying power, so that even when you don’t finish first, you finish well, setting a course for those behind you to follow.

Wherever you are in your spiritual journey, don’t throw in the towel. You can find your second wind as God breathes new life into you. As such, this book will give you the practical biblical principles necessary to become a champion in life. These truths will help you discover that being a champion is not about self-sufficiency or pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. And as much as we all like to win, it’s not merely about winning. It’s really about overcoming. The power to overcome comes through a radical encounter with God, whose Word infuses you with the spiritual oxygen you need for this race called life—one that is often filled with roadblocks and obstacles.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16)

Today, let God give you a second wind, so that you can do more than just make it through your day, you can live out your true identity—a champion!

CHAPTER 1

THE TRUTH ABOUT PRAYER & PURPOSE

Every spiritual champion has to make a life of prayer his or her unrelenting goal. A life of prayer aligns human agenda with God’s purposes.

The One Thing

The one thing I ask of the Lord—

the thing I seek most—

is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

delighting in the Lord’s perfections

and meditating in his Temple. (Psalm 27: 4, NLT)

F OR AS LONG as I can remember, prayer has always been a part of my reality. From intimate prayer times, to daily family devotions, to all-night prayer vigils at church, the communication lines between myself and my God were always open. We dialogued often about anything and everything. Being in God’s presence was the one thing I desired most. But in October 1984, that thing changed.

I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach when I returned back to my dorm room to find a note on the door that read, Marion, your mother wants you to call home. That wasn’t so unusual. Mom called me quite frequently, even in the middle of the day. But this time, for some unknown reason, the note struck me with a sense of urgency.

I had sensed right. My brother Rodney had suffered a tragic fall that left him in a coma. Of course at the time Mom termed it as unconscious and that he was showing positive signs of recovery as a result of the vigilant prayers of our church community. But, try as she might to convince me that there was no need to interrupt my studies, I knew that I had to return home to Boston immediately. Maybe deep down inside I realized that I was being prepared for this moment. After all, it was only a few nights before that I had wept at the altar after listening to the moving testimony of a missionary who was the guest speaker at our chapel service. She gave such an impressive account of overcoming a series of life-threatening challenges she faced overseas that it made even the spiritual giants at this conservative Christian college gasp in utter amazement.

Guilt-ridden, I joined my colleagues at the altar to confess to what I felt was my lack of genuine commitment to Christ. God, if I were to go through half of what this woman did, I sobbed penitently, I would probably not serve You anymore. God’s response will forever be etched in my memory: Yes, you would, Marion—because it wouldn’t be your strength, but My strength through you.

As we returned home from the hospital after visiting Rodney, who had sunken even deeper into the coma, God and I had another conversation. Or, maybe, it was a continuation of the previous one we had at the altar. In a mixture of sorrow and rage, I silently cried out to my Heavenly Father in the back seat of the car, Lord, You can’t take Rodney. He’s only twenty-two; he has so much to live for. God’s calm but poignant response was: But what if I do, Marion, will you still serve Me? Yes, I will, but You can’t take him… But what if I do, Marion, he interjected again, Will you still serve Me? For a third time I hurled yet another objection at God, and he responded with the same question, But what if I do, Marion, will you still serve Me? Then, with a faith-inspired resolve that caused peace to wash over my soul, I heard myself echoing the same words that God had rehearsed with me only days earlier, Yes, I will, Lord, because it wouldn’t be my strength, but Your strength through me.

I would soon come to publicly explain the untimely death of my brother as God’s will. All the while my aching soul quietly nagged, How could destroying your loving family be in God’s will? What about the wonderful plans God revealed to you about your loved ones? Or did you really hear from God in the first place? As the days and months dragged on, my personal prayer life dwindled to almost non-existent. Fear had taken hold and I found myself increasingly questioning God’s goodness. Gone were the days spent with my Confidant and Friend sharing intimate, soul-searching moments that left me in awe of his care for me. Feeling wounded, betrayed and voiceless, I could offer God nothing more than quick bedtime formalities.

This intense crisis of faith lasted for several months, eventually bringing me to grips with the limitedness of my own humanity—and my faith. As God began to heal me, out of the depths of my soul emerged something surprising. Legalism. Unknowingly, I had boxed God into a contract, with terms that read something like this, If Marion, the beneficiary, prayed long and hard enough (preferably on her knees), then God is obligated to bless her and give her all of her heart’s desires. No doubt, I had cleverly included a disclaimer that allowed for suffering. However, this suffering was not to derail the beneficiary’s said desires.

