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We're staying in Fourth Gear and continuing our pursuit of maximum potential in Christ. Today we're looking at two more keys to reaching everything God has for you.

TWO: We learn to draft behind Jesus.

In NASCAR, cars align themselves bumper‑to‑bumper to reduce wind resistance. The lead car punches through the air, and the cars behind experience almost no drag. They can go faster with less effort.

Spiritually, we need to align our lives with Christ. When we position ourselves behind Him, the resistance of the world, the flesh, and the enemy is drastically reduced. The more I put myself in alignment with God's Word, the greater potential I reach in my life.

The problem is, too many people take the opposite approach. They want to see how far they can get from God's Word and still maintain salvation. That's not Christianity—that's playing games. Christianity is about aligning ourselves with God's Word and living our lives in Christ.

So what does that look like practically?

We Face‑the‑Book. Not Facebook. If we spent as much time facing the Bible as we do on social media, we'd be spiritual giants! God's Word is a mirror for our souls. We check our natural reflection every morning—we need to check our spiritual reflection too. Psalm 1 says the person who delights in God's law and meditates on it day and night is like a tree planted by streams of water—whatever they do prospers. How do you prosper? You face the book.

We need to die and hide. Colossians 3:3 says, "You died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." Most people live their lives in a mud hole of sin—going "cannonball!" into the mess, then wondering why they're miserable. Jesus washes us, cleanses us, forgives us, and sets us free. But what do we do? We get cleaned up, then we wander back to the edge of the mud hole, tempted to jump back in.

Why are you hanging out at the cesspool of sin when Jesus set you free? Cling to the Word. Cling to the Life of God.

Can I be blunt? Too many people are just fans of Jesus, not followers of Jesus. A fan watches from a distance. A follower aligns their life with His—through thick and thin, through trials and tribulations. When I can't feel His presence, I walk by faith. I hold fast. I hide myself in Christ so that when people see me, they see Jesus.

THREE: We never quit or give up.

Winners never quit, and quitters never win. Paul said we are hard pressed but not crushed, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). Why? Because greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

Paul finished his race. He kept the faith. And he declared, "Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness" (2 Timothy 4:7-8). That same crown is waiting for everyone who longs for His appearing.

So here's my challenge: Double up on your time in the Word. If you spend five minutes, go ten. If you spend thirty, go sixty. Go big or go home with Jesus. Align your life so close behind His that people can't tell the difference between you and Jesus.

This year, I told God: "I want to go all out for Jesus. I don't want there to be a drop, a hint, a piece of glitter on me that isn't for Your glory." Let's go all out together!

Key Scriptures: Colossians 3:1-3; Psalm 1:1-3; John 15:4; Hebrews 12:3 (MSG); 1 John 4:4; 2 Corinthians 4:8-9; 2 Timothy 4:7-8

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We're shifting into Fourth Gear, and today we're talking about reaching your maximum potential in Christ.

So many people never arrive where God wants them to be. At 30, 40, 50, or 60 they say, "I thought I'd be further along." But here's the truth: God is not a delivery boy. You can't just sit back in your Christian recliner and dial in what you need. Faith requires action. It's putting your foot on the pedal and going full throttle toward what God has called you to do.

Hebrews 12:1 says, "Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." The Message version puts it this way: "Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins."

To reach our maximum potential, we need to go on a diet from sin. Sin is:

• DEADWEIGHT – Something standing between you and God.
• DECEPTION – A cheap imitation of something authentic God created. Satan offers counterfeits that look good but leave you empty. The creation can never outdo the Creator.
• DISTRACTION – Pulling your focus off the race. Stay focused on the path!
• DETOUR – Taking you places you shouldn't go. Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.
• DITCH – Getting you stuck in habits and addictions, spinning your tires, unable to get out.

We strip off all this weight, not through willpower alone, but by fixing our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). The Message says, "Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it." Jesus is the Word made flesh—a living example of God's Words of Life. He endured the cross for the joy set before Him. If we study how He did it, we'll learn how to run our own race.

The more we cut off the works of the flesh, the more we align ourselves with God and His Word, and the more we reach our full potential. Like a racecar, we keep making fine‑tune adjustments, shedding weight, so we can go faster and farther.

