Today, I explored the theme of perseverance and the importance of not settling for less in our spiritual and personal journeys. I began by reflecting on the heartfelt worship that opened our service, emphasizing how our genuine praise pleases God. This set the stage for a deeper dive into the concept of not settling, a continuation from last week's sermon.

I introduced the topic by asking everyone to consider areas in their lives where they might have settled for "good enough" instead of striving for God's best. This led to a discussion about the importance of pushing through adversity, using the concept of the Adversity Quotient (AQ) from Dr. Paul Stoltz's book, which highlights how some people manage to turn obstacles into opportunities, unlike others who might have similar or even better starting conditions.

I shared personal anecdotes and biblical insights to illustrate that life is akin to climbing a mountain. We discussed three types of people: quitters, campers, and climbers. Quitters stop when the going gets tough, campers settle at a comfortable stage, but climbers, they keep pushing towards the peak despite the challenges.

I emphasized the dangers of quitting too soon, using the metaphor of mining for gold, where one might stop just short of striking gold. This was a call to persist, to keep pushing through the setbacks and not to abandon the dreams or callings God has placed in our hearts.

The sermon concluded with a powerful call to action, urging everyone to recommit to their spiritual climb. I invited those who felt led to make a fresh commitment to Christ to come forward, offering resources to support their journey in faith.

### Key Takeaways

1. **The Importance of Genuine Worship**
Worship is not merely a routine of songs but an expression of our heart's true adoration towards God. When we worship with sincerity, it not only pleases God but also aligns our hearts with His will and purpose for our lives. This alignment is crucial as it sets the foundation for overcoming the challenges we face. [38:00]

2. **Understanding Adversity Quotient (AQ)**
Our ability to handle life's setbacks and disappointments, referred to as the Adversity Quotient, plays a critical role in our success. It's not about the intelligence quotient (IQ) or the resources one has but about resilience and the capacity to turn challenges into stepping stones. This concept encourages us to evaluate and strengthen our AQ to fulfill our God-given potential. [41:16]

3. **The Dangers of Settling**
Settling can appear comforting, especially after achieving a certain level of success. However, comfort can lead to complacency. We are called to continually seek growth and progress in our spiritual lives, never content with plateauing but always striving for the higher calling in Christ Jesus. [47:29]

4. **Perseverance in the Climb**
Life's journey is likened to a mountain climb where the summit represents our fullest potential in Christ. The encouragement to "keep climbing" is a reminder that despite the hardships and the temptation to give up, our perseverance will lead to spiritual heights and deeper communion with God. This perseverance is not just for our benefit but also serves as a testimony to others. [49:22]

5. **Commitment to Spiritual Renewal**
Making a fresh commitment to Christ involves more than a momentary decision; it's a lifelong journey of faith and obedience. Today's invitation to recommit is a call to all, especially those who have been on the sidelines, to actively engage in their spiritual journey, trusting that God will equip and sustain them through every challenge. [01:08:44]

### Youtube Chapters

- [0:00] - Welcome
- [38:00] - Introduction to Not Settling
- [41:16] - Discussing Adversity Quotient
- [47:29] - The Comfort of Settling
- [49:22] - Perseverance and Climbing
- [01:08:44] - Invitation and Commitment

### Bible Reading
1. **2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (NIV)**: "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."
2. **Hebrews 6:12 (NIV)**: "We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised."

### Observation Questions
1. What does 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 say about the challenges believers face and their response to those challenges?
2. According to Hebrews 6:12, what are believers encouraged to do to inherit God's promises?
3. In the sermon, what are the three types of people described in their approach to life's challenges? ([42:05])
4. What metaphor does the pastor use to describe the journey of life and faith? ([41:16])

### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the concept of the Adversity Quotient (AQ) relate to the message in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 about resilience in the face of challenges? ([41:16])
2. What might it look like in practical terms to "imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised," as stated in Hebrews 6:12?
3. Why do you think the pastor emphasizes the importance of not settling at a comfortable stage in our spiritual journey? ([47:29])
4. How can the metaphor of mining for gold, as used in the sermon, help us understand the importance of perseverance in our faith journey? ([46:18])

### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt like quitting something important. How did you handle it, and what was the outcome? How does this relate to the message in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9? ([50:56])
2. Identify an area in your life where you might have settled for "good enough." What steps can you take to strive for God's best in that area? ([38:00])
3. The pastor mentioned the importance of genuine worship. How can you make your worship more heartfelt and sincere in your daily life? ([38:00])
4. Think about a recent setback or disappointment. How can you apply the concept of the Adversity Quotient (AQ) to turn that obstacle into an opportunity? ([41:16])
5. Are there any dreams or callings you have set aside because they seemed unreachable? What can you do this week to take a step towards those dreams? ([38:00])
6. How can you develop "patient persistence" in your spiritual journey, as encouraged in Hebrews 6:12? What practical steps can you take to build this trait? ([55:04])
7. The pastor invited those who felt led to make a fresh commitment to Christ. What does a fresh commitment look like for you, and how can you actively engage in your spiritual journey this week? ([01:08:44])

Day 1: Worship with a Sincere Heart
Genuine worship is more than just singing songs; it's an expression of our deepest adoration towards God. When we engage in worship sincerely, it not only pleases God but also aligns our hearts with His divine will and purposes. This alignment is essential as it prepares us to face the challenges ahead with a spirit of victory and faith. Worship is not a mere routine; it is a pivotal foundation that strengthens our spiritual resolve and deepens our relationship with God. [38:00]

Psalm 95:1-2, "Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!"

Reflection: How can you make your daily worship more heartfelt and less routine?

Day 2: Resilience Through Adversity
Understanding and developing our Adversity Quotient (AQ) is crucial for spiritual and personal growth. This concept teaches us that our success and perseverance are not solely dependent on our intelligence or resources but on our resilience—the ability to transform challenges into stepping stones. By strengthening our AQ, we equip ourselves to navigate life's setbacks effectively, ensuring that we continue to move towards fulfilling our God-given potential. [41:16]

James 1:2-4, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

Reflection: What recent challenge can you reframe as an opportunity to enhance your resilience?

Day 3: Avoid the Comfort of Complacency
Settling for comfort can be tempting, especially after achieving certain milestones. However, comfort often leads to complacency, which can halt our spiritual progress. We are called to continually seek growth and avoid settling, pushing towards the higher calling in Christ Jesus. This pursuit is not just for our benefit but also serves as a testament to God's transformative power in our lives. [47:29]

Hebrews 6:11-12, "And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."

Reflection: In what areas of your life might you be settling for comfort over calling?

Day 4: Perseverance in the Spiritual Climb
Life's journey is akin to climbing a mountain where the summit represents our fullest potential in Christ. The encouragement to keep climbing reminds us that despite hardships and temptations to give up, our perseverance will lead us to spiritual heights and deeper communion with God. This journey is not only about reaching the peak but also about the lessons and strength we gain along the way. [49:22]

2 Peter 1:5-7, "For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness."

Reflection: What specific steps can you take today to continue your spiritual climb without losing heart?

Day 5: Commitment to Spiritual Renewal
Making a fresh commitment to Christ involves more than a momentary decision; it's a lifelong journey of faith and obedience. This commitment is a call to engage actively in our spiritual journey, trusting that God will equip and sustain us through every challenge. It's about stepping out in faith, even when the path seems unclear, and trusting in God's guidance and provision. [01:08:44]

Colossians 2:6-7, "Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."

Reflection: What does recommitting to your spiritual journey look like in practical terms today?

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "There are climbers, there are campers, and there are quitters. It's really some good things. So look at this. I want you to think about which category are you in. Are you a quitter?" [42:05](Make raw clip | Make vertical clip | Make vertical captioned clip)

2. "How many of you can say by raising your hand, that's a story in my life. I've been knocked down, but I'm not knocked out. I'm up, I'm going, I'm pursuing what God has said for me. Raise your hand and make the devil mad that you're not a quitter, that you're not a camper, but you're gonna get up and you're going to go." [51:34](Make raw clip | Make vertical clip | Make vertical captioned clip)

