The Way Church Podcast

00:00:00
Second Timothy 4 and then Galatians number 5.

00:00:12
The apostle Paul talking here, he says, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Now there is in store store for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. We'll be focusing on verse seven where he said, I fought the good fight, I finished the race, and I have kept the faith. Then in the book of Galatians, chapter Number five and verse seven, he said, you were running a good race.

00:01:14
Who cut into you to keep you from obeying the truth? One translation say, you were doing well, you had some momentum going, but who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? Family as we round out this Power Move series, I want to use for a subject very simply that says, keep that same energy. As you take your seats, just tell the person next to you, keep that same energy.

00:02:03
Keep that same energy.

00:02:11
Family it's hard to believe that we have officially reached the halfway mark of the year, six months down and six months to go. For some of us, that is exciting because we've seen real progress. We've seen prayers answered. We've had some goals accomplished, we've seen some doors open in our lives. Favor has been released.

00:02:43
For others, this halfway point feels a little bit more sobering because if you're honest, the energy that you started the year with has started to fizzle out. You were fired up in January, but now you're just trying to hang on in June. But whether you are celebrating progress or fighting off fatigue, I came to tell you something very vital this morning. I want to tell you, you didn't come this far just to come this far. You did not fight this hard just to settle where you're at right now.

00:03:26
The same energy that it took you to start is the same energy that you're going to need to sustain. And it's the same energy that God wants to strengthen you to move forward. Today we're not just looking at and celebrating the middle of the year, but we're also recognizing a special day to recognize our graduates. Whatever stage you're in, graduation is not the finish line. It's a transition point.

00:03:58
It's the proof that you can finish what you started, but it's also a reminder that there is more ahead. So whether you're graduating from school or graduating from a difficult season or simply standing in the middle of a personal race, you've got to keep that same energy. Look at somebody and say, keep that same energy. Yeah. Because God is not the God of just the beginning.

00:04:29
He's the God of the middle. And he doesn't just anoint our starts, but he empowers us to finish whatever he starts. The Apostle Paul did not say, I started strong. He said, I finished strong. Finishing is a power move today.

00:04:50
The word is simple. Simple word. Keep that same energy. Because that's the goal. Not just to begin in faith, but to finish in faithfulness.

00:05:03
And I have to be honest this morning that today's message might not be for everybody, but it is for anyone who started the year off focused and determined. But now you may feel a little distracted and discouraged. Discouraged or depleted. This message is for anyone who has secretly wanted to give up. You didn't tell anybody because you got to keep up your front, but.

00:05:27
But you didn't tell anybody. But this message is for anyone who wonders if the effort is still worth it. This is your halftime locker room speech. I came to decree and declare over you that you are not going to lose steam, you are not going to burn out, but you are going to finish. This is not your.

00:05:48
Your time to retreat, but this is your season to refuel and rise. Power is not proven by the moment of passion that you have, but it is sustained by a lifestyle of discipline. And I only need about five people know that this is for them that says, I'm gonna keep that same energy and I'm gonna finish what God has called me to start.

00:06:17
You gotta keep that same energy. You gotta carry that same fire. You gotta finish strong for the glory of God. Look at somebody else and tell them, whatever your power move is, keep that same energy, whatever power move you started this month, keep that same energy.

00:06:38
Cause the most powerful, powerful move that you can make isn't starting fast, it's finishing faithfully. God gets glory not from the beginning, but he gets glory from our endurance to the end. That's what this power move series has been all about. Finishing strong doesn't happen by accident. It's not just a matter of time.

00:07:08
It's a matter of tenacity. And Paul didn't say I coasted through this Christian life. He didn't say I got lucky and made it to the end. He didn't say any of that. He said, I fought the good fight.

