Nothing great happens without work.
Nothing great happens without a tenacious spirit.
Nothing great happens without the price of pain attached.
We're all in a fight--a bruising battle for our families, our children, our nation, our future. Paul called it the "good fight of faith." It's a battle against the spirit of the anti-Christ that comes at us daily. It's a battle that Jesus already won. So, we fight with great faith. But - we fight.
Faith in God is the foundation for a successful life. Faith gives power to our dreams. Then we have to go to work. James wrote, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26).
The universe is not arrayed to work in your favor. The world will always conspire with your enemy, the devil, to destroy you. Faith gets up and works. And endurance never lets go. "What you really want you don’t get, because you lack endurance” (Hebrews 10:36 paraphrase).
Victory is always on the other side of a fight.
A smack in the face may stop some men, but that's what comes when pursuing a dream. My friend Big Tommy Sirotnak used to say, “If you’re on a road that has no obstacles, you’re on the wrong road.” If you’re never criticized, maybe your dreams are too small. Pursuing the dream God has for you, the big dream, plus tenacity, will power you through the hits and criticisms.
Tenacity, boldness, endurance, sweat—nothing happens without that.
I’ve had coffee meetups with young men who want to start something—a business, a church, a music venture, an educational program. When I talk about the launch that will include 7-day workweeks and 14-hour days, their enthusiasm diminishes. You can have visions and dreams, but without the guts of endurance to sustain you, they will never happen.
Some men are not praying for miracles; they’re hoping for magic. God is a miracle-worker, not a magician. You do your part, He does His.
Let's crush 2026 with success and achievement, celebrating every small victory, and close it with a deeper trust in God and a greater measure of Christlikeness. We do it by overcoming the next obstacle in front of us, and then the next.
Think deeply. Pray hard. Act aggressively. Never quit.
We're in a fight. Jesus won, so you can also win.
Fight with great faith. Read the Word daily. Tune out garbage. Turn on messages of faith and peace. Declare God's Word over yourself.
