My Life-Changing Encounter with God through Triathlons! By Sue DeJesus

Sue has been called by God to be an “Elite Athlete.” She has responded to this call and she shares her adventure and her journaling with us all. Sue was at a recent Hearing God's Voice seminar in Virginia, and I was thrilled to meet her and hear her story. I asked if she would share with us what God has done in her life through the triathlons she has trained for and won. Ten years after its original posting, I am re-publishing this blog with a video insert now included, and an addendum.

If you are reading this blog in an email, click here to watch the video on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6OOAOP-pQU

My Life-Changing Encounter with God through Triathlons!

This year I am 62 years old and have been racing triathlons since the month before my 50th birthday, the year I completed my first triathlon of the shortest distance called a Sprint triathlon. Twelve years and many races of various distances since, I am ranked 5th in the world by the World Triathlon Corporation at the Half Ironman distance.[1] This distance is a consecutive race of a 1.2 mile swim in a lake, river or ocean, biking 56 miles through the countryside, then immediately running a half marathon of 13.1 miles.

Why do I swim, bike and run? I do it as a means of staying fit and healthy. It gives me a goal to work toward. It gives me motivation to get out of bed when I might be tempted to sleep in, or on days that I don’t especially feel like working out. And most importantly, it’s been approved by God himself.

I am convinced that one of the devil’s prime attacks against mature Christian leaders is in the area of physical health. I have seen gifted leaders taken off the scene due to poor health just when they could be doing the Body of Christ the most good. I am determined to not be one of these casualties. While I am here on earth, I want to be fully available for doing the Lord’s work. I don’t want my body or health to be the limiting factor in how God might choose to use me.

How did I start down this triathlon path as a means to health?

In August of 2001 I was going to turn fifty. I have always been physically active to some degree most of my life, whether it was skiing as a teenager growing up in Minnesota, or lifting weights and doing a little bit of running post college. But 2001 I was going to turn 50 and I wanted to be in the best shape of my life. I knew that most health issues were preventable and I felt a responsibility to take care of my body. I knew that my body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit and I was responsible for this stewardship.

Some decisions are keepers. My decision to get and stay healthy became a permanent part of my focus. There was something that shifted on the inside of me and I began to make choices that made exercise a vital and ongoing part of my life. It is a truth that we will always make room for what is truly important to us. Exercise and good nutrition became a focus that I made room for, even when life was full and making time for exercise was not easy or convenient.

In May of 2001 I became a nutrition speaker for a new business in town called Triathlon Moms. This business was aimed at getting women active by completing their first Sprint triathlon, the shortest of the triathlon distances comprised of a 300 meter pool swim, a 12 mile bike ride, and a 5k run done right after each other.

My role was to teach them about good eating habits. I had not thought much about actually participating myself, but as the first workout drew near I found myself entertaining the thought of it. I decided to start with the group at their first practice. Six-weeks later I completed my first triathlon and thought at the end that there just was not enough oxygen in the air to satisfy my gasping!! I had finished my first triathlon! What an accomplishment! What a great way to usher in my Jubilee birthday!

Once I finished that first triathlon, finishing was no longer good enough. I wanted to win my age group (50-54 at that time)! If I was going to do this, I decided to do it with excellence! I wanted to be the best athlete I could be. In August of 2008 I hired a coach and started to make major gains in my fitness.

I really knew God was in this when He answered a prayer I prayed the morning of 9/26/09. He answered this prayer within the hour! I prayed to have a life changing encounter with Him.

That morning my swim coach said something that started me down the path to the next level in my pursuit of excellent health and fitness, and clearly on my way to encounter God in a way that would radically change me and my life.

This is from my Journal entry dated 9/26/09:

I’m standing on the edge of my swim lane at the outdoor pool, reluctant to get in because I believed that since I’d been off for 2 weeks that I would have a hard time keeping up, that I would be out of breath, that this wasn’t going to be a great feeling workout. Coach Dudley walked past me as I was voicing my concern about being out of the water so many weeks saying, “You’re an elite athlete, you’ll be just fine.”