00:07:26
Why? Because it takes grit to keep going when life gets hard. It takes courage to keep showing up when no one is clapping. It takes discipline to keep that same energy when the excitement wears off. So Brothers and sisters, if we're going to finish this year like Paul finished his race, if we're going to finish this season, that you're in this struggle, whatever power move you started, you've got got to understand point number one, it takes fight to finish.

00:08:03
Somebody say it takes fight to finish. He says in verse seven, I fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. When Paul says I fought the good fight, he is not just using poetic language.

00:08:21
Paul didn't say I, I went and watched a good service and had a good time. He didn't say I, I nodded my head and, and agreed with some good theology. No, he said I had to fight. He's reminding us that faith is a battlefield. Faith is not a beach vacation.

00:08:43
You don't finish this course on cruise control. You finish by fighting through. Fighting through destruction, distractions, fighting through disappointments, fighting through delays and discouragement. The Christian life is not passive. It's not a stroll in the park.

00:09:05
It is a everyday struggle. Struggle for purpose and perseverance and progress. Paul was not swinging at people. He was swinging at the pressure that he had to face. But we have it twisted in today's Christian culture.

00:09:29
We swing at people and we run from pressure. I've never seen so many Christians that can't handle pressure. So many Christians that don't know exactly how to make it through. They up today and down tomorrow. Paul was not fighting against any of that.

00:09:47
He was fighting, fighting against the temptation to give up. All through the Bible you see it. He was battling through in acts, chapter number 16, being beaten and prisoned. He was battling through in second Timothy four, the betrayal by those that he trusted. He was battling the loneliness in leadership.

00:10:08
In second Timothy 4:16, he was battling delays in promises and disturbances, discouragement from the lack of support, but yet he kept going. And he did not stop. Although he was being fought. He kept on preaching, kept on writing, kept on believing.

00:10:32
Because faith is not for the faint. Faith is for fighters. If you're gonna have faith, you're gonna have to fight. If you gonna walk by faith, you're gonna have to fight.

00:10:45
Just like the Apostle Paul, you're gonna have to fight as well. Fight doubt. When you don't see the finish line, you gonna have to fight fatigue. When your strength seems to be running out, you won't have to fight fear. When your future is uncertain, you gotta fight those internal voices that keep whispering in your ear, just stop.

00:11:08
It's not worth it. It's not working. I know I'm not The only one that has ever had the voices of the enemy to tell you, throw in the towel, give up, cave in and quit. But God has anointed me to come in this place this morning and to tell you, you going to have to fight if you're going to finish.

00:11:33
You're not going to just be able to stroll through. The Devil's not going to give you anything.

00:11:42
First Timothy 6 and 12. He says, Fight the good fight of faith, take hold of eternal life. Notice Paul calls it the good fight. Somebody say, this is a good fight. Why is this a good fight?

00:11:56
It's a good fight because it's a fight that matters. It's a fight with eternal consequences. It's a fight that's worth engaging in. Some of us are spiritually drained, not because we are weak, but because we're fighting battles. God never told us to fight.

00:12:16
Yeah, yeah, you've been shadow boxing other people and fighting for approval and chasing clout and arguing online. But the real fight, the one that matters, is staying faithful when quitting would be easier. Who am I talking to today? It's being able to do the same thing over and over again without getting bored and say, I know that this is worth fighting for, so I'm gonna do this all over again.

00:12:44
Can I ask you a question this morning? What? Are you tempted to quit that God has called you to complete? What are you looking to throw the towel in? You cannot finish what you are not willing to fight for.

00:13:01
What battles are you avoiding because you don't want the enemy to come after you. There's Christians running from the enemy. Oh, I'm not going to do that because I'm going to get warfare and I'm going to get a battle and the Devil's going to come after me. The Devil's to going, devil is a liar. God did not call you to be a praising pansy.

00:13:23
He called you to persevere. He did not call you to know how to shout. But when the Devil come you running and tucking your tail. The devil is a lie. He wants you to square your shoulders back and tell the devil, I wish you might.

00:13:37
Because I know that greater is he that is within me than he that is within the world.

