How To Win The Race You’re In

3, 2, 1. Most people love to win. They love to win so much that even if they are not winning in life, they will attach themselves to a team, an athlete, a superhero, something that's winning because, like, the desire to win is innate. It's built into us, it's programmed into us. We were created with this massive desire to win. But fortunately for us, in the scriptures, God gave us a way to win. And you can win the race you're in. And I'm gonna read a passage to you that you're familiar with. You've heard it before, but unless you've heard me teach it, you've probably not heard it taught correctly. And not because I know everything, but I've just heard so many people misteach this. And I'm looking forward to you having a breakthrough today based on what you're about to learn, because it will take your life to another level. Here's what it says. Hebrews, chapter 12, verse 1, verses 1 through 3. It says, wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight. And the sin which does so easily beset us. And let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Now, the interesting thing about that word, race, it means race, but it also means battle. It also means fight. It also means anxiety, right? So it can be translated into a bunch of different words. And in this particular passage, it's translated into race. So you can win the fight you're in, you can win the battle you're in, you can win the race you're in, you can win the contest you're in. And this is going to tell us how to win. Okay. Wherefore singing we encompass the battle with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight. And the sin was just so easily beset us. Let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross despising the shame, and is set down on the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such a contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. There's so. There's one of the things I love. One of the things I love in the Bible is that God doesn't just tell us to do stuff. He tells us how to get it done.

Right? He doesn't just. He doesn't just. He doesn't just give us a command. He gives us a path to fulfill that command. He gives us a process that works. And it don't almost work, it don't work sometimes, it don't kind of work. It like works better than anything, but that works better than anything. And when we apply it, we will have an advantage over those who don't like. When you understand how to apply biblical principles practically to every aspect of your life, you will have an unfair advantage over those who don't know it, don't know what the Bible says. But you also have an unfair advantage over those who know what it says but have no idea what it's saying. You also have an unfair advantage over those who know what it says and know what it's saying, but they have no intention of doing anything about it. And so now we're going to get into this. It says, wherefore, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses. Now, I've heard people teach that this somehow means that we've got all these people that died and went to heaven before us, and they're up in heaven in the grandstand, cheering us on. Only that ain't what that's saying.

It's not talking about people witnessing us run our race. It's talking about people witnessing to us the benefits of running a race by the race they ran.

What people? The people that are over in Hebrews chapter 11. Remember Hebrews chapter 11. Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen for by it. By faith. The elders obtained a good report. The only way anybody ever develops a good report is by faith, right? You have to believe. You have to believe in something that you can't see until you see it.

So faith is. Okay, let's start there. Because I think without faith as the foundation of this conversation, this conversation is not going to resonate. And so with faith as the foundation of this conversation, understand this. It says, Hebrews chapter 11, verse 1. Faith is what? The substance of things hoped for, the what, Evidence of things not seen. Question for you. What's the first word in that verse? Now. Now. Here's why now is important. I'm gonna go to my board. I'm gonna do some stuff on the board that's gonna knock your socks off. It's gonna blow your mind, it's gonna change your life. It's gonna help you if you apply it. So.

It says, now, faith. The word now is critical to understanding faith. So the word is now. Now is not a placeholder in that verse. I think now is more like an adjective or an adverb that describes. Or it's an adjective. Adjective that describes the noun. The noun is faith. Now, faith. What kind of faith? Now, faith. Because faith, real faith, is something you can only have when you allow yourself to enter a now that requires that you have faith and see what happens. For most of us, we come to the place where it's time for us to put up or shut up.

And then we capitulate and we retreat and we withdraw. As opposed to running toward the giant. We run from the giant. We can see we have two choices when the giant shows up. We can run from the giant like Saul and the armies of Israel did, or we can run toward the giant like David did when God tells Noah to build an ark. What's an ark? It's a big old boat. Where you want me to build it? Out in the middle of the desert? How we gonna get it to the water? Don't worry. I'm gonna make it rain. Okay. What's rain? Noah's 420 years old, never seen a raindrop in his life, and at 4. I'm sorry. 480 years old. 480 years old, never seen a raindrop in his Life, and spent 120 years building a boat in the desert. That's faith. That's what kind of faith now? Faith. That's the kind of now, faith that causes you to go to work on something for 120 years when it feels like it's a waste of time and other people are making fun of you.