On that dark October night, as my brother hung between life and death, I prayed a prayer of commitment to God that opened the door to a new journey with him that required courage and trust in his sovereign, though at times, painful choices. My desire was that my brother be healed. In taking Rodney, God had a purpose much greater. God did not kill my brother. However, he used this tragedy to give me a deeper faith that is grounded, not in the good gifts I receive, but in the Giver himself. I discovered his grace in ways that I had not known before. So baffling was the fact that I wasn’t losing my mind and that I actually had the desire and strength to reach out to others, despite my pain. In retrospect, what was one of the most excruciating seasons of my life was one in which I was able to minister to other hurting people with empathy and wisdom, to a degree that far exceeded what was possible in the years prior to my brother’s death.

Before the tragedy, though well intentioned, I often used Psalm 37:4 as my trump card for getting the desired answers to my prayers, and, for the most part, it seemed to be working:

Delight yourself in the LORD

and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

I would later understand that the verse doesn’t simply mean that God will give me anything I want if I am devoted to him. It goes much deeper than that. It means that God will give me the desires of my heart as I allow his desires to become my own.

Every spiritual champion has to make a life of prayer his or her unrelenting goal. A life of prayer aligns human agenda with God’s purposes. Because prayer is based on an intimate relationship between a loving Creator and his creatures, this constant human-divine interaction allows them to gaze into each other’s hearts, purifying the fleshly motives of the creature so that they desire the Creator’s glory and not their own, the advancement of his kingdom and not theirs.

As we seek to know God’s plan for our lives, rather than attempting to manipulate or force him to do what we want him to do, prayer produces humble obedience to the Holy Spirit’s direction—even when that direction leads us into dark, unfamiliar pathways. Prayer assures us of his eternal presence, not just his temporal provision.

By no means am I saying that we shouldn’t ask God for what we want in prayer, or that our personal, temporal desires mean nothing to him. Just as good human parents want to give natural gifts, God wants to give his children good gifts, both spiritual and natural, and actually takes delight in fulfilling, and even exceeding, our hopes and dreams.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. (Ephesians 3:20)

Allowing God’s desires to become our own doesn’t imply that all our instinctive human desires are against God’s purposes or that God is somehow hesitant or unwilling to bless us materially. Unfortunately, too many of us view God as some kind of dream-slayer who is bent on sabotaging our success. In fact, I’ve met believers who wouldn’t dare ask God for a new outfit, let alone a promotion on their job! After all, those desires are too carnal, they reason. Folks, it’s the Father’s nature to give good gifts—both spiritual and material—to his children, especially when they ask. So ask!

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:11)

I am thrilled to think about how many times God answers my trivial prayers such as, Lord, please help me find a parking space quickly. Why does he even concern himself with such mundane issues? Well, I believe he does it to show me that if he cares about meeting such a small desire, how much more he is able to meet my greater needs and desires! But how do I account for those days when someone rudely cuts me off from a parking space that I feel I rightfully deserve? Does that mean that God doesn’t care? My history with him proves that he does care, even on those days. However, the bottom line is, whatever natural gifts, whether large or small, God brings my way, it really boils down to the issue of my priorities. Do the other things I desire lead me into God’s presence, or do I allow them to distract me from what I should be seeking after most?

Over two decades ago, I recommitted to the one thing—to continually pursue company with God, allowing his desires to become my own. I have learned that prayer prioritizes God’s eternal purposes above my temporal human needs and desires. But, at the same time, God doesn’t lend a deaf ear to my cries for immediate help or daily provision. The truth is, his plan for my life includes giving me those other things:

But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well. (Matthew 6: 33, CEV)

It would simply be untrue if I were to say that my prayer life has been consistently pure, passionate and uninterrupted since that life-altering experience in 1984. But, what has remained unchanged is my resolve to make journeying into a deeper relationship with God my life’s goal. Whenever I get sidetracked along the way, the Holy Spirit, the One who walks besides me, helps me back onto the path. I trust in God’s strength through me, and not in my own strength. To trust in my own strength would be to default into legalism—to choose a self-devised, restrictive contract over his covenant of love that richly overflows with mercy, grace and overcoming power. Sadly, it would also mean a prayer life relegated to an event and not a lifestyle—placing greater value on its form or my physical posture, rather than on the posture of my heart.

What are your prayer postures? In other words, what are the attitudes of your heart? Adopting the right heart attitudes