You Can Win at What Matters Most
Ever feel like you’re running as hard as you can through life—but never really getting ahead?
You’re not alone.
We hustle to keep our marriages strong, raise good kids, build a career, grow in faith… but sometimes it feels like we’re gasping for air, wondering: Is this even working?
The good news?
You were created to win—but only at what truly matters.
At Discover Church, we exist to help people win at what matters most: following Jesus, building strong families, and living lives that echo in eternity. We believe the exhaustion many of us feel comes not from running hard, but from running the wrong race.
Everyone’s Running, But Not Everyone’s Winning
In 1 Corinthians 9:24–25, the Apostle Paul writes to a city obsessed with athletics:
“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.”
Paul isn’t telling us to be better competitors—he’s inviting us to become committed disciples. He’s not urging us to chase the next trophy, but to pursue the eternal prize: a life rooted in Jesus. One that lasts beyond career promotions, social likes, and image-building.
So what does it look like to “win” at life?
Not a bigger house.
Not a busier schedule.
Not just surviving the week.
Winning is living with purpose in every step.
Don’t Lose Heart in the Fog
Like the famous swimmer, Florence Chadwick—who swam 25 miles through fog only to quit less than a mile from shore—many of us feel like we can’t see what’s next. Parenting is foggy. Marriage is foggy. Faith can be foggy. We want to give up.
But don’t.
The finish line is closer than you think. You were never asked to be perfect—just to keep showing up.
You Don’t Win Without Training
“So I run with purpose in every step… I discipline my body like an athlete.” - 1 Cor. 9:26–27
Training isn’t about perfection—it’s about consistency.
Show up to pray—even if you don’t know what to say.
Open your Bible—even if it’s just for one verse.
Say “I love you” to those you love—even after the argument.
Take one more step toward Jesus—even when you feel like quitting.
Training doesn’t require talent. It requires showing up.
Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest athletes of all time, didn’t just win from talent—He trained multiple times a day (often up to 6 times a day) to become the superstar he was in the NBA. And at 4 a.m., while others were sleeping, he’d get up and start his day. His legacy was forged in the unseen hours. What if your legacy is too? Maybe not at 4am or 6 times a day, but in the consistent, unseen hours of worship, devotion to God’s Word, and service to God’s house of hope—His church.
Be Coachable
One of the most powerful steps you can take is allowing God to coach you. That means being correctable. It means admitting I don’t know—and giving God the space to guide.
If you’re a millennial or older, you remember Mapquest — How we used to have to print out pages of directions if we were traveling to a new location we didn’t know. Or how about old-school maps? Whenever we’d bust one of those out on the side of the road, there was no re-direct function.
We love a GPS system because it recalculates when we take a wrong turn. It doesn’t yell at us or shame us. It just shows a new way. It takes our mistake, and points us in the right direction.
That’s the voice of God. He’s not angry. He’s not disappointed. He’s just redirecting you toward life.
We are not here to impress God. We are here to follow Him.
Many of us are racking up temporary trophies:
More followers. Better jobs. Busy calendars.
But Paul reminds us:
“They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.” - 1 Cor. 9:25
We’re not chasing trophies. We’re living for eternity.
God’s scoreboard looks different.
A healed marriage
A child who knows Jesus
A legacy of faith that lasts for generations
These are the wins that matter most.
Break the Cycle for the Next Generation
Remember David and Goliath? We often forget: David shouldn’t have had to fight Goliath in the first place.
Generations before him were told to drive out the Philistines Goliath was from Gath, one of the five Philistine cities (1 Samuel 17:4). Joshua and Israel were commanded to fully drive out the enemies of the land (Joshua 13:1-3), but they didn’t — they compromised. They tolerated what should’ve been confronted (1 Samuel 15:18-19). So a young man ended up facing a giant that others avoided.
What one generation tolerates, the next will have to fight.
Parents, leaders, believers: let’s not pass giants to our kids. Let’s be the generation that breaks the cycle of addiction, fear, and spiritual apathy. Let’s raise kids who love Jesus, know His Word, and walk in freedom.
Jesus Already Won
Here’s the best part: you don’t have to fight alone. Jesus already won the race that mattered most. He didn’t just kill a giant—He crushed the power of sin, shame, and death. He fought the battle we couldn’t win on our own.
So today, maybe you feel:
Exhausted
Disqualified
Directionless
Like a failure
But you’re still here.
You’re still breathing.
You can still win.
Because Jesus is not only the Savior of your soul—He’s the Coach for your race. He’s calling you out of exhaustion and into purpose. Out of wandering and into winning.
Your First Step Starts Here
The very first step toward winning at what matters most?
Surrender.
Say yes to Jesus.
Let Him lead. Let Him forgive you. Let Him restore your family. Let Him rewrite your future. You weren’t born to blend in. You were born to run with purpose.
Want to keep running in the right direction?
Come be part of the Discover Church family. We will gather weekly beginning Sunday, Sept. 21 at Mission Hills High School at 9am and 11am to worship, grow, and walk this out together.
You can win—because Jesus already did.
