It's not always easy to live out our faith, but we want to run the race of life with determination to honor the Lord, just like Jesus did. In this sermon, Pastor Allen Jackson discusses preparing for inevitable hardships, striving to be overcomers, and following Jesus' lead on how to manage difficulties. Pastor Allen shares moments from Jesus' life and ministry to demonstrate that difficult situations or seasons can be a part of God's plan for our lives, but we don't have to be afraid or anxious. There's a spiritual war waging in the earth today, and developing a courageous faith can protect us from deception and enable us to victoriously finish the race God has set before us. We will face challenges, but God will help us overcome because He is faithful.

Is it possible that difficulties in our lives aren't evidence God has abandoned us, but evidence of His invitations to accomplish His purposes in the earth? In this sermon, Pastor Allen Jackson discusses cultivating a faith that enables us to face hardships with courage. God will ask us to walk through difficult seasons and undertake difficult assignments, so we should anticipate that things will not always be easy. Pastor Allen teaches about the life and ministry of Apostle Paul, who faced imprisonments, beatings, storms, shipwrecks, and threats on his life all in the name of spreading the gospel—and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We, too, need to be prepared and have the imagination that God might lead us into hardship for His glory.

God entrusts us with gifts for a reason: not to upgrade our lives, but to be part of God's Kingdom expressed in the earth. In this sermon, Pastor Allen Jackson discusses what we've been called to do with the gifts God has given us. When we accept an assignment from the Lord, He will equip us to accomplish our tasks, and we can be confident that the Holy Spirit will help us and guide us. Our faith must be lived out in public, not hidden inside church buildings, and cooperating with God to spread His love will bring change, both to those around us and to ourselves. Whatever we can accomplish on our own pales in comparison to what we can do when we yield to God—so let's accept His invitations.