3. "It's easier to quit than to endure. It's easier to get a divorce than it is to work and change on your marriage. It's easier to go bankrupt than it is to discipline yourself with your giving. It's easier to spend all that you have instead of giving 10% to God. It's easier to go to back to sleep on Sunday morning, instead of coming to church." [53:10](Download raw clip | Making vertical clip | )

4. "Thomas Edison was a climber. Although he didn't invent electricity, he did invent the light bulb, as we know it, right now, the incandescent light bulb. But as he tried, he had failure after failure after failure. People told him, there's no way. You're never going to be able to do this. And at the end of all that, someone said to him, you had so many failures. Now you've invented the light bulb, the incandescent bulb, but you've had so many failures. But I love what Thomas Edison said. I've not failed. I just found 10,000 ways that it won't work. Don't quit." [54:20](Make raw clip | Make vertical clip | Make vertical captioned clip)

### Quotes for Members

1. "I love the story of Nelson Mandela. Been to South Africa, I was there during apartheid and it was really horrible and it was a terrible place. He had a relentless perseverance. And a commitment to justice. He spent 27 long, hard years in prison. And when he was released in 1990, and then in 1994, he became the first black president of South Africa. And he had every chance to get back at those who did him wrong. But his heart was justice. His heart was, let's destroy these walls between us. And what a man." [01:01:14](Make raw clip | Make vertical clip | Make vertical captioned clip)

2. "Develop patient persistence. You say, well, Terry, okay, I want to do that. But how do I do that? I just sit back and say, okay, patient persistence. No. Let me give you some sample things. Number one, or first thing there, read God's word and search for a promise to your problem. Read God's word and search. In fact, I mean, you can use your phone now and you can say, give me six verses out of the Bible on joy. boom, 22 Bible verses about joy and uplifting." [58:35](Make raw clip | Make vertical clip | Make vertical captioned clip)

3. "When I became a believer at age six, I committed. I committed myself to a long journey to serve the Lord as long as I live. And I know some of you have done the same thing. Now, you may get to a campground, a plateau, and you may just stop for a while to rest and get refueled. But guess what? You say, look, I know I've come a long way. I'm not where I used to be. And I could sit here and rest. But look, there's still a place to go. I wonder what it's like to be on the top of the mountain." [48:46](Make raw clip | Make vertical clip | Make vertical captioned clip)

4. "Amen. Wow. What a morning. Love those worship songs. I love to see the heart that comes out of our worship team. It's not just a bunch of songs they sing, but it's from their heart. And you can tell that. And it's the same with you. The way you sing in worship. I look back and I see your hands raised. And I think how much God must be pleased that we take time to exalt him." [38:00](Make raw clip | Make vertical clip | Make vertical captioned clip)

Amen. Wow. What a morning. Love those worship songs. I love to see the heart that comes out of our worship team. It's not just a bunch of songs they sing, but it's from their heart. And you can tell that. And it's the same with you. The way you sing in worship. I look back and I see your hands raised. And I think how much God must be pleased that we take time to exalt him.

But today I want to follow up on the teaching that we started last week about "Don't settle." Say that with me: "Don't settle." And I want to talk today about why we need to not settle because we need to finish and fulfill our purpose in life. I love that. I love you guys. And I've been praying. And I believe the Lord spoke to me about three questions that I should ask you.

First of all, are there areas in your life where you said, "Well, that's good enough"? Or are there areas where you settled for comfort rather than moving forward and keep moving towards whatever the goal is that you have? Or are there dreams or callings? Or are there things that you've set aside because they just seem unreachable? Well, my hope is that we don't get to the end of our life and we say, "If only I" or "What if I." But we want to be sure that we do everything we can not to quit, not to settle.

Let's pray. Father, as we come to your word, we thank you for all that you've done for us. And we pray today, God, that you would help us, your word, to come alive. Holy Spirit, I ask for your anointing because I know without your anointing, all that I speak are just words. But I know with your anointing, it becomes words that can apply to the heart that makes a difference. So I pray, Father, that most of all, by the end of this teaching, by the end of this service today, that you will be glorified, that the saints will be edified, and the enemy will be terrified in your name. Amen.