The creation can never outdo the Creator. God has the best for you. The enemy only offers cheap substitutes. Don't settle for imitation when you're called to the authentic.

Let's strip down, fix our eyes on Jesus, and run this race with everything we've got—full throttle, maximum potential!

Key Scriptures: Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV & MSG); Colossians 3:4-14; John 1:1, 14; Romans 10

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We're staying in Third Gear and diving deeper into all out generosity. If you've truly been touched by the One who loves you, giving becomes not just easy—it becomes pure joy. There's no grief in generosity; it's absolutely fun to bless and help others!

4. Generosity is empowered by God's ability, not ours.

I'm not generous based on what's in my bank account. I'm generous based on who my Daddy is. Why can I be generous? Because I know He's more than enough.

Here's the key: See yourself as a river, not a reservoir. Most people give out of their reservoir—"Oh no, the water's getting low, shut it down!" But God wants us to be the path, the avenue for His blessings to keep flowing through us. Only with money do we worry about running out. I've never worried about running out of love, prayers, or blessings. Generosity should flow in every facet of our lives.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9: "A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving." God doesn't want forced, reluctant giving. He wants cheerful, joyful generosity!

God gives you seed to plant, not just bread to eat. So many people take everything God gives them and consume it all. But the farmer doesn't eat his seed—he plants it. The seed is there for us to enjoy, but it's also there for us to plant into people's lives and into God's Kingdom so a harvest can come back.

Generosity believes: if I give it away, I'll have more, not less. Stinginess believes: if I keep it, I'll have more. God's Word says giving produces more. You'll be more blessed with 90% plus God's favor than with 100% and no blessing. You can never out-give God!

5. Generosity is released by faith and demonstrated through faithfulness.

How do you forgive someone? By faith—you don't feel like it. How do you help someone move? By faith. Generosity is an act of faith. James says, "Do not merely listen to the word... Do what it says" (James 1:22). You have to believe and act like what you have is not all you have. There's always more coming.

The parable of the talents (Matthew 25) shows us that faithfulness with what God gives opens the door for more. The servant who buried his one talent was called wicked and lazy—not because he lost it, but because he was afraid to let go. That money owned him. We need to be faithful and generous, not fearful.

6. Generosity produces contagious abundance and blessings.

Proverbs 11:24 says, "The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller." Generosity creates a contagious environment of blessing. When you bless others, you are abundantly blessed. When you help others, you are helped.

What would happen if...

• You became unconditionally generous in your marriage and family?
• You were extravagantly generous at work—doing more than expected?
• You trusted God with your finances and resources, saying, "God is my source"?

Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity. Live like a river, not a reservoir. Go full throttle in generosity!

Key Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 (MSG); Proverbs 11:24-25 (MSG); Proverbs 28:27; Luke 6:38 (MSG); James 1:22; James 2:17; Matthew 25:14-30

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We're shifting into Third Gear, and today we're talking about something that will transform every area of your life: all out generosity.

What would happen if you entered your marriage with all out generosity—saying "yes" before your spouse even finishes asking? What if you were that generous with your kids, your coworkers, your employer? What if you stopped doing the bare minimum and started going above and beyond? A generous lifestyle is one of the most rewarding, fulfilling ways to do life.

But let's be honest: we're naturally stingy and selfish. It comes easy. Being generous is a choice, not a talent. You can decide today to be a giver instead of a taker.

Paul told Timothy that the rich (and that's most of us compared to the rest of the world) should be "extravagantly generous" (1 Timothy 6:17-19, MSG). Real living—life that is truly life—is found in blessing, helping, and aiding others.

Jesus takes it even further in Luke 6. Love your enemies. Bless those who curse you. If someone takes your coat, give them your shirt too. Don't just give—be so generous that when someone steals from you, you offer them more. Why? Because God is your source. He can replace anything. Don't fret it. Just be generous.

Then comes the promise: "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap" (Luke 6:38). But here's the catch—this isn't a get‑rich‑quick scheme. The point of generosity is not so you can get more. The point is to have more so you can give more. As the Message puts it: "Give away your life; you'll find life given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity."

