Stay The Course

What if I told you that God’s greatest work in your life isn’t found in your dreams being fulfilled, but in your surrender when they’re not?

It wasn’t long ago I was mowing my lawn, but I was really wrestling with God. You ever been there? Not angry, not even doubting—just confused. Frustrated. Impatient. I knew I had heard His voice years before. I had stepped out in obedience. Got credentialed. Said yes to ministry. Served faithfully.

And yet... I was still stuck behind a mower, pushing my way through the ordinary, feeling like nothing “big” was happening. “Lord,” I asked, “What’s taking so long? What are You doing?”

I’ll never forget what I heard next. The Holy Spirit didn’t mince words:
“So you think I’ve brought you to this place without a plan? I’ve got things in motion you can’t even see. And by the way—it’s not all about you.”

That hit hard. I stopped mowing. I repented. I had been treating God like a spiritual vending machine—punch in the right code, expect the blessing. But that’s not how faith works. That’s not how relationship works. I had forgotten that God is not committed to my convenience—He’s committed to His glory. And the path to His glory requires my surrender.

Jesus Said Yes. Can You?

In Matthew 26, Jesus—perfect, blameless, eternal—found Himself in a garden, sweating blood, pleading with the Father: “If there’s another way… take this cup from me.”
But He didn’t stop there.
“Yet not my will, but Yours be done.”

That’s what it means to stay the course. That’s what it looks like to be available to God.

We want God to use us in powerful ways, but we don’t want to sit in the garden. We don’t want to wait. We don’t want to suffer. But that’s exactly where God forms His people. That’s where the power of the Holy Spirit begins to shape us into people who can actually carry His glory—not just talk about it.

Availability Isn’t Flashy—It’s Faithful.

I used to think that if I just said yes to God once, I’d be set. But now I know—the Christian life isn’t one big “yes,” it’s a thousand small ones. Over and over. Every day.

Yes, when no one sees.
Yes, when others seem further ahead.
Yes, when the calling doesn’t match the comfort.
Yes, even when your flesh screams no.

The enemy isn’t stupid. He won’t always show up with full-on sin. Sometimes he just tries to distract you—get your eyes off Jesus. Get you comparing. Get you discouraged. And before you know it, you’ve stopped saying yes. You’ve stopped trusting. You’ve stopped abiding.

But listen—you can’t be faithful to a God you don’t spend time with.

Jesus prayed. All the time. On mountaintops. In crowds. In solitude. Before miracles. After rejection. On the cross. After the resurrection. If the Son of God needed to abide—what makes us think we can survive without it?

Run With Endurance

The writer of Hebrews gives us the blueprint: “Let us run with endurance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

It’s not flashy. But it’s powerful. You run with endurance. You strip off the distractions. You stay focused. You suffer well. Because you know there’s a finish line—and there’s joy on the other side.

This isn’t just about perseverance. It’s about perspective.

Are you living for temporary comfort or eternal significance? Are you chasing your plan or surrendering to His?

Our Plans or His Glory?

Proverbs 19:21 says: “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

We can make plans. We should. But we have to hold them with open hands. Because at the end of the day, the goal isn’t just “living our best life”—it’s becoming like Jesus. And that doesn’t happen by accident. It happens by fire. Refining fire.

There’s an old story about a silversmith. A man asked how the smith knew the silver was ready. The silversmith replied, “When I can see my reflection in it.”

That’s what God’s doing in you. Every delay, every disappointment, every detour—it’s all refining you until you reflect Him.

Stay the Course.

Don’t stop because it’s hard. That’s when you’re closest to breakthrough. That’s when God is doing His deepest work. He hasn’t forgotten you. He hasn’t abandoned His plan.

“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

So say yes—again. Keep saying yes. Every day. Say yes to His presence. Say yes to His plan. Say yes, even when it hurts.

Jesus did. And the world was changed. Now it’s your turn.

Let’s stop praying for an easier path and start asking for stronger backs. Let’s be people who don’t just start well—but stay the course, finish the race, and bring glory to our King.

Even if we’re still mowing the lawn.