I mean, you think in life, why do some people that you know, it's just like they soar. They just succeed. I mean, they may not have the same education you have. They may not have the same IQ. They may not have all the breaks that you have. But it seems like whatever they do, it's just successful. Like if they serve the Lord, it just seems like, wow, they do that so good. And you look and you say, but they're honestly not as smart as me. Really. And they're not as gifted as me. So why are they soaring? And I just seem to have plateaued.

There's a great book, and I really encourage you to read it. It's by Dr. Paul Stoltz, and it's called "Adversity Quotient: Turning Obstacles Into Opportunities." Adversity Quotient: Turning Obstacles Into Opportunities. And he explains why there are some people that succeed and other people don't. And he says it's because of your AQ, not your IQ, not your education, but your AQ.

So if you look in your notes there, I say that AQ refers to our ability to handle setbacks. Anybody had a setback? To handle discouragement, to handle disappointment, unfulfilled expectations, and pain. How many of you know you could probably go through each of those and you could give a 10 or a 50-minute, an hour talk about how that you've done those? But guess what? Evidently, you have strong AQ. Your adversity quotient is strong because you're still going. You're still climbing. You're here today.

Life is like a progressive climb up a mountain. Serving the Lord and achieving our destiny and our purpose in life is not just a plateau, but it's like climbing up a mountain. It's like this picture. This is my granddaughter, Raelynn. And she's climbing a mountain. Right now, she's in Montana somewhere, probably climbing a mountain bigger than that. But I know that climbing is not easy.

So in the book, Stoltz says there are three types of people on our journey of life. There are climbers, there are campers, and there are quitters. It's really some good things. So look at this. I want you to think about which category are you in. Are you a quitter? Remember when you were a kid? You started something. Maybe you were going to play the tuba in band. Or maybe you were going to learn how to twirl batons. Or maybe you were going to play little league ball. And about the fourth or the fifth week, you got tired of getting up early before school and going for the practice. And you told your mom, "I just want to quit. No, I don't want to be in band anymore. I don't want to be in little league anymore." And remember what she said? "No. You signed up. And what you signed up for, you're going to finish. You're going to come back."

So Dr. Stoltz would say, hey, that's exactly what I'm talking about. We're living in a world today in which people start a lot of things and then they quit. I mean, sometimes quitting might be good. Now, let me say it like this. I mean, like if you're an alcoholic and you're killing yourself, then maybe it might be good to quit drinking. All right. If you're spending all of your money and you're getting in debt because you're gambling, maybe you should stop gambling. Stop gambling on that 42 to 1 Kentucky Derby horse that didn't make it.

So there are some good things to quit. But what I'm talking about today is that you start your marriage and you quit. You start serving God and you quit. You start a company and you quit. You start a new exercise program and you quit. There are a lot of people like that in the world. And quitting sucks, to be quite honestly. Because you're sitting here and you're listening to this. And the Holy Spirit is already reminding you of places that you have quit and you shouldn't quit.

Quitters allow setbacks, difficulties, disappointments, and pain to keep them. And so they stop believing in themselves. They stop believing in church. They stop believing in God. They just say, well, you know, life is too hard. So quitters, they opt out. They cop out. They back out. And they drop out. And as a result, most quitters I've met in life are very bitter and are very depressed. And they're often very striking out at other people who continue to climb. They're resentful of those.

Quitters use words like, "Well, I can't." Quitters use words like, "It won't." They use words like, "Impossible." They use words like, "Who cares? This is stupid. I don't want to continue to do this." And they become negative and complaining. You ever met somebody like that? I mean, they're just so negative and complaining.

There's a man who joined the monastery and he had to take a vow of silence for 10 years. After 10 years, he was allowed two words. And so the father of the monastery said, okay, you can have two words. He said, "Food's bad." So? So, another 10 years of silence. And he comes back to the father of the monastery. He gets two words. And he said, "Bed's hard." And he goes back another 10 years of silence. And he comes back and he says, "I quit." The father of the monastery says, "Well, you might as well quit. All you've done is complain since you've been here." That's a quitter. Complain. Complain.