What kind of faith? Now, faith. See, that's a clock. Now, faith. It's now a clock in the season of your life, it is now a clock. And it's time for you to show up now. Now, faith is the substance. Sub. The prefix sub means what it means under.

That's a submarine.

Why? Because the submarine goes under the water. Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for. So now faith is something that's under me. What does that mean? That tells me that faith is foundational.

Like faith is the foundation of every accomplishment. This building exists today because somebody saw it in their minds. They believed it was possible. They drew a blueprint. They gave the blueprint to a builder who also believed it. And then they started pouring a foundation, and they called in electricians and plumbers, and everybody believed. And now we're here. How many? Don't track it. See, faith is your ability to stand on something that's not there yet, because that's what it says. It's the substance. Stance means to Stand upon.

So now faith. What kind of faith? Talk to me, everybody. What kind of faith? Now, faith. Now, faith is where I stand because that's what faith is. It exists for me to stand. I'm gonna take a stand. I'm gonna take a stand against the Goliath. I'm gonna take a stand in building a future for my family, even though everybody else thinks it's a joke. How many are tracking? So now faith is where I stand on the things I expect. So it says now, faith is a substance. It says now faith is a substance of things. Oh, we can't forget the word things. That's one of. That's one of my favorite words in the Bible, the word things.

What is the word things? Well, the Hebrew word for the word things is one of my favorite words because it's the word debar. But it all. The word debar doesn't just mean things, it means things. It does mean things, but guess what it means matter. Right? That's matter. Like matter. Stuff is made out of matter, right? But it also means to speak. Isn't that fascinating that the Hebrew word for to speak and the Hebrew word for things or matter is the same word. Isn't that fascinating? Why? Because everything that is a thing was made of the spoken word. In the beginning was the Word. The Word was God. The Word was with God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him. Him who? Him the Word. And without him was not anything made. That was made.

Oh, I get it. By the way, do you realize the things that you make in your life, you make them because of the things you tell yourself.

Do you understand? It's impossible. It's like it's physically impossible for you to work on something that you subconsciously believe won't work.

Did y' all hear what I just said? It's physically impossible for you to work on something that you subconsciously believe won't work. That's why. That's why belief is more important than ability.

Like belief is more important than knowledge.

It's interesting. Well, I'll get to that in a minute. People think, well, as soon as I know how, I'll do it. No, as soon as you believe you can do it, you'll figure out how.

Now, faith is the substance of things. And then the word hoped. Oh, the word hope doesn't mean a wish. Hope is not a wish. Hope is a well founded, well grounded expectation for the future. Expectation. Oh, my goodness, that's a great word. Expectation. Okay, I've got news for You. You have a superpower. How many are excited about that? You have a superpower. The only problem is, if you're like most people, nobody ever taught you how to use it.

So you spent most of your life using your greatest superpower against yourself. Because that's what the cultural, hypnotic, societal mechanism programs us to do. To use our greatest superpower against ourselves. What is my greatest superpower? My greatest superpower is expectation. I don't have a greater superpower. Yeah, I can do push ups, but that's not my superpower. Yeah, I can do pull ups. That's not my superpower either. Yeah, I can hit a golf ball. That's not my superpower. I can write books. That's not even my super. You know what my superpower is? My superpower is my ability to expect only favorable outcomes.

That's my superpower. And the more you strengthen your ability to only expect outcomes you desire.

And weaken your ability to expect outcomes you don't desire, the more successful in life you will become. Period.

Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things hoped for. This is the word hope. Hope for.

Evidence. What's the word evidence mean? Evidence means what? That's right. It means proof.

It's proof. Proof.

Proof. Like, you know, like the judge with the gavel, right? He hits it on that thing. Proof. Evidence of things not seen. Order in the court. Right, okay.

Evidence of things. Oh, there's that word things again.

Not seen.

Not seen. Eyes are closed. Evidence of things not seen.

So now when we read that, it sounds like a poem, doesn't it? Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Sounds like a poem. Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. And so we know what it says, we get really excited because we know what it says. And we think that does us some good. Does us more good than not knowing what it says. But if we don't know what it means, it doesn't do us all the good. So what does? Now, Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen mean. Now, Faith. What does the word now mean? Like now? What kind of faith? Now? Faith. So now, right now, faith is where I stand on the things I expect while I prove the things I cannot see.