00:13:49
Listen to me. The enemy doesn't attack what isn't advancing. That's how you know that you're making ground when the enemy starts attacking you, you know that you are advancing for the kingdom. And this is a word for somebody. Don't let what you're going through make you forget what you fighting for.

00:14:09
Don't. Don't let the pressure cause you to back up, to give up, to cave in and to quit. I gotta remember what I'm fighting for and I gotta know that God is with me no matter where I go, that he's with me. Somebody shout, God is with me. Say it again.

00:14:29
Say, God is with me.

00:14:33
And if you're under pressure this morning, it's a sign that you're carrying something powerful. This is a moment that you gotta shout about the pressure that you're going through. This is what Paul was trying to tell you. He was trying to tell you, don't you sit down and have a pity party because you going through something. Don't try to get attention and people to come and rub your back because you going through.

00:14:58
He said celebrate because the fact that you going through something that let you know that you carrying something powerful. I don't know who's going to be bold enough to go and tell somebody I'm going through something, but I'm also carrying something powerful.

00:15:17
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't. Don't come and give me no pity party. Don't come in my back. Thank you for praying for me, but I know I'm carrying something powerful.

00:15:28
And the power that I'm carrying is the reason why the enemy is fighting me.

00:15:38
Listen, listen, listen. You might be in a fight right now, but I want you to take heart because Paul's words are a reminder that finishing is possible, that you're not just swinging aimlessly, you're making power moves in the spirit. And if you don't give up, you'll finish strong.

00:16:11
But you got to keep that same energy. Yeah, you got to keep that same energy, Keep the same energy. Like when you are on top, when you in the valley, you got to keep that same prayer energy, keep that same faith energy, keep that same confession energy.

00:16:33
So listen. So in order to finish strong, we have to understand, number one, that finishing requires a fight. But number two, finishing also requires focus. Somebody say focus? Hebrews 12:1 and two says, let us run with perseverance, the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.

00:17:02
Finishing strong isn't just about endurance. It's about alignment. Let me tell you what I mean. You don't just need energy to finish, but you gotta have focus to finish. We live in a world that's filled with distractions, filled with things that are fighting for our attention, fighting to derail us and get us off course.

00:17:32
But your greatest spiritual weapon might not be your willpower. Your greatest spiritual weapon might be where you're pointing your eyes.

00:17:47
Focus is not passive. Focus has to be intentional. Notice that the text that I read did not say glance at Jesus, but it said, fix your eyes on him. Ask your neighbor, who you looking at? Yeah, who?

00:18:07
Who you. Who you looking at? Who you looking at? Are you looking at people online? Are you looking at your friends?

00:18:12
Are you looking at your co workers? Are you looking at the culture? Who are you looking at?

00:18:19
Because that word fix in the Greek means to lock in. Somebody say lock in. It means to stare without wavering. It means to block everything else out that is competing for your attention.

00:18:37
Fix your eyes on Jesus, because here's the reality. You don't win by running fast. You win by running focused. Anybody can start fast, but the one that wins is the one that runs and remains focused.

00:19:03
Remember, when Peter lost his focus, he lost his footing. Matthew 14, he asked Jesus, jesus, let me come to you. Let me walk on the water. But the Bible says in verse 30, when he saw the wind, he was afraid and began to sink and cried out, lord, save me. Peter didn't sink because Jesus didn't give him the ability to walk on the water.

00:19:31
He sank because he got distracted.

00:19:36
What am I trying to tell you? This is a word for somebody. You're not sinking because you are soft. You thinking because you're scattered. You're all over the place.

00:19:46
You're not focusing on the main thing. I told you before, the enemy does not have to destroy you. All he has to do is distract you long enough and he will get you to forfeit the purpose and the plan that God has for your life. Are you listening to me? So he'll put all kinds of things, and sometimes they're good things.