They abandon their purpose. They abandon their dream. They give up on that inner drive. I mean, there was something. You saw it. It was a dream. It was something that you were to accomplish. But because you had setbacks, then you just quit. And then you begin thinking, well, maybe I missed that. Maybe that really wasn't. But what if it was what God wanted you to do? And what if he's waiting for you to make one more push? What if the next push? You know, it's like they say when you used to, they would do the picks and all that for gold. You know, they talk about you just keep going. You may not hit anything. You keep going. You may not hit. And then a lot of people just quit. And somebody else comes along. And the very next thing they hit, they reach gold. But what if what God had showed you? What if what God wanted to do in your life? You were just one swing, one punch, one push away from that.

You don't want to go through life knowing I started something and I quit. It was something good. And I quit on that. And then there are who Dr. Stoltz calls campers. Campers get part of the way. I mean, they start out climbing up the mountain. And I think Raelynn's probably about halfway here. But there's no plateau there to stop. But sometimes when you're climbing, you'll reach a plateau. And they say, okay, this is a good place for us to rest. This is a good place for us to catch our breath. This is a good place for us to double-check our equipment. This is a good place. But some people in life get to the plateau. And what they simply say is, wow. Wow, look. Look how far I've climbed. I never thought I'd be able to get this far. Wow, but yeah, I know there's still more. But man, where I am right now, this is good. This is comfortable. I'll just settle here. In fact, here's what we'll do. We'll decorate our tents. We're on our tents along, so let's decorate them. Let's see who can have the best decorated tent. And let's sit around the campfire and say, "Kumbaya." Ah, my Lord, kumbaya. And let's roast marshmallows. It'll be good. We'll have a good old time. We're all here together. And so they just camp. And they quit climbing, saying, "This is good enough."

But then there are the climbers. The climbers' theme song: "Keep on pushing, baby. Keep on pushing." They dedicate their life to the long journey. When I became a believer at age six, I committed. I committed myself to a long journey to serve the Lord as long as I live. And I know some of you have done the same thing. Now, you may get to a campground, a plateau, and you may just stop for a while to rest and get refueled. But guess what? You say, "Look, I know I've come a long way. I'm not where I used to be. And I could sit here and rest. But look, there's still a place to go. I wonder what it's like. I wonder what it's like to be on the top of the mountain. I wonder how far I could see on top of the mountain."

I want you to get that picture. And whatever it is in your life that God has shown you, whatever it is that you're supposed to do, however it is that you're supposed to, what would it be like if you just totally committed to being sold out and climbing till you get to that place, that plateau with Jesus, where you say, "Wow, now I understand and I see."

So real quickly, let me give you some climbing truths this morning. Number one, never give up. Look at your neighbor and say, "Just remind you, don't give up. Don't give up, don't give." Or you might say it like this: "Quit quitting." Quitting can become a habit, you know, true. You know when you're tempted the most to quit? Most people are tempted to quit right after a big failure or discouragement or a setback. But there's also another time. A lot of people, when they get a little bit of success, they get a little partway of where they're supposed to be. You know, halfway is a tough place. And so they say, "Well, I've already come here and I'm close to the top, so I'll just stay here."

When you quit, you become a victim. You become a victim. And where you are is everybody else's fault. You don't take any responsibility. You say, "Well, yeah, you know, it's probably my fault. Yeah, you got hit. Yeah, you got a sucker punch. Yeah, somebody gave you a throat punch. Yeah, somebody said something bad to you. Somebody treated you wrong. Church did you wrong. People in church did you wrong." And so you said, "Well, I'm where I am right now because of that church, because of Bob, because of Sue, because of them, that's where I am. I'm where I am now and it's all their fault." But that's the victim mentality.

Here's what the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4, 8 and 9. Read it with me. This is really good. "We often suffer, but we're never crushed. Even when we don't know what to do, we never give up." Let's say that again: "We never give up." Let's say it again: "We never give up." "In times of trouble, God is with us. When we are knocked down, we get up again." When we're knocked down, we get up again. How many of you can say by raising your hand, "That's a story in my life. I've been knocked down, but I'm not knocked out. I'm up, I'm going, I'm pursuing what God has said for me." Raise your hand and make the devil mad that you're not a quitter, that you're not a camper, but you're gonna get up and you're going to go.