I'm gonna say that one more time.

Now. Faith. What kind of faith now? Faith. Now, faith is where I stand.

On the things I expect while I prove the things I cannot see. So some of y' all in this room, y' all Remember when this room looked like that side over there, right? It was like four offices right here, right? Drop ceiling, right? No stages. Some of y' all remember that, right? But I saw this then.

How many are tracking, like, what we're doing right now? Like this. I saw this then I stood on it. I literally expected it so much. I knew it could not not happen. Could not not happen.

Yeah, okay. It had to happen.

So now faith is where I stand on the things I expect while I prove the things I cannot see. Here's one of the biggest problems you've had your entire life.

Is you've been programmed to expect unfavorable outcomes because you know what they look like.

You have a very clear picture of what it's going to look like, what it's going to feel like, how you're going to feel, what you're going to look like if it doesn't work.

You have no clear. Like your.

Mental representation of how awesome it's going to be when it works is almost not. It's so blurry, it's almost non existent. It's like watching Black and white TV. A black and white TV from 1957. You can't see anything. I was like, every time I see footage from back then, I'm like, how do we watch TV back then? You can't see anything. It's like you're watching stuff in a snowstorm.

That'S really foggy on a rainy day. It's like really bad. You can't see anything. But that's how it is for most people. Like how? Like what? Like you. We've had so many painful experiences that we've. That we've erroneously labeled as bad.

Let me say that again. We've had so many painful experiences that we've erroneously labeled as bad because we think that everything that feels bad is bad and everything that feels good is good. But everything that feels bad is not bad, and everything that feels good is not good. Some of the best things that ever happened to you in your life are some of the worst things that ever happened to you in your life. You remember Joseph and Jacob, right? Jacob was Joseph's father. They both had the similar circumstance. Joseph. Jacob thought his son was dead. Joseph's brothers plotted to kill him.

Jacob. Joseph's brothers, like, were going to sell him into slavery, but they didn't get a chance because God didn't want him to make a profit off of it. So he let the Midianites come, get him out of the pit and go sell him to.

Whoever he sold him to the Egyptians. And so Joseph goes to Egypt, and now he's a servant in Potiphar's house. Instead of being a son in Israel's house, in Jacob's house. Jacob's like, oh, this is so terrible.

Joseph's just like, I'm already here. I might as well make the best of it. And Potiphar had him running the whole house.

Then he gets thrown in prison because he refused to let Potiphar's wife seduce him. Now you know why Potiphar's wife threw him in prison, don't you? Because he knew Joseph was innocent. But he had to do something to save face. Because if he thought Joseph was guilty, he would have just killed him. He knew Joseph was innocent and he knew who his wife was. He'd met her in the morning, but it wasn't that morning.

Right? He said, I know that woman I married. My mama told me about her. Okay? Anyway, that's a different story for another day. And so he goes to prison for a crime he didn't commit. And then the butler and the baker. No, candlestick maker. The butler and the baker get thrown into prison.

And I just want to see if you are paying attention, okay? The butler and the baker, they get thrown into prison. They have a dream. Joseph tells them their dream. He says to the butler, I mean, he says to the baker, your dream means basically, tomorrow you're gonna be hanged. And the butler, you're gonna be restored to your position. But just remember, when you're restored, don't forget about me. Tell Pharaoh about me. The butler said, how could I ever forget you, bro? You just told me what my dream meant, right? And so, sure enough, the butler gets out. He forgets about Joseph. Oh, that's so terrible. Joseph's kept doing. Joseph was in charge of everything in the prison. See, here's what's really interesting. When your attitude is right, you will grow where you're planted.

You'll grow where you're planted. And you'll just realize that what the enemy is doing for evil, God's doing for good.

And so finally, he becomes the prime minister. He meets, like, Pharaoh. And then Pharaoh meets his father. And Pharaoh asks Jacob, he says, how old are you, Sir? Jacob says.

138 years. Few and evil have been the days of the life of my pilgrimage. 138 years is few and evil. Sounds like a lot to me. I'll take 138 right now. Like, I don't like. We don't even need to negotiate. I'll take 138 right now.