Three truths about generosity:

1. It's a choice, not a talent. You choose to be selfish. You can choose to be generous.
2. It's a lifestyle, not a moment. Don't treat generosity like a crash diet. It's a permanent life change.
3. It's ignited by love. You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. When you spend time with the Author of love, generosity flows naturally.

I can tell if you're generous in just three minutes—not by looking at your bank statement, but by asking about your walk with Jesus. People who are on fire for God are generous people. They can't help it.

So let's go all out. Be generous in prayer, in forgiveness, in helping, in finances. Love God, love people, and watch what He pours back into your life.

Key Scriptures: Luke 6:27-38; 1 Timothy 6:17-19 (MSG); 1 John 4:7-8

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We're staying in Second Gear, and today we're learning a game‑changing truth: God's power is released from within you. It's not something you chase—it's something you exude.

Jesus told the disciples to wait for the promise. When you make Christ Lord, the Holy Spirit is deposited inside you. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. But Jesus didn't say, "Just be happy with the deposit." He said, "Make a withdrawal!" Take what's in the bank, let it out, and minister to people. The power is already there—just turn it on. Flip the switch. Put the pedal down.

Mark 16 says signs will accompany those who believe: drive out demons, speak in new tongues, lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. Notice it doesn't say "special people" or "super‑apostles." It says those who believe. That's you.

God's power is based on His Word, not your circumstances. Too many people base their belief on how they feel or what they see. But we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). When you proclaim God's Word, He confirms it with signs and wonders (Mark 16:20).

Here's where we get bold: You have authority. Luke 10:19 says, "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy." From head to tail, you are dangerous to the devil. He is intimidated by you—not because of you, but because of Jesus in you. When a demon sees you, he sees the One who has all authority (Matthew 28:18). And Jesus said, "All authority is mine... NOW GO!"

So why don't we always see results? Because we don't function in the authority we've been given. Look at the centurion in Matthew 8. He said, "I tell my servants what to do, and they obey. I recognize that sickness has to obey You. Just speak the word." Jesus marveled at his faith. We don't need a special feeling—we need to speak the words of authority in Jesus' name.

The power of agreement (Matthew 18:19) multiplies that authority. When two agree on earth, it's done by the Father. Husbands and wives, pray together. Set your faith in agreement.

Remember this: Nothing can happen through you that hasn't happened to you. The power is already inside. You've been anointed, sealed, and filled. Now let it flow. You are a minister of God's power. Lay hands on the sick. Speak to the situation. You have the authority. Use it.

Key Scriptures: Mark 16:17-20; Luke 10:19; Matthew 8:5-10; Matthew 28:18; Matthew 18:19; 2 Corinthians 5:7; 1 Corinthians 1:21-22; Acts 2:17-21

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We're shifting into Second Gear—and this is where things get turbo charged. We're talking about living and walking in the power of the Most High God.

Too many Christians shine like a 20-watt refrigerator bulb when God wants us to be a 10,000-watt explosion. Too many of us are driving around like a Pinto when God wants us to move like a Ferrari. It's time to turn up the gears and let the power of God loose in your life.

Here's the good news: God's power is for ordinary people to experience daily. Not just for big TV preachers or pastors. For you. For me. Look at Peter—the guy who rebuked Jesus, sank while walking on water, denied Christ three times, and sliced off a servant's ear. Mr. Fumble. But after Pentecost, filled with the Holy Spirit, that same Peter preached one sermon and 3,000 people got saved. His shadow healed the sick. He raised Tabitha from the dead. An angel broke him out of prison.

Normal Joes and Janes doing spectacular things.

The early church believed that the power of God abided in them and flowed through them. Philip saw crowds healed and delivered. Paul and Barnabas performed signs and wonders. Even after being stoned and left for dead, Paul got up and went back into the city. Handkerchiefs from his body healed the sick. Why? Because they took Jesus at His word: "Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and even greater things" (John 14:12).

Jesus didn't send you out in a coasting cart with no engine. He said, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you" (Acts 1:8). That power is for you—today—to be His witness, to pray for the sick, to share your faith, to live dangerously for the Kingdom.

So why don't we see more of it? Because we don't expect it. We don't anticipate it. We don't believe the Spirit of God lives inside us and wants to flow through us.

Look at the person next to you and say: "You are a minister. A minister of reconciliation, of peace, of God's power."