00:20:12
You put all those things. God bless me, bless me, bless me. And God blesses you. And you end up turning the blessing into a curse because now you're distracted by the blessing and you forget the blessor.

00:20:30
And he'll use other people's progress. He'll use petty offenses to distract you. He'll use social scrolling to distract you. He'll use unnecessary comparison. Look at what they got.

00:20:45
And I don't have it. He'll use all kinds of emotional noise to get you off course because he knows if he can get your eyes off Jesus, he will get your feet off of the path that Jesus set for you.

00:21:08
He don't have to destroy you. He just is trying to distract you. You can't run your race by scrolling somebody else's race.

00:21:22
I Gotta look at what God has called me to do. Keep the priority, tell your neighbor. Comparison is a thief, but distraction is an assassin. Yeah, yeah. Comparison will steal the purpose that God has from you while you're looking at somebody else.

00:21:44
But. But distraction is like an assassin. It will take you out, and you don't even know that it's coming.

00:21:54
God gave you a lane. Don't wreck your purpose watching somebody else fulfill theirs.

00:22:05
Galatians, he says, who cut into you? Who cut into you? In other words, who or what has been slowing down your momentum?

00:22:17
Sometimes somebody say, sometimes, sometimes it's not the devil.

00:22:24
More often than not, it's the distractions and. Or disobedience that causes us to slow down fulfilling the purpose that God has for us. You don't understand it. Sometimes drift doesn't always feel like a fall when you're drifting off, but it will always lead you off course. It may seem like, okay, it's okay.

00:22:53
Nothing's happening to me. Nothing is going to befall me because I'm going in this direction. I'm dibbing and dabbling in this, and I'm operating in that. No, there comes a time when you realize I have drifted off so far that I can't even believe I'm this far off now. The thing that used to grieve me, the thing that I know God wanted me away from, I'm operating in it.

00:23:22
And it's okay. I'm not even convicted by it. Are you listening to me?

00:23:31
So what do we do, Pastor? We? What do we do? You have to take a honest inventory. You got to ask yourself what has taken your focus or energy away from your growth?

00:23:45
Spiritually, I don't care how long you've been saved. All of us have the same enemy that's trying to do the same thing. Steal, kill and destroy all, all of us. What's pulling your focus in this season? What voices, what habits, what distractions are draining your momentum?

00:24:10
And you have to be honest with you, until you are honest with yourself, you cannot be honest with other people. I'm going to leave that alone. If you're going to keep the same energy, you got to finish strong.

00:24:29
Make a decision to unfollow the distractions and literally and spiritually move them out of the way. Maybe it's a toxic voice that's on your social feeds. Maybe it's some unrealistic expectations you're carrying. Maybe it's a relationship that's of part pulling you out of position. You gotta let it go.

00:24:59
Somebody say, let it go. Somebody say it again. Let it go. You gotta let it go and reclaim your focus. Because Paul explains his fight in First Corinthians 9 and 26.

00:25:11
He says, therefore, I do not run like someone running aimlessly. I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. In other words, Paul didn't just run. He ran with persistence, vision. He didn't shadow box, but he struck with purpose.

00:25:29
That's how you finish. Not with just a flurry of movement, but you finish by focused momentum. I'm doing what I need to do because I know this is what I need to advance where God wants me to advance. Somebody say it again. Keep that same energy.

00:25:48
Gotta keep that same energy. And to do that, number three, watch this. Finishing requires faithfulness. Somebody say faithfulness? Galatians 6 and 9 says, and let us not become weary in doing good at the proper time.

00:26:06
We will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Faithfulness is not about a feeling. It's about finishing. Can you finish what God has called you to start? We often think that breakthrough belongs to the gifted.

00:26:27
Breakthrough belongs to this person because they've been saved longer. Breakthrough belongs to this person because they have a title or they go to church and they do this and they do that. But in the kingdom, the third way, the king's way, breakthrough belongs to people who are faithful.