Right.

That's 76 more years. I'll take it. Right. Few and evil have been the days of my life. But when Joseph's brothers. When their dad died, Joseph's brothers thought he was going to get them back. He said, you don't even understand what you meant for evil. God meant for good the people that have done you wrong, the people that cheated you, the people that hurt you. And they intended it for evil. God meant it for good.

And when Joseph named his children Ephraim and Manasseh.

Ephraim means God hath made me forget all of my labor and my toil in my Father's house.

Huh? God made me. God made me forget. I'm so blessed. God made me forget about the fact that my brothers hated me so much they wanted to kill me.

God has blessed me so much. I forgot about the fact that when I had a dream and I told my brothers my dream and I told my parents my dream, they didn't believe me. In fact, not only did my brothers not believe me, they hated me for my dreams and for my words. That's okay, though, because I, God used that.

And then he named Manasseh. What's that? God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.

Fruitful in the land of my affliction. Let's go.

See if your attitude is right. The facts don't matter.

That's not coming from somebody who's never been through anything. I was born right here in this town 62 years ago. 62 and a half years ago. I was born right here in this town. I was born in Clara Fry Hospital. Clara Fry Memorial. It was a segregated hospital. This is six or seven years after the polio vaccine was discovered. I contracted polio as an infant because Clarify Hospital didn't have it. In fact, I was sick when my parents moved from. They had two children, me and my brother Jeff. They moved from Tampa to Pennsylvania, and I was still sick. Got to Pennsylvania, my mom told me. Anyway, so this is where I got the story from. I got diagnosed and treated for polio, but by that time, my left leg had already shriveled up. Oh, that's so terrible. I hate white people, right? Is that a conclusion I could come to? I was born in a segregated hospital in a segregated South. It's a conclusion I could have come to. Well, what good is that going to do me.

Right? Or I could say, life is so unfair. I can't believe this. All my brothers can run and I Can't run.

Or I could just recognize the fact that God ordained in his sovereignty because he's the one that made me. So he knows exactly how I need to be and who I need to be. So he ordained that I go through some stuff so I can get to the stuff he has for me to get to.

And he ordained that my body slow down so my mind could speed up.

And I'm a very athletic person. I'm black belt in the martial arts.

Did you mess with me?

I am really. I love playing sports. I love all of that stuff. When I was growing up, couldn't run though. But I could do all the other stuff. I used to work out when I was in high school. Like a crazy person. I'd skip lunch and go to the gym. I was 140 pounds when I was in high school. I could bench press 288 pounds when I was 140. I was very athletic. Guess what? God said, I'm going to make sure you don't waste your potential. The purpose I've created you for chasing a sports dream. I'm going to slow your body down so your mind can speed up. My life is so much better off.

I'm not saying that everybody who's clearly Michael Jordan was put here to dunk basketballs, but I wasn't.

And God gave me such a unique experience that the only identity I could own is the one that I have.

And I don't know, I've had a lot of difficult things happen to me in my life. Lots like hundreds and hundreds of difficult things, painful things happen to me in my life. I can't say that any of them were bad.

Because I don't get to determine good and bad. Only God does that.

Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Now, faith is where I stand on the things I expect while I prove the things I cannot see. And then he goes on, it says, by faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Hmm. And then he goes on to talk about. He talks about Barak and Jephthah and, and Moses, and he talks about Noah and he talks about all these Bible characters that ran their race. And here's what it says at the end of Romans chapter. I mean, Hebrews chapter 11. I'm going to read this to you because it's so cool.

At the end of Hebrews chapter 11 because, you know, you could read the whole chapter but it's 50 something verses and then we'd be done at 12:30. Okay, because I don't read that fast. It's 40 verses. So get down to the end of Hebrews chapter.

Yeah, we could talk about all these people, but I'm just going to go. Verse 33. Here's what it says. All these people who he just named, right? Moses, Joshua, Rahab, all these people, right? Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, also Samuel, the prophets. Okay. Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness, were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead, raised to life again, and others were tortured. Okay, so you talk about all those victorious things. Then he starts saying, and others were tortured. That doesn't seem to fit, does it? Others were tortured.

Right.

Lost my place here.

