1 Thessalonians 5:24
The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.
I admit it. I’m captivated by the Olympics. Whether it’s the Summer Games or the Winter Games, I find myself staying up too late watching some of the most obscure sporting competitions ever held. 
Fencing, badminton, judo and handball make for some great late-night viewing, especially when they’re mixed in with the old favorites like basketball, gymnastics, swimming, and track and field events.
What really makes me enjoy the Games (and for that matter, any sports played at their highest level) is the way the competitors handle the pressure that comes with the events. Broadcast announcers have been sure to explain the pressure that the athletes must certainly feel when they have trained for years in order to compete in a event that can be decided in hundredths of a second. And yet, when the athletes themselves are interviewed about how they handle that pressure, they typically respond with, “Oh, I just think of it as another day in the pool/on the track/in the stadium, etc.” How do they not feel the pressure that the announcers tell us they should? I think I’ve got a simple answer: they know they can do it.
Think about it. You’re a professional basketball player standing at the free throw line with a second on the clock and down a point. Make one, you tie. Make two, you win. We watch and think about the pressure we’d feel, but we forget that the player has shot thousands, if not tens of thousands, of free throws throughout his career. We’d feel pressure because we’re not sure we could make them. He doesn’t because he knows he can.
Confidence deflates pressure. Intimidation leads to compromise.
I’m not an Olympic athlete (surprise!!), but I can relate to this when it comes to speaking or even sharing my faith. How many times have we not said something because we were intimidated or afraid to fail? Have you ever finished a conversation and then thought of all the things you wish you’d have said? We cave under pressure because we don’t have any confidence.
“But, Paul,” I can hear you saying, “if you knew me, you wouldn’t have any confidence in me, either.” You’re right. And if you really knew me, you’d say the same thing. But our verse says it isn’t dependent on our ability to do it. Our confidence rests squarely on the ability of the One who called us to do it, and that takes all the pressure off of us. The success or failure is not in doubt, because we’re not taking the free throw. He is.
And He’s already won the gold.