Little boy stepped out in the backyard. He had his baseball cap on, he had his glove, he had his baseball and a bat. And he says, "I am the greatest hitter in the world." And he throws the ball up and he strikes and he misses. And he says again, "I am the greatest hitter there ever was." And he throws the ball up and he strikes. Strike two, he misses. And so he looks at the ball, he looks at the bat, and he says, "Hey, I am the world's greatest hitter." And he threw the ball up again and he missed the third time. And he said, "Wow, strike three, what a pitcher I am. I'm the best pitcher. I'm the best hitter in the world, not a quitter, not a quitter."

It's easier to quit than to endure. It's easier to get a divorce than it is to work and change on your marriage. It's easier to go bankrupt than it is to discipline yourself with your giving. It's easier to spend all that you have instead of giving 10% to God. It's easier to go back to sleep on Sunday morning instead of coming to church. Can I get an amen? Yeah, I felt that way this morning at 4:30 when I got up. Let somebody else do it today. But I'm here because I wanted to share this with you.

Some things we endure. Isn't it amazing how, like on Saturday, yesterday morning, I woke up early, like four o'clock. And I'm thinking, well, I could sleep in, but man, I feel good. But on Sunday, 4:30, I woke up and I thought, man, I feel like I've been hit with a ball bat. I should just go back to sleep. I shouldn't pray right now. I shouldn't do that. But you know what? There's something in us, right? There's something in us at a time like that that says it's easy not to surrender, but if I am not going to surrender to my feelings, I'm going to surrender to God. I'm going to climb. Keep climbing. Give the Lord a hand clap.

Thomas Edison was a climber. Although he didn't invent electricity, he did invent the light bulb, as we know it, right now, the incandescent light bulb. But as he tried, he had failure after failure after failure. People told him, "There's no way. You're never going to be able to do this." And at the end of all that, someone said to him, "You had so many failures. Now you've invented the light bulb, the incandescent bulb, but you've had so many failures." But I love what Thomas Edison said: "I've not failed. I just found 10,000 ways that it won't work." Don't quit.

Number two, I don't like this point. Develop patient persistence. Patient persistence doesn't come easy. Hebrews 6 and 12 says, "In order that you may not grow disinterested and become spiritual sluggards." I don't want you to quit. I don't want you to camp. Believing, I want you to believe that you can get through this, leaning on the personality in God, in Christ. And the end of that verse says, "By practice of patient endurance and waiting are now inheriting the promise." He says, "You know what's going to get you there? Your AQ, your adversity quotient."

Between the promise and the provision, there's always a lot of problems. Can I get an amen? But that's the place that we have to endure. We have to keep going. "Well, that's not going to work." You've got to keep going. "Well, you're not going to find that job." You've got to keep going. "Well, it's not going to work. It's not going to be right. It's not the right time for your business." You've got to keep going. You've got to keep going. You've got to keep going.

I know when Anita and I did, that we ran a few half marathons and I did more than her, so that's okay. But I did one myself in Nashville. I was supposed to run with my daughter, Kelly, who's here. And she got sick and said, "Well, I give you permission to back out." I said, "Heck, I ain't backing out. I've been running all this. I'm going to run. It's my first half marathon." Didn't have the right shoes. Didn't have my shoes tied right. Didn't have my socks right. And I got about, man, about halfway. And I came up on this EMT and these emergency guys along the side of the road. And I thought to my mind, "I'm going to fake passing out. I don't want to quit." I'm honest before God. This is what I really thought. I figured how can I fall down and not hurt myself? But I just want to, I'm hurting. I don't want to finish. I'm hurting. I got a long way to go to get to the stadium. And so I looked at her and I thought, well, I could, but that's sort of like lying, isn't it? And what if, if I faked a heart attack or a passing out, what if God let me really have one? You know, a lot of things run through your mind. So I just kept going. Man, I was glad when I got around my, one of my little granddaughters started as we was coming in. The last came right beside me and was running beside me and cheering me on. My son-in-law was running there. "Come on, you can make it." Got in the stadium and finished and took off my shoes and had blisters and everything else everywhere. But you know what? I did the half marathon in Nashville. Be persistent. Don't quit.