Women received dead, others were tortured, not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection. And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings. Yea, moreover, the bonds and imprisonment, they were stoned, they were sawn asunder. That doesn't sound very pleasant.

Tempted and slain with a sword, wandering about in sheepskins and goatskins. That's talking about what they would do is the Romans would take these Christians who believed in Christ, these Jewish believers who believed in Christ, they would take them, sew them up in sheepskins and goatskins, and throw them in the coliseum to the lions. That's what that's talking about. Just so next time you read it, you have a vision for what it's saying here. Right? That's what when it says wandering about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in the deserts and mountains and the dens and caves of the earth, because they were running for exile. They were like attempting to escape the oppression. These all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promises, received not the promise. God having provided a better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. And then it says, wherefore, seeing we are also compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us therefore lay aside every weight. And the sin was just so easily beset us. And let us run with patience the race that is set before us. So he's saying, because of all these people who are witnessing to us the benefits of having faith, here's what we have to do. If you Want to win the race you're in, the first thing you have to do is you have to recognize the demonstration of faith that has gone before you.

Recognize the demonstration of faith. See, David recognized. David demonstrated his faith when he killed Goliath when he fought the lion and the bear. Samson demonstrated his faith when he brought down the house of the Philistines. And he killed more Philistines in his death than he did in his life. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego demonstrated their faith when they said, I don't care what you do to us. We ain't bound down to your false God. They demonstrated their faith. So he's saying, if you want to finish the race, look at the fact that other people, by the way, who had it harder than you, they finished their race, so you can finish yours. That's what that's saying, y'. All Tracking. So here's what you got to do. You have to reframe your disappointments. What does that mean? Reframe my disappointments? Okay, you've heard me teach it before, but I'm going to say it again. Frames create focus. We put a frame around something so we can focus on what's inside the frame. So therefore, what you have to learn to do is you have to learn to reframe your disappointments. The reason we get disappointed is because we got appointed in the first place. See, we had this outcome that we desired. Now, I'm going to say something that's very controversial one, because I don't like to fight, but I don't mind.

But. But I like to make people think. And I'm gonna say something controversial, controversial. I don't believe in setting goals. I don't set goals. At least not the way most people do. What does that mean? Most people set outcome goals, and they're like, I'd like to have this happen. I'd like to have this. Now, I do set input objectives. So I don't call them goals, I call them objectives, But I could call it a goal. I set input goals. Yes. I'm going to do this activity, and I'm going to let the activity produce the result it produces. And so I can backwards extrapolate. I can reverse engineer any outcome by looking at the input that has to go into it because inputs create output on TV these days.

It's been a minute.

So you reframe your disappointments by saying what? What you meant for evil. God meant for good. God has caused me to flourish in the land of my affliction, be fruitful in the land of my affliction. God has caused me to forget all the pain and the toil of my father's house.

Wow. Who can do that? Any of us. Like you don't have to resurrect those bad memories because it makes you feel so good to feel so bad.

Some people ain't happy lest they're miserable. They want everybody else to be happy, so they do everything they can to make them miserable.

So reframe your past disappointments. It says, wherefore seeing where you're comforts about with so great a cloud of witnesses. So reframe. Right? Demons, recognize the demonstration of faith. Reframe your disappointments, but also repent of your doubt. It says, let us lay aside every weight. That word weight means burden. Let's lay aside the burdens. How do we do that? Reframe our disappointments. And then. And thus in it says, and let us lay aside thus in that so easily be set us. Now, I've heard preachers say this so many times, it's like, dude, go study. Please go study.

Well, the reason it doesn't mention the sin, because for one person it's the sin of smoking and another person the sin of drinking. That's not what this is talking about. The sin that does so easily beset. The word beset means stop. What is the sin that does so easily stop us? The sin of doubt. Let us lay aside our doubt. Let's lay aside our burdens. Let us lay aside our doubt in the context. That's what it's talking about. Let us lay aside a lack of faith.

Repent of your doubt. We don't think of doubt as being something we need to repent of, do we? But it is, because. What does repent mean? Repent means to change your mind. It comes from the Greek word metaneos, which means to change your mind. Why do I have to change my mind? Because if I don't change my mind, I'm disagreeing with God and therefore I cannot walk with him, because can two walk together except they be agreed?

