1 Corinthians 9:25 (NLV)
Everyone who runs in a race does many things so his body will be strong. He does it to
get a crown that will soon be worth nothing, but we work for a crown that will last
forever.

Hebrews 12:1-3 (MSG)
Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans
cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and
never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both
began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight
of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with
anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of
honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that
story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot
adrenaline into your souls!

1. God Doesn’t Want You Out of the Race

Jeremiah 17:5-8
This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”

2. God Doesn’t Want You in Last Place

James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many
kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces
perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and
complete, not lacking anything.

3. God Doesn’t Want You in the Middle of the Pack

Isaiah 40:29
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

4. God Wants You Victorious In and Through HIM

Matthew 4:2-4
After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him
and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every
word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 6:33 (GW)
But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these
things will be provided for you.

Isaiah 53:11
After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my
righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.