Totally unexpectedly, the words “elite athlete” captured my ear, and went straight into my heart! It was like my heart absorbed these words and started to mull over them. Startled, my mind began to question these words because I had NEVER thought of myself as an elite athlete. I thought, “Me?” “An elite athlete???” I know Dudley wasn’t being totally serious, yet still those words rang in my heart as if they were true.

My mind countered, “Well, an elite athlete wins races.” I then heard in my heart, “Not every elite athlete wins their race.” I had to admit that yes, this is true. There are many elite athletes in each race, but only one of them wins first place. I was wonder-struck by my heart grabbing onto these words “Elite Athlete.”

I didn’t know why these words affected me the way they did. I began to think. “As an elite athlete, how would I train? How different would it be from what I do now? How would I think? What would I eat? How would I do my workouts? How would I conduct myself? How would I carry myself?”

I concluded that I would for sure work harder, more intensely; more focused, and be more intentional. I would push myself harder in every way in each workout. I would push myself to the limits. I would be more intentional and precise about everything I did. I would do what I needed to do to be the best me possible. I wouldn’t slack or give up easily. I wouldn’t bail out when it got difficult or I felt tired.

Another thought was that I would really know my sport. I would understand it and how to train for it. Yes, I would do things very differently. I’ve been “playing” at Triathlons because I’m doing this for “health.” If I replay what I’ve been telling myself on different occasions, where I haven’t done a full workout, or I’ve bailed slightly in effort, or not fully followed instructions for a workout, in those moments I’ve actually been telling myself, “I don’t have to push THAT hard, I’m in this for the health benefits.”

I’m thinking about all this during this morning swim. I got to the place where I was feeling tired toward the end of the set and these thoughts came to my mind. “An elite athlete would continue to push, doing their best for the whole set. They would not back off just because they were feeling tired.” I kept pushing. A whole new attitude! (How do you beat a competitor? Be willing to do what your competitor is not willing to do!)

What I find most interesting of all in this is that I have been feeling guilty about the time I am taking to train for Triathlons. I know I’ve been doing it for health and I think that has been my reasoning, but at the same time I have been wondering if my time would be better spent reading or studying the Scriptures more, or praying more. I had been questioning the wisdom of how I was spending my time in light of the Kingdom.

So God takes the very thing that I’m having misgivings about and now gives me “permission” to fully engage in it? I’m in shock. Or maybe it’s awe. This is something totally unexpected. I never thought I’d be thinking these thoughts.

So, Lord, what are you saying to me? What are you giving me the “nod” to do? What are you authorizing? What are you saying about my destiny? –that you’re giving me these surprising new words that have been snagged by my ears, and penetrated my heart—“Elite Athlete.”

Why have you given me these words in seeming answer to my morning prayer?

You’ve asked for a life-changing encounter. If you will embrace these new words, they will indeed change you. Their process will set your life on a course that will accelerate My perfection in you. It is a type of consecration. You won’t neglect Me because I’m IN it! I’m giving you permission to set your eyes on a course that will take you into other realms and dimensions. It’s not the easiest course, just the quickest way for Me to do in you what I want. To do this you will have to come to Me for what you need. I’ll give you understanding, I’ll give you ways to train, I’ll give you motivation, I’ll give you inspiration, I’ll help you do it. In the process we will forge a stronger, better relationship, which is what you really want anyway. This is how I choose to do it.

Will you do it? Will you embrace it? Will you co-labor with Me? Will you give it your whole heart and your whole effort? ~because I’m giving you My “permission” to fully engage in this. Don’t hold anything back. Leave it all on the table. And don’t feel guilty. (Up to now) It’s been a false guilt because you haven’t understood what I have been doing through this venue. Most have not accepted My invitation. If people want to know a “short-cut” this is it. It’s not going to “cost” it will “pay” in huge dividends.