And then I run with discipline because it says let us lay aside every weight. And the sin which does so easily beset us. And let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Now here's what's really interesting. We have to run with discipline. What is discipline? Discipline is doing what I'm supposed to do the way I'm supposed to do it when I'm supposed to do it, and doing it that way every time I do it. That's discipline.

Okay? Cool. So we recognize the demonstration of faith and then we run our race determined to finish. How do you win the race? I'm going to tell you how you win the race you're in. You ready? Everybody ready? Here's how you win the race you're in. Finish.

That's how you win. That's how you win the race you're in. Because here's the interesting thing about the race you're in. You're the only person in it.

You are running your race. Paul said, I have fought a good fight. I've kept the faith. I finished my course.

I ain't running your race.

I can't even run. But you can't beat me in my race.

The reality is you'll stop attempting to compete with people when you realize you have no competition. You are the only person who's ever existed in the history of the world that can fulfill your purpose.

I'm gonna hack Myron's funnel. Good luck with that. Try to hack my brain. Try to hack my brand. Good luck with that. I don't have any competition. That's the last thing I'm worried about. You gotta become. In order for you to do what I do, you have to become who I become. Good luck. Just lasted through that part, baby.

Run determined to finish. Like, I'm just. I'm gonna finish. I might finish later than you, but I'm gonna finish. I might not finish as fast as you, but I'm gonna finish.

How do we do that? We run persistently. The word says, let us run with patience. What does the word patient mean? It means persistency. You have to be persistent. Why? Why do I have to be persistent? I have to be persistent because the race is hard. What race? My race is hard. Guess who else's race is hard? Yours. Everybody's race is hard. Stop thinking you're the only one. Nah, man. Nobody ever had problems like mine. I know. Most people's problems were worse.

I cried the blues.

Because I had no shoes until I saw in the street the man with no feet. I got that from my dad and he was a plumber.

How about that?

Run determined to finish. Run persistently, but run consistently. Because the word patience means persistent, consistent, endurance.

Run the race with patience. Patience. You need persistency because the race persistence because the race is hard. You need consistency because the race is long. Anybody can run for five minutes, in fact. So part of my exercise routine is to ride the assault bike for 30 minutes a day.

I don't mind. I don't really love exercise like my Wife does. She loves exercise. And I love the fact that she loves exercise, which is why people probably still think she's my daughter and I'm 62 and I won't tell you how old she is, but we close.

And people think she's my daughter.

And I told her, I said, you wear this. You wear. Yeah, you.

Wear it well. So she loves the gym, though. I don't love the gym. I don't even go to the gym. I work out at home. If I had to go to a gym, I'd be fatter than Santa Claus.

I'm just saying so. But I work out at a salt bike. I do not like aerobic exercise. I especially don't like aerobic exercise because it takes so long and it feels like it's never going to end. So I get on that salt bike 30 minutes a day. Oh, my goodness, this is so brutal. You know the hardest part? The first five minutes I get the eight minutes, it's a wrap after that. But the first. Oh, my goodness, that first five minutes. Is this ever going to end? Is this ever going to end? Right, so we need consistency because the race is long. The race is long. And then don't just run persistently and consistently. Run individually. Run the race that is set before you. Aren't you glad that God gave you something you can do?

Not only did he give you something you can do, he gave you something that only you can do. That's so exciting. I'm excited. I get to be Myron Freddie Golden. I didn't like being Myron Freddie golden when I was a kid. I didn't like my first name. Myron. Myron. Myron. Marin, Myron, Myron. People used to always pronounce my mispronouncement. They still mispronounce my name. Played golf with a guy last week for the first time. He kept calling me Malcolm.

Marlon, Malcolm, Melvin. I get all of them. I get everything but Myron. I'm like Myron, like a siren with an M. Like, get it. Come on, bro. Anyway, that is what I tell people, though, by the way. Okay, so run individually, but I didn't like my middle name, Freddie. I didn't like Golden. I liked. I've liked that my whole life. I like all of it now. I'm the only person who ever gets to be me in all of human history. I am thankful that God made me me and gave me the trials that I had to go through that made me strong enough to stay there when I get there, wherever there is.

And then it says this is so good. It says, let us run with patience. The race is set before us. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. That is not some kind of esoteric.