00:26:50
You will get breakthrough if you remain faithful. But here's the caveat. Breakthrough. The harvest isn't always instant, but it is always inevitable. For the faithful.

00:27:09
It might not come right away. God's system does not run on hype and hashtags, but it runs on the hearts that keep showing up and that say, I'm not gonna quit. I don't care what the devil does. I don't care what he says. I don't care how he pushes.

00:27:26
I'm not giving up. I'm not caving in, and I'm not quitting. I'm gonna keep that same energy until it comes to pass. Notice, Paul does not say, don't do good. He says, don't get weary in doing good.

00:27:49
Why? Because doing good can sometimes be exhausting. Let me see if I got any real saints in here today. I'm not looking for the religious crowd. I'm looking for the kingdom crowd that understands.

00:28:05
Serving can sometimes feel thankless. Sometimes I can feel it can feel repetitive. Doing the same thing, sowing can sometimes feel fruitless. But here is the promise at the proper time. One translation says, in due season.

00:28:24
Can I tell you God has a calendar that does not run on Your clock. God has appointed time that he says, I know when I'm going to bless you. I know when I'm going to make you great. I know when I'm going to send the breakthrough. You may not see the fruit today, but that does not mean that the ground is empty.

00:28:44
It just means that the harvest is not ready yet. But make no mistake about it, my deuces season is coming. Make no mistake about it. It may not look like it's coming to pass, but God says it's getting ready to come to pass. I dare two people to run and tell somebody, my due season is coming.

00:29:04
My due season is coming. It may not look like it's happening right now, but my due season is about to come.

00:29:15
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Make no mistake about it. The ground is not empty. The seeds have been sewn. I'm being consistent.

00:29:25
I'm doing what he tells me to do. And my due season is on the way. My due season is on the way.

00:29:44
Somebody shout my due season. Oh, you didn't shout it. My due season is on the way. It's on the way. It's on the way.

00:29:54
It's on the way. Keep on keeping on. Keep that same energy. Because God's going to make sure that the devil is not going to be able to point the finger and say, your God didn't come through for you. The devil is a lie.

00:30:08
God's going to show up and show himself strong on your behalf.

00:30:24
God is not asking. He's not asking for you to be spectacular. He's asking you to be focused, faithful.

00:30:36
You don't need a stage to be effective. You don't need somebody applauding for you to be anointed. You won't have to go viral to be valuable in God's eyes. Tell the person next to you. Faithfulness in the shadows leads to fruitfulness in the spotlight.

00:31:03
When I'm faithful in the shadow, when nobody sees me, I'm going keep doing it. Because although nobody is seeing me, God is still counting that I'm being consistent, that I have the same energy. Nobody has to hear me pray. And I don't need a microphone. But when I'm walking in the mall and I say, I'm telling the devil I'm coming for you.

00:31:31
And I'm going to get what God says I can have.

00:31:41
And I don't have to pray so that you applaud. But I'm going to keep praying. Even if I don't feel goosebumps. I'm gonna keep loving even if it's not reciprocated. I'm gonna keep giving even though I don't see the harvest yet.

00:31:58
I'm gonna serve even though it's not applauded. I'm gonna show up when it would be easier to sit down. Somebody say, stay committed, Stay committed. Even when it's not convenient. Keep that same energy.

00:32:18
I told you last week, the goal is to hear him in Matthew 25 and 21, to say, well done, thou good and faithful servants. That's the goal. That's the goal. The small seeds you're sowing today, the unseen sacrifices, the private discipline, those silent yeses when you could have said no, they're building a harvest bigger than you can imagine.

00:32:54
And it won't just bless you, but it's gonna bless everybody around you, everybody that's connected to you.

00:33:04
Don't stop just because you're tired. Stop when you're done. When he says, good, well done, good and faithful servant. You may not see the results yet, but trust me, Heaven is recognizing the rhythm of your sacrifices. Here's what I'm trying to get you to see.