I give you an instruction. You are not to look at the “score card.” You are not to look at your “ranking.” You are only to look at your progress and your heart during each workout. In three years you will not be able to comprehend the distance that I will have taken you. And you will be able to easily say, “It’s all been so worth it.”

By fall of 2012 I had raced on the National Level and started setting my eyes on the longer distance triathlon to qualify for racing at the world level at the Half Ironman distance. I qualified for, and raced at the world level in Las Vegas, Nevada in September 2013 competing against the best in the world!

Have I had a life changing encounter with God? This is a resounding YES! It’s been everything that He said it would be. And YES, it’s been SO worth it.

I encourage each person to find the activity that works for their body and find the nutrition and health practices that God is ordaining for you! You will never regret forging a better relationship with God than through the daily opportunities to bring Him into every health practice and have Him help you make it fit your unique situation. Find out what God is authorizing for you!

Sue DeJesús

God’s Elite Athlete

[1] This is my current ranking. Rankings can change up until the close of the current year as race results are submitted.
Addendum Written 4-18-24

I encourage each person to find the activity that works for their body and find the nutrition and health practices that God is ordaining for you! You will never regret forging a better relationship with God than through the daily opportunities to bring Him into every health practice and have Him help you make it fit your unique situation. Find out what God is authorizing for you!

2024 UPDDATE: I retired from triathlon competition in 2021 after 20 years of racing, and after I became a world champion at the Half Ironman distance (swim 1.2mi/bike 56mi/run 13.1mi), and was the North American Champion at the Full Ironman distance (swim 2.4mi/bike 112-116mi/run 26.2mi). I retired when triathlons had fully given to me, and done in me, all that God had promised!
Go Deeper - Get Healthy!

Check out this entire blog series on Vibrant Health! - Miracles PLUS Gifts of Healings. Working through this series on health is ideal for both individuals and groups. The more we take responsibility for ourselves - spirit, soul and body - the healthier we become! Won't you join me in living to at least 100 in vibrant health?

When is the stated story not the whole story? Almost always!

When the Bible states that Jesus healed everyone present, ever wonder how much detail we are missing in these stories? Perhaps 99% is missing, as the Gospel writers pack three years of Jesus' ministry into a relatively short portion of Scripture.

That is, 3 years x 4 Gospel writers = 12 years X 365 days/yr = 4380 days. All squeezed into just 78 chapters of the four Gospels combined.

This comes to about two-hundredths of a chapter available to cover each day in Jesus' three years of ministry. Not much time. Obviously, MOST details will have to be skipped. (Part 1 of this blog series is here.)

Now when they come to cover the 6 hours of Jesus’ crucifixion, they spend about 2 full chapters on these 6 hours (ie, one full day, if you combine all four writers). Wow! This a ton more content about these six hours of Jesus' life.

Still, none of the four Gospel writers provide ALL the details of these 6 hours, even though they spend one hundred times more space detailing the crucifixion story than they spend on any other one day of Jesus' ministry! Let's watch the story build as each Gospel writer adds additional insights.

29 details about the death of Jesus

Mark lays out 15 points (Mark 15:21-41)
1. Simon of Cyrene bore Jesus’ cross to Golgotha.
2. Jesus would not take wine mixed with myrrh.
3. Lots were cast for His garments.
4. Crucified on the third hour.
5. The inscription "THE KING OF THE JEWS."
6. Two robbers were crucified with Him, one on His right and one on His left.
7. People passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, "Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself, and come down from the cross!"
8. Chief priests and scribes were mocking Him.
9. Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.
10. When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour.
11. At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" which is translated, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?"
12. Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down." And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed His last.
13. And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
14. When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"
15. Women looking on from a distance.

Three additional points brought out by Matthew (Matthew 27:32-52)
1. And the earth shook and the rocks were split.
2. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
3. And coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.

Five additional points brought out by Luke (Luke 23:32-49)
1. But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."
2. But the other criminal rebuking him said, "Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?” And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong."
3. And he was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."
4. "Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT." Having said this, He breathed His last.
5. All the crowds who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, beating their breasts.