I know for some of you right now, I feel it. You're going through one of the hardest times in your life. And it's hard for you to even believe that you're going to come through this. But you are. You are. Before becoming a best-selling author, J.K. Rowling faced numerous rejections and personal hardships. She was a single mom struggling to make ends meet. She battled with depression. Her manuscript was rejected by 10 different publishers before Bloomsbury decided to give it a chance. She was persistent and she never gave up on her dream. And then the phenomenal success of the Harry Potter series became a reality. Develop patient persistence.

You say, "Well, Terry, okay, I want to do that. But how do I do that? I just sit back and say, okay, patient persistence." No. Let me give you some sample things. Number one, or first thing there, read God's word and search for a promise to your problem. Read God's word and search. In fact, I mean, you can use your phone now and you can say, "Give me six verses out of the Bible on joy." Boom, 22 Bible verses about joy and uplifting. Proverbs 17 and 22: "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries you up." Wow, that's good. "Here, come let us shout loud to the Lord. Let us praise him." But the spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness. And so what do I do? I just began writing those down and I began speaking those and speaking those and rehearsing that word out loud. I speak that in my journal. This is my journal. And in my journal, I've got one page, two pages actually, that's daily affirmations, confessions that I keep saying. Like this: "I never get tired or grow weary when I study the word, but I'm alert and full of anointing and energy." And as energized as 2 Thessalonians 3 and 13 says, "I declare it's not too late for me to accomplish everything God has placed in my heart. I've not missed my window of opportunity. God has moments of favor in my future. He's preparing me right now because he's about to release a special grace to help me accomplish my purpose. This is my time, this is my moment, and I will not quit. I will persist." And I say that to myself every day because there's some days I get up and I don't want to do that. But I'm saying, I gotta keep my focus there. But it's rehearsing out loud what God's word says to me. And it's memorizing scripture, praying the scripture out loud, or singing.

Oh, sorry, oh, sorry. You've already done a good job, stop. He said, "I'm trying, but I can't find any emails about I'm tired of going to work." Smart guy. And then we need to refuse anything contrary. I mean, there'll be side roads that come up, but we just refuse that we're going to go that way. We just refuse that. I love the story of Nelson Mandela. Been to South Africa, I was there during apartheid and it was really horrible and it was a terrible place. He had a relentless perseverance and a commitment to justice. He spent 27 long, hard years in prison. And when he was released in 1990, and then in 1994, he became the first black president of South Africa. And he had every chance to get back at those who did him wrong. But his heart was justice. His heart was, let's destroy these walls between us. And what a man. My pastor Rick Godwin actually spent some time with him, interviewing him. And he told me, he said, "Terry, he's such a godly man. It was something in him that kept him going. 27 years in prison. For you right now, you think, how am I going to come through this? But I mean, at least you get a glimmer of every day. You're not behind bars. You may be behind spiritual bars, but you're not behind physical bars. So we refuse anything that's contrary. And then we began to rejoice as though we've already received it. Lord, I thank you. I thank you that you're going to bring me through this mess. I thank you.

And then the next one I want to say is, realize that climbing is a team effort. It's a team effort. I look at some of the pictures that Raelynn has sent me and there's other people climbing with her and they hook on the clamps and they do all that. And the ropes, it's a climbing. Last night and then early this morning around 4:30, I went to my file that I have, it just says personal items. And in there, I began looking through some of the things that other climbers have given to me in times that I had nothing to give. And one of them was this card that says, "You must not quit. When things go wrong, as they sometimes will and the road you're trudging seems uphill," and goes on and says, "Don't quit." And then I found this really sweet letter from the mothers and fathers of this house, Beverly and Willie, and it's just so full of just affirmation and keep climbing. Don't let anything get you down. And then I found a letter in here from my daughter Raelynn. Tara, sorry, I get them all mixed up when you get old, they all run together. And it's just, "Hey, I wanted to say some things in." And then she sent me another card later that says, "You know my dad can get knocked down, but he's not knocked out. He gets up. He gets up." So who are you climbing with? Who are you hanging out with? Are you hanging out with quitters? Are you hanging out with campers? It's so important. It's so important to keep climbing. Keep climbing.

