Staying Strong

By: John Carrigan

Friday, May 15, 2026

You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? Galatians 5:7 (NLT)

Have you ever started out strong, but later lost momentum? I know I have... It can happen with our projects around the house, it definitely happens in the world, and it can even happen at church. There's even a trendy new term going around to define this loss of momentum, and it's called “quiet quitting.” God says something similar can happen to believers, and when it happened in the early church, Jesus called them "lukewarm."

Everyone's spiritual journey had a beginning. For some of us, the starting point of our faith might be a dramatic story that God wants us to share with others. Before I surrendered my life to Jesus, I regularly attended AA meetings for newcomers because I had just stopped drinking. Later, I would occasionally attend a newcomer meeting just to hear the testimonies. Their stories would remind me how harmful my old way of life was!

After I surrendered my life to Jesus, I realized I no longer needed to attend those AA meetings. Now, my higher power isn't anonymous, His name is Jesus! My wife and I are part of a vibrant church, and we are also part of a home fellowship group that keeps us grounded. Now, my "group" is composed of other believers, and we are all following Christ together. We are all in different seasons of life, but our group's common denominator is Jesus. As we fellowship together, we are reminded how much we all need (and want) God in our lives.

One way we can let our spiritual guard down by getting too comfortable. The people Jesus called lukewarm didn't ask to be lukewarm, they got that way by "quiet quitting" their active pursuit of God. It happened because they allowed the cares of the world to slowly and steadily pull them away from spiritual things.

If we don't want to lose our spiritual momentum, we must be intentional about our spiritual growth. We must prioritize God and always remember the price Jesus paid to save us. To have joy in the Lord, we must spend time with the Lord! We do that by regularly reading His Word and regularly talking to Him in our prayers.

Father God, fill us with more of You. Help us finish the race You have set before us and help our faith stay strong. Send Your Holy Spirit to encourage us, and to correct us when necessary. Strengthen our faith so we can be salt and light in a dark world. Lord, help us share Your truth, hope, and love with everyone around us!