Six additional points made by John (John 19:16-37)
1. Jesus went out, bearing His own cross.
2. Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews'; but that He said, 'I am King of the Jews.'" Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."
3. Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. So they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be.
4. When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!"
5. Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
6. Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was crucified with Him; but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

John's summary is that this is still not the FULL story
And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they *were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written" (Jn. 21:25).
So the Bible itself is declaring that a tremendous amount of detail has been left out in the Gospel stories of the miracles and healings Jesus did. So let's not assume we are reading the full story, since Scripture clearly says we aren't!

When people tell stories, the entire story is not told for many reasons
1. Lack of time
2. Not knowing all the events
3. Having events discolored through emotions (for example, fear or greed)
4. Tell only the part that you feel is important
5. Only telling the part that you feel best glorifies God
6. Outright dishonesty
7. We see through a glass darkly (lack of insight and understanding)

Journaling
Lord, what do You want to speak to me about the way I receive, handle and judge based on the stories I read and hear?

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Brighteon Broadcast News, Apr 23, 2024 – Spontaneous MIRACLES – Mike Adams on tapping into the COSMIC CODE

https://www.brighteon.com/0b997be1-4b7e-4168-9d3c-8b15a191c7b3

At Work Behind the Scenes – Journaling Prayer by LaWanda
LaWanda

“O praise the name of the Lord our God. O praise His name forevermore. For endless days we will sing your praise, O Lord, O Lord our God.” ♪♪ O Jesus I praise your name.
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What a glorious name it is. Creator of the Universe and all the billions of galaxies. And these are the things we know about. How much have you created that we have no knowledge of? More than we can imagine! Man thinks he is so smart because he figures something out, like AI, not realizing that it is YOU who have allowed him to do it! AND that these discoveries are only the tip of your iceberg. I can’t help but say it again, Lord, ♪♪ “O praise the name of the Lord our God. O praise His name forevermore. For endless days we will sing your praise, O Lord, O Lord our God.” ♪♪

I have been blessed today by listening to the 49 Lies DVDs by Mark Virkler, especially Lie #21 – It Is Wrong to Seek Vision. One of the things I got was to hold a vision that will inflame my faith and that will, of course, match the Word of God. I am excited about this Lord, because I realized that is what I have been doing since I started using The 4 Keys to journal my prayers. I have pictured you beside me every day and this has increased my faith, inflamed it even, with the TRUTH that you truly are Emmanuel, God with us but even more importantly, God with ME!!! How could I believe anything else when I have seen you with me in some form or fashion every day for the past 7 years? O Jesus, what a precious gift you have given me that I did not even realize.

Mark also mentioned that the picture we hold about anything will trump what we are speaking, even if it is the Word of God. When he said that, I immediately saw where I was confessing the Word for my healing but the picture in my mind did not match what I was speaking. Satan is so sneaky at sabotaging us. If he can’t entice us himself, he will get us to do it ourselves. And we don’t even realize it is happening. O thank you, Jesus, for these TRUTHS that you have revealed to me today.

I see you today, Lord, watching me. You are laughing, even clapping. You are rejoicing as I have discovered yet another of your TRUTHS that will change my life. Even as I saw how my Journaling Prayer daily created a picture of You as Immanuel, God with ME! That one revelation is golden… PRICELESS, as they say. I had no idea what you were doing. O Jesus, what other areas are you working miracles in that I am not aware of? O Lord Jesus, speak to me now.

Jesus – LaWanda, My dear one, I am laughing, clapping and even shouting, “Yes! Yes!” I delight in seeing you discover My truths. It is indeed My gift to you, My pleasure, to reveal it to you this very day.

