Conference Spotlight This blog post was adapted from a devotional shared by Alex Lushko during our ministry’s Men’s Conference in Kenya in July 2026.
Our Scripture Study
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, – Hebrews 12:1
An Ironman is a grueling long-distance triathlon: a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and then a 26.2-mile marathon run, all in a single day. It is considered the most challenging one-day endurance race there is, and anyone who crosses that finish line is crowned an Ironman. At the beginning of this year, I set out to become an Ironman.
At first the goal felt crazy, maybe even completely impossible. But after every workout, every bike ride, every long run, this crazy idea of mine slowly started to feel real. With each day I build consistency and discipline, and I grow in both my physical and my mental ability to handle hardship.
I’ve learned that working toward a goal in life never happens quickly or in big jumps. It is slow, consistent growth that carries you one step closer every day. It means waking up early to fit in the swim even when you don’t want to — because showing up on the days you feel like you can’t are the very days you grow into the person you want to be.
The Battle of the First Step
That, for me, is the hardest part. Not the distance, and not the pain somewhere in the middle of a long run — it’s the moment before any of it begins, when the alarm goes off in the dark and everything in me wants to stay in bed. The battle isn’t really won out on the road. It’s won in that one small decision to get up and start.
And here is what I keep finding: once you start, you are far more likely to finish. The first step is the heaviest one. After that, momentum will carry you further than you thought you could go.
That is where Philippians 4:13 has become real to me — “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” — not as a verse on a page, but as the strength to begin again in the mornings I feel like I have nothing left to give.
When I’m out on the longer workouts that take multiple hours, I’ll listen to a Bible plan, or I’ll just pray and try to hear what God is teaching me in that moment — out running, when it’s just me and God, growing me to become more like Him.
Running the Race with Endurance
Every day we are given the same choice: to follow God, or to choose the ways of this world. To become more like Christ, we have to take consistent, small steps toward Him.
Hebrews 12:1 says, “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” So, if you have to, wake up early to attend a Bible study, or spend a few minutes reading Scripture before work. It is the small, consistent choices that lead you into a closer relationship with Him.
And we don’t run this race alone. That same verse in Hebrews begins by reminding us we are surrounded by “a great cloud of witnesses.” Anyone who has been to a race knows the picture — volunteers handing you water, strangers shouting your name, other athletes hurting and pushing right beside you. You are carried by people the whole way.
The Christian life is the same. God never meant for us to run by our own strength or on our own. He surrounds us with people who cheer us on, hold us up, and run alongside us when our legs give out.
Trusting the Finish Line
Living a Christ-centered life is a lot like chasing a goal. It can be hard to give up the sin you’re struggling with, and some people may even call you crazy. But every time you choose to follow Him, you begin to feel just how real His presence is, and you watch God show up and change your life and the lives of the people around you.
As daunting as that sounds, we don’t have to be afraid. Joshua 1:9 says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Because of this, we can face hard things completely differently, knowing God is with us in the middle of them. The challenge is still real, but we will make it through, and we will grow through it.
I haven’t crossed the finish line yet. As I write this, I’m still in the middle of the training, still putting in the ordinary days. But I’m running toward a finish I trust is coming, even though I can’t see it yet — and that is exactly how we follow Christ. We press on by faith toward a line we have not reached, trusting the One who promised to bring us there. One day I want to be able to say what Paul said: “I have finished the race.”
Success is not built in one extraordinary moment, but through consistent effort over many ordinary days. That is how I’ve come to understand the way God grows faith in our lives — one day, one choice, and one step at a time.
Have a great day in Christ,
Alex
