TOPIC: Faith, Growth
REFERENCES: Hebrews 11:1, Hebrews 12:1-4

SUMMARY
If you were to describe your life as a race, where would you be in your faith with God?
1. Just getting in the blocks - Just starting out in my faith?
2. Not even in the race yet - Just looking on, checking things out and considering it. Nervous?
3. Stopping to grab the water bottle - Starting to slow down?
4. Or, are you just now hitting your full stride? The best is yet to come!

Here are five points to help you to stay in the race and to reach your full stride:
1. The race of faith is an marathon, not a sprint. It needs to be run with endurance and perseverance.
2. The race is meant to be finished.
3. The race is meant to be finished Victoriously - Run to win! Don’t get into the race half heartedly and don’t hold back. Go for Broke!
4. Watch out for excess baggage, legalistic bulk and religious weight. The mass will only hold you back.
5. Don’t be tempted to escape the race. Unbelief is the biggest escape. If you don’t believe you can, you’re defeated before you get started.

Challenge
1. If you're not in the race - get in it.
2. If you're taking a break - get up.
3. If you're running with all you've got - get on with it.

MY COMMENTS
Whenever I start to lose perspective on what is truly important in life, I am reminded of this sermon. I go back and ask myself where am I in my faith journey with God? The first time I heard this sermon, I was just a spectator not sure if I really wanted to get in the race. Since then, I have been back and forth between stopping to grab the water bottle, and hitting a full stride. Usually, I drop out of the race because of everyday distractions that so easily monopolize my attention. But once I can get my priorities back in the right place, I am off and running again!