However, I want you to notice something. You played a part in this. Remember that we are co-laborers together. If you had only come to the secret place to be with Me once or twice, even a few times, you would not have the KNOWING that I am your Emmanuel. You would know it in general terms but you would not see Me as YOUR Emmanuel. That only comes with consistency and commitment. The other part of this that was crucial is your commitment to your spiritual growth by listening to trusted men of God who have walked this path before you. Those to whom I have revealed these TRUTHS to, so that they can share them with others like you.
O My dear one, I have been at work behind the scenes in 1,000 different ways in your life since before you were you. You have 12 pages of them from recent years written down in your Ebenezers. Some of these are things I did for which you are simply grateful. But some are clearly ME working in situations when you were unaware of it. Like Mike’s pancreatitis that led to his stent. Your discovery of the Passion Translation because Mike was sharing his love of Hebrew with one of the pastors and they later gave it to him as a gift. Or you OFFICIATING 4 funerals in the past year. You clearly did not see that one coming. And, yet, I have been in all of them.
The key to continuing on this path of discovery is simple. Stay consistent in your communion with Me in the secret place. Continue to listen to men of God that you are drawn to knowing that I have orchestrated them being in your life. And finally, continue to be available to Me. Be obedient to what I put on your heart and available for Me to use. There is much truth in that old hymn, Trust and Obey.

♪♪ Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus… but to trust and obey. ♪♪ There is truth in these words, dear one. Truth in these words.
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What about prophetic soap and anointing oil?

Below is a copy of an email I received this last week. The question was, is there a biblical basis for such things as prophetic soap and anointing oil?
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I am seeking guidance on a situation involving the use of prophetic soap and anointing oil, as instructed by a prophet. The prophet created a soap, referred to as prophetic soap, and mailed it to my family with instructions to use it every three days while making prophetic declarations while bathing with it… A church in the USA instructed the congregation to carry a bottle of anointing oil for a monthly anointing church service. We were directed to pray over ourselves and even drink a shot of the oil. Sometimes, we are told to anoint our points of contact with objects like business cards, resumes, and other items.

These practices concern me, as I am uncertain about the biblical basis for using physical objects like soap and anointing oil as means of receiving blessings or healing. Are there any biblical examples of objects being used in this manner, and how can one discern whether such practices are biblically sound or potentially misleading?
Helen

Answer from Mark Virkler
Helen, here are several Scriptures that shed light on the questions you raised...
1. It is biblical for the power of God to be infused into an object - God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out (Acts 19:11-12).
Many healing evangelists have sent out pieces of cloth for people to place on themselves for healing. Oral Roberts would have people lay their hands on the radio as he was praying for healing. This was a point of contact to release their faith for healing, I would see both of these actions as congruent with biblical protocols.
2. I have never heard of prophetic soap - It could be a point of contact to release faith, but I don’t believe we see this in Scripture anywhere and I am not inclined to participate in using it.
3. Anointing with oil is found in Scripture - They were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them (Mk. 6:13).

In the verses in James (below), you see that if you are sick, you call for the elders of the church, and several things are to transpire: They pray and anoint with oil in the name of the Lord, and if sins have been committed, you confess sins to one another.

Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much (Jas. 5:14-16).

4. Drinking healing oil - I am not aware of that being done in Scripture. You would want to know what was in the oil to ensure nothing is damaging to one's health. I have never done this, and am not inclined to do it.
5. Prophetic actions, like anointing points of contact with objects like business cards, resumes, and other items - One prophet told a king in Israel to strike the ground with a staff as a prophetic gesture of striking and defeating the enemy. The king only struck the ground three times, and the prophet was upset and told him he should have struck the ground 4-5 times, and because he didn’t he would not fully defeat the enemy (2 Kgs. 18;18,19). So yes, prophetic actions, when performed in faith, can be instrumental in releasing God's power.
6. Cautions, honor the leading of the Spirit - But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth (1 Jn. 2:20).
7. Cautions, never come under a person's domination or control - Nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock (1 Pet. 5:3).

Final thoughts: People are free to do different things than what I do, as long as those things are not forbidden in Scripture. I do not think any of the actions you listed are forbidden in Scripture. If I was in a great church that was ministering life to me, and the above actions were my only points of concern, I could easily set them aside as something they liked and I didn’t and that was fine. I would just enjoy the other aspects of the ministry I was receiving from them. We don’t need to agree on everything.
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