He said in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NKJV, "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified."
When you are in training in sports or in any area you wish to succeed, you are thinking about what you need to do to be successful. I sometimes talk about this one college basketball player practicing for 6 hours a day; plus, he had to go to classes and study. We can be dedicated to all sorts of things, but do not forget to be dedicated to God. Shaul says that he fights to bring his body into subjection. Do not live in sin. Keep God’s commandments. Stay in the fight; push yourself.