I intercepted a letter that I want to share with you that someone sent to a climber to help them climb. Listen to this: "Hey climber, I just wanted to drop you a note to remind you that you're not alone in this climb. Climbing can be grueling, but remember every challenging step you take is one step closer to reaching the summit. When you're faced with a tough climb, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. The key is to focus on progress, not perfection. Even if you're moving slowly, you're still moving forward. Every moment you persevere, you build strength, resilience, and character. Think about it. If I told you you'd jump, orientation and concentration can make a big difference. I can first and foremost help you potential route. Stop and trust yourself. You got to start again soon. Create your next achievement. The goal you've asked for is because I know you're ready to lend you a hand. So take a deep breath. Trust in yourself and keep going because the view from the top is worth it. You've got this. If you need a word of encouragement or just someone to listen, I'm here for you. Keep climbing. Never give up. You've got this. Your climbing partner, Holy Spirit." A letter to you. Jesus said, "I'll send you Holy Spirit and he'll always be with you."

So some of you today are climbing and you're tired. Let me pray for us today that we keep climbing, don't camp, and we don't quit. Father God, we thank you today because we certainly feel you. Holy Spirit, we feel you moving right now because you don't bring judgment and condemnation. You bring conviction sometimes to tell us we need to take care of things. So I pray for everyone that's here today. Lord, help us to keep climbing and not quit to make it to the summit.

As you continue to pray for yourself and your climb, I want to talk to some of you that are planners. You never started climbing. You just planned, "One day I'll start. One day I'll do this. One day I'll do that. One day I'll do something else. One day I'll give my heart to Jesus. One day I'll rededicate my life. I'll get serious. I'll get really serious with him." And you keep planning. But there has to come a time that you just quit planning and you take the first step. So I believe today that's for some of you that are here. The church is praying for you now silently. But I want you to know that Jesus loves you. He cares so much, as Samuel said today. Jesus cares so much that even when he knows that we're going to turn him away, he'll still be there for you. He'll still break bread with us and still say, "I love you." So I know he's been knocking at your heart's door and speaking to you. He's the only way to get to heaven. Jesus said, "I'm the way, I'm the truth, I'm the life. No one gets to the Father except through me." God didn't want to spend eternity in heaven by himself. So he created man. And when man fell, he said, "That's not good enough. I want him to be with me." So he sent his only son, as Samuel said, his only son to die for my sins. How big that is. How big that sin was on the cross. For as many as that would call upon him could be saved. On the third day he rose from the grave as a sign that you too can rise from wherever you are right now. And you can climb or start climbing again.

I'd love to pray with you today. More than anything else for my day today, I'd love to pray with you like the five or six in the first service that raised their hand and said, "Yeah, today I'm going to stop planning and I'm going to make a decision to give my all to Jesus." If that's you today, would you raise your hand and make eye contact with me? And say, "Yeah, Terry, that's me. I want to make that decision today. I want to surrender my life totally to Jesus today." Thank you. Those of you watching online, just raise your hand. Thank you, ma'am. Others today, just lift your hand. I'm not going to embarrass you. I'm not going to call you out. Thank you. But I just really feel like, God, thank you over here. God is speaking to your heart and saying, "Today's the day. Today's the day. Take the step. I'm with you." Holy Spirit says, "I'm with you. I'll be able to help you with this. You're not alone. You're going to make it. Through the ups and downs, you're going to make it."

Pray this prayer with me today. Father God, thank you for sending your son Jesus to die for my sins. I confess today I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I ask you to forgive me of my sins. As best as I know how, I want to serve you all the days of my life. I dedicate my life to the climb with you. Fill me with your Spirit. In Jesus' name. In Jesus' name.

Listen, those of you who raised your hand, I want to help you with the climb. And so here we have first step here, first step here. We actually have a table even outside. And I want you to stop by there and say, "Hey, I need that climbing stuff." And they're going to give you some material that's going to help you on the climb. So in just a minute, we're going to worship the Lord in our giving, but we're also going to take time to worship in song again. And while we do that, you can go to the next slide. First step, first step, and you can get those materials. Well, did you get anything out of today? If you did, let's give the Lord a hand clap.