Everyday ministry by everyday believers. That's the turbo charged life. Let's live it.

Key Scriptures: Acts 1:8; Acts 2; Acts 5:12-16; Acts 8:5-7; Acts 9:33-35, 36-41; Acts 14:3, 8-10, 19-20; Acts 19:11-12; John 14:12-14

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We continue our Full Throttle series by tackling the uncomfortable place where so many of us get stuck: spiritual no‑man’s land.

You know the feeling. You're too Christian to enjoy sin—it just doesn't feel fun anymore—but you're too sinful to fully enjoy Christ. You've got just enough Jesus to be informed, but not enough to be transformed. You want everything God has to offer without giving up anything. You want to buy in without selling out.

Here's what we've done: we stopped calling sin "sin" and started calling it "our weakness." But sin is denouncing God and choosing the world over Christ. Repentance means turning from your old ways and bowing to Jesus as Lord. And the fear underneath? "If I sell out for God, I'll miss something good." But Psalm 84:11 says, "No good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless." If you hold out on God, you'll miss everything He wants you to have, do, and become.

Full Throttle demands absolute consecration. Consecration means setting yourself apart, dethroning yourself, and enthroning Jesus. It's surrendering all of you to all of Him.

We see this in the story of the rich young ruler (Mark 10). He kept all the commandments, but Jesus looked at him and said, "One thing you lack. Sell everything, give to the poor, then come follow me." The man walked away sad because his money was his real lord. Jesus wasn't against wealth—He was against anything that sits on the throne of your heart instead of Him.

How do we break the power of sin? Not by screaming "Stop it!" but by crying out "Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!" When you make Him Lord, He governs, controls, and steers your life into safe places.

It's time to stop playing church and be His church. Stop pretending and start practicing. Stop playing it safe and play to win. Stop being logical and get a little radical.

We close with the story of A.W. Milne, a "One Way Missionary" who sailed to the headhunters of New Hebrides—where every previous missionary had been killed. He said, "I don't fear because I've already died to myself. You can't kill a dead man." He spent 35 years there, and when he died, they buried him in the center of their village with this epitaph: "When he came there was no light; when he left, there was no darkness."

Jesus didn't die to keep us safe. He died to make us dangerous. In your sphere of influence, are you letting your light shine?

Key Scriptures: Mark 10:17-31; Psalm 84:11

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Welcome to Season 10! We’re kicking off a brand‑new series called Full Throttle—and this season is all about what it looks like to live wide open, pedal to the metal, all in for Jesus.

Let’s be honest: too much of modern Christianity looks like a casual Sunday afternoon drive. We coast. We take our foot off the accelerator. “It’s not convenient to go to church today.” “I don’t have time to read my Bible.” We’ve lost our fizz, our bubble—we’re lukewarm, and Jesus said He’d rather spit that out.

But within every one of us is a call to run—not just to finish, but to win. Paul says, “Run in such a way as to get the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24). Of over 300 leaders in the Bible, only one‑third finished in the will of God. I don’t want to run hard and finish soft. I want to reach full stride at the finish line.

Full Throttle is an all‑or‑nothing proposition. No middle ground. You can’t keep one foot in the world and one foot in the Kingdom—you’ll just get hurt. We’ve turned the Gospel into a buffet: “I’ll take forgiveness and heaven, but skip sexual purity, honesty, and tithing.” That’s not following Jesus—that’s inviting Jesus to follow you. Many call Him Savior but have never surrendered to Him as Lord. They’ve bought in, but they haven’t sold out.

God, on the other hand, went all in for us. He didn’t hold back His only Son. Jesus didn’t go part of the way—He went to the cross for all our sin, all our sickness. The Gospel costs us nothing, but it demands everything. It’s free, yet it requires your life.

So here’s the question: Are you daily having a Bible time that changes you? Are you daily worshipping, submitting, and saying, “Search me, God”? Are you sacrificing your time, money, and comfort for the King who gave everything for you?

It’s time to quit living as if the goal is to arrive at death safely. I don’t want to coast into heaven. I want to go in full stride, pedal to the metal, running to win.

Let’s shift into First Gear. Let’s go Full Throttle.