Staring up at the clouds. When it says, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, it's talking about looking at him as our example of how to finish our race, how to fulfill our purpose. And so what we do is we replace our distractions with focus. So he said, how do I finish this race? It's so long. How do I finish this race? It's so hard. How do I finish this race? It's so riddled with temptations to doubt. How do I finish this race? Well, look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Well, first, I love the fact that we're looking at Jesus. He's our perfect example. And what's cool is he's the author and finisher of our faith. Why? Because he finished our faith before, in our experience, it got started. What does that mean? Like, I had to experience my faith in real time, but according to the scripture.

I was chosen in him before the foundation of the world. Why? Because in time, we don't really have the ability to experience the present. In time, we can only experience the past, the present, and the future. As soon as I say now, it becomes then. Now, then now, then. Sit still. Now. I'm trying to turn. Nope. Then, now, then. Like, it doesn't sit still. Right. So now becomes then. As soon as now is now. Now is over, and now it's then. Every now and then. Okay, you get it. But in eternity, there's no such thing as the past or the future. There's only the present. That's why God knows the end from the beginning. Because the end is the beginning and the beginning is the end. Can you imagine? Just imagine with me, if you can, if you will.

You're a movie producer, director and actor. And it's an action. A dramatic action love story with a comedic effect. I'm probably putting too much of my business in the street. So if I were writing a movie, that's what it would be, right? It would be a dramatic action love story with a comedic effect. Anyway, so you write this movie. You produce it.

You act in it, you star it. So you star in it. You're involved in all the editing, and it's time for the premiere.

You got a great supporting cast. Denzel Washington, Brad Pitt. Right? All this. You got all these people supporting you in supporting roles in your movie. And every time it looks at the permission on the edge of their seat. The only person not doing that is you. Why? Because for you, it ended before it began.

See, to God, this whole time experience thing, it's a moving picture to us, but to God, it's fully produced.

And by the way, the only way I have the ability to bring eternity into the power of eternity into the present is by focusing on the invisible reality of who God is and what God does. That gives me the ability to pull some present into this past and future thing that I'm experiencing. So looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, he finished it before he started it before I started. He didn't finish it before he started. He finished it before I started. It's already done. I've already won. How do I know that we are more than conquerors through him that loves us? I'm already won. I'm not going to win. I'm not. I'm not excited because I'm going to win. I'm excited because I've already won. I'm on the podium. I'm. I'm. Yeah, I'm still running the race. I'm still in the battle, I'm still in the conflict, but I'm also already on the podium getting my golden crown or my wreath or whatever I'm trophy, whatever my gold medal. I've already won. How do I know? Because I'm more than conquerors through him that loved us. Not going to be a conqueror. I want to use days. I'm going to be. I'm already a conqueror. I'm not gonna win. I'm already winning.

In fact, I'm not even already winning. I've already won. Good luck with that. You can beat you. Good luck with that. I've already won. Okay, so looking on Jesus, a perfect example.

What can we learn from Jesus? When we look unto Jesus, what are we supposed to be looking unto him for? Here's what it says. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Watch what he does. Who? For the joy that was set before him. I'm telling you, this is. This is the master key. Y' all ready? Who? For the joy that was set where before him, what did he do? He endured the cross. So while he was in the pain, in the middle of the pain of his assignment.

Instead of him focusing on the pain of his assignment, he focused on the payoff in the future. That's why we have to replace are distraction with focus. The pain that you're in is just a distraction. The difficulty is a distraction. The bills, though, they're distractions. The disease is a distraction.

And so I've got to focus through the distraction to the destiny, through the pain. I got to focus through the pain to the payoff. Looking on to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him. That's how he endured the cross, his race, despising the shame, and is set down on the right hand of the throne of God. Jesus, when he was on the cross, endured because he could see the day when he would be seated at the right hand of the Father.