00:33:27
And I'm done. Number four. Finishing is a power move. Somebody say, finishing is a power move? Philippians 1 and 6.

00:33:39
He says, Be confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ. You did not start this journey on your own strength and you won't finish it by your own strength either. God did not bring us to this halfway point to abandon us. He's not just the author, the starter of our faith, he is the finisher of your faith.

00:34:26
This verse, brothers and sisters, is not a wish, it's not a hope, it's not a maybe. So this verse is a guarantee. Somebody put your hand on your chest and say, I have a guarantee. Say it like you mean to say, I have a guarantee. What's the guarantee?

00:34:47
If he started it, he's committed to finishing it.

00:34:56
Don't miss this. Finishing is not just the goal. It is a God backed guarantee that he's made to every believer that puts their trust in him. This is what makes us different from the culture's way. Because the culture's way is you just deal with it or finish by grit alone.

00:35:22
But finishing the King's way, you don't finish just by your grit, but you got the grace of God that's walking with you every single day. Grace does not just forgive you. Grace fuels you to finish and complete what God has promised you.

00:35:43
We live in a world where people speak Start things all the time. But finishing is rare.

00:35:51
That's what makes this a power move. The enemy is not just trying to stop your start, he's trying to interrupt your finish. Because he knows if you finish what God has destined for you to finish, that you will become a testimony that will make hell nervous. You will become a testimony for the glory of God that will speak to generations to say God has done what only God can do.

00:36:31
So if he gave you the vision, how many have a vision from God? How many have a purpose from God? Let me see your hands. Put your hands up. How many have a vision and a purpose from God?

00:36:42
If he gave you the vision, then he will give you the stamina to complete that vision.

00:36:53
He will give you the ability to make the power move. One translation says, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfect of our faith. He didn't just start your journey, he's perfecting your journey. He's making us in his image and in his likeness so that we can be more like him until we cross that finish line. The prophet Isaiah says it in Isaiah 40 and 31, they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.

00:37:34
Some of us started this year with momentum. We were praying hard, giving big, showing up early, speaking life. But somewhere along the way, we hit a wall.

00:37:51
Life drained us. Delays started to discourage us. Disappointments started distracting us. But God sent this word this morning to tell you, don't lose the energy. Renew your energy.

00:38:11
Keep the same energy that got you to this halfway mark. Because what's ahead of you is too valuable for you to give up. Quit now.

00:38:27
So what does finishing look like for you? All of us are different. What does it look like for you? For some of us, it's completing that God given assignment. For some, it's staying consistent with our spiritual disciplines.

00:38:43
It's remaining faithful to the calling that has not produced fruit yet. Continuing to serve, continuing to give, continuing to show up. I have to be honest with you today. Finishing isn't always glamorous, but when you get there, it will be glorious.

00:39:07
When you get there, it will be glorious. You might feel delayed right now, but God is still telling you, you are not denied. Stand with me all over this building.

00:39:22
God always finish what he starts. So don't pull back, don't shrink down, don't lose your faith.

00:39:38
Somebody declare it with me. I'm not going to fizzle out. I'm going to finish strong. I'm not quitting at halftime. I'm not coasting through the second half.

00:39:51
I'm not waiting on a feeling I'm moving in faith and I will finish this year with power. I'm going to keep that same energy because God has empowered me to make power moves. If you believe that, put your hands together and give Jesus family. We've come too far to lose fire now. You've made too much progress to be passive.

00:40:30
Look at who you used to be. Don't throw it away. You survive too much. Some of us have come through hell and high water. You survive too much to get sluggish now.

00:40:44
You've got to keep that same energy to the graduates. Keep the same energy that you use to study and show up and push through to the dreamers. Keep the same energy when you first first said yes to the call and to those that are weary. Keep the same energy that you had when you were fired up at the beginning of the year because what's ahead of you is greater than what's behind you.

Total Duration 00:41:17