Key Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Acts 20:24; Luke 9:23-24; 2 Corinthians 5:21

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We've reached the season finale of Victim to Victor, and we're ending exactly where we need to be: standing face to face with the stone that says "The End. Hopeless. It's Over."

In this episode, we return to Lazarus in John 11. He's dead. Four days dead. Mary and Martha have rolled the victimhood gravestone over the door of their faith. They met Jesus not as victors, but as victims: "If you had been here, our brother wouldn't have died."

But Jesus doesn't rebuke them. He speaks to their faith. "Did I not say that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" The first resurrection that day wasn't Lazarus—it was the faith of Mary and Martha.

Maybe you're looking at your own victimhood gravestone today:

• A marriage hanging by a thread, no spark left.
• A relationship with your child that feels dead.
• Sickness that has ruled the day.
• Financial struggle with no way out.
• A walk with God so cold you don't even feel His presence anymore.

The devil wants you to call it done. Pull the plug. Roll the stone and walk away.

But this is the moment for Holy Ghost paddles. You've been praying and seeing nothing but flatline. Don't quit. One more shock, and you could have conversion—from sickness to health, sorrow to joy, bound to free. You're on the verge of a breakthrough. On the edge of a miracle.

When Jesus finally said, "Take away the stone," Martha wavered: "Lord, by this time he stinks." Translation: We've moved on. We don't want to be victims again. But Jesus jolted them back: I'm not afraid of the stink of victimhood.

Then He cried out, "Lazarus, come forth!" And the dead man came out, still wrapped in grave clothes. Jesus gave the final command: "Loose him, and let him go."

That's what God is saying to you today: Victimhood, loose him and let him go.

We close with the rest of the story—Lazarus sitting at the table with Jesus, and people coming not just to see Jesus, but the man who was dead and raised. They couldn't dispute the miracle. And they believed.

Psalm 126 says, "When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing." God is about to do something so magnificent, you'll say, "Somebody pinch me—this is too good to be true." No, it's not too good to be true. It's because we serve a too big God, a too much God. Not just the God of enough—the God of too much.

I prophesy: You're next in line.

Say it with me one last time:

• I don't believe it's over.
• I am not a victim.
• I am a victor.

Key Scriptures: John 11:38-44, John 12:1-2, 9-11; Psalm 126:1-3

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Have you ever looked at a situation that had "done, finished, just give up" written all over it? We've all been there. The devil thrives on our pain and frustration, but God specializes in taking the worst and making it a doorway to His greatest glory.

In this episode, we turn to one of the most powerful stories in Scripture: the death and resurrection of Lazarus (John 11). Mary and Martha watched their brother get sick, then die. They sent for Jesus. He didn't come. He waited—deliberately—until Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days.

Why the delay? Because God was going for a greater glory. If Jesus had healed Lazarus before he died, people would have said he wasn't really that sick. But raising a dead man? That's undeniable.

Here's the hard truth we rarely recognize: When we cry out for a miracle, we assume God's full attention is on our need. But God's ultimate desire is to grow us up, reveal Himself more fully, mature our faith, and be glorified. He is more committed to your confidence in Him than to your immediate comfort.

Mary and Martha had "we believe you can heal him" faith. But when Lazarus died, their faith died too. They rolled the stone over the tomb—not just a boulder, but a victimhood gravestone that said, "Our victory ends here." When Jesus finally came, they met Him as victims, scolding Him: "If you had been here, our brother wouldn't have died."

But Jesus wasn't after a healing. He was after the focus of their hearts.

This is hard to swallow, but it's the key to moving from victim to victor: God loves you dearly, but His ultimate reason for everything He does is His own glory. That means when He does it, how He does it, where He does it—even if He doesn't do it at all—everything is determined by the degree of glory it will bring to Him. Your victory has everything to do with His glory. If God leaves you as a victim, it robs Him of glory.

So hold on. Don't roll the stone closed on your situation. The battle isn't about you fighting the devil—victory is ultimately about worship. Who will you serve? You serve what you worship. Fear, doubt, bitterness, hopelessness—these are symptoms of victimhood. But when you intentionally worship God, even in the delay, you step into victory.

It ain't over till the Victor sings. And the Victor is Jesus.

Key Scriptures: John 11:1-6, 11-44

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