And he knew what it looked like. But now he's going to be seated with us in him, at the right hand of the Father. That's the joy that was set before him. And see, here's what we have to do in real time in our race. Here's what we have to learn to do. We have to learn how to set the joy before us. The joy of what? Accomplishing the purpose for which we were created. We have to learn in real time. This is the hard part. It's hard, but it's worth it. Y' all ready? We have to learn in real time to replace the anxious apprehension of the outcome we don't desire with the joyful anticipation of the outcome we do desire. I'm gonna say it again. We have to learn in real time. Like, while I'm in the middle of the thing that feels like it's going to take the last breath out of my body, while I'm in that thing, I have to learn to replace the anxious apprehension of the outcome I don't desire with the joyful anticipation of the outcome I do desire. That's how I win the race I'm in, Because I can see. I'm looking at Jesus example. What did he do? He set the joy before him. So while I'm writing the book, I'm not going to allow those little voices to say, why would somebody want to buy a book from you?

Nobody wants to spend that much money on my back. Instead of allowing those voices to invade my cerebral cortex.

I just see the day when it becomes a perennial bestseller.

Even if I don't desire. With the joyful anticipation of the outcome we do desire, I'm gonna say it again. We have to learn in real time. Like, while I'm in the middle of the thing that feels like it's going to take the last breath out of my body, while I'm in that thing.

I have to learn to replace the anxious apprehension of the outcome I don't desire with the joyful anticipation. I don't know what it looks like. I sit down with my pen and my paper in my hand. It's going to be so great on this day when I am sitting there experiencing xyz.

I'm a regular dude. I grew up second of seven brothers to hardworking poor parents who worked really hard to put food on a table and clothes on our back and took very good care of us and loved us and played with us and taught us things of the outcome I do desire. That's how I win the race I'm in. Because I can see. I'm looking at Jesus example. What did he do? He set the joy before him. So while I'm writing the book, I'm not going to allow those little voices to say, why would somebody want to buy a book from you?

Nobody wants to spend that much money on them. Had conversations with us, like, actually, and my parents were not. They were not. They didn't tell you explicitly. No. They would give you a Socratic.

Mac instead of allowing those voices to invade my cerebral cortex.

Like pithy.

Maxim that you had to decipher.

And then you're like. You walk in the room and you didn't say good morning or hi. My mom would say, boy, time of day is due to a dog. Yes, ma'. Am. Right. In other words, I'm your mother. You can speak to a dog. You got to speak to your mother. I'm your mother. Right. Anyway, that's how my parents talked to us. They would. Nothing come to a sleeper but a dream. Boy, you ain't gonna sleep in my house till seven o' clock in the morning. But Daddy said, I don't care what day it is. Get up, go find. I don't have anything to do. Go find something to do. I just see the day when it becomes a perennial bestseller.

Even if I don't know what it looks like. I sit down with my pen and my paper in my hand. It's going to be so great on this day when I am sitting there experiencing xyz.

I'm a regular dude. I grew up second of seven brothers to hardworking poor parents who worked really hard to put food on.

Now we're in the age where parents ask their children for permission. I don't know. I don't know. Anyway, that's a different story, different conversation, different day. We'll come back to that later.

So replace our distraction with focus. Look at the perfect example, Jesus. Then live with that peaceful expectation when we replace the anxious apprehension of the outcome we don't desire with the joyful anticipation of the outcome we do desire, then we can live with peaceful expectations on a table and clothes on our back. And took very good care of us and loved us and played with us and taught us things and had conversations with us. Like actually. And my parents were not. They were not. They didn't tell you explicitly. No. They would give you a Socratic.

Like pithy.

Maxim that you had to decipher.

And then you're like. You walk in the room and you didn't say good morning or huh. We can stop worrying.

Because you can win or you can worry, but you can't do both at the same time.

I never said that before. Somebody write that down. Send it to me.

And then last, with the perception of excellence, just know that anybody can quit. It takes somebody special. It takes somebody remarkable. It takes somebody. Except my mom would say, boy, time of day is due to a dog. Yes, ma'. Am. Right. In other words, I'm your mother. You speak to a dog, you got to speak to your mother. I'm your mother. Right. Anyway, that's how my parents talked to us. They would. Nothing come to a sleeper but a dream. Boy, you ain't gonna sleep in my house till seven o' clock in the morning. But Daddy said. I don't care what day it is. Get up, go find. I don't have anything to do. Go find something to.

It takes somebody excellent to finish. You want to win the race? You're in. Finish the race. That's your best chance at winning. God bless you. I hope this helps you. In the meantime, in between time, we'll see you on the next video. Stay blessed by the best. Peace out, Cub Scouts.