Key points
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1True spiritual grit begins with the clarity of calling — every believer is called to the mission, not just to attend church.
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2Define reality from God's perspective: understand that God doesn't take your side — He is a side — and His love for you is greater than your love for yourself.
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3Grit refuses to ignore God's perspective; we must see ourselves and our circumstances through the lens of who God says we are.
“Coming to church is not the calling. Being the church is”
“God doesn't take your side. God is a side. God doesn't decide a side. God is a side”
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4Dream the preferred future: ask what it would look like to believe God and live out the calling He has wired and gifted you for.
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5Attention without action is still inaction — agreeing with the call in your mind without actually stepping out produces nothing.
“attention without action is still in action”
Illustration
A comedian on a late-night show realizes he thought about giving his first-class seat to a returning soldier but never actually did it — used to illustrate how attention without action accomplishes nothing
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6Develop the pathway: true grit is not just starting something hard, it is being willing to leave something good because God is calling you to something better.
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7Clarity of calling produces conviction and boldness — when you know you are doing what God wants, you pray and act with confidence that He will make the way.
“true grit is not just starting something hard, it's being willing to leave something good because God is calling you to something better”
“I was running away from the God thing”
“it was beautifully hard. It was beautifully difficult because it's what God called me to do”
A story from life
Arthur Ashe quote: 'Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.'
A story from life
Pastor's own story of leaving Bible college, being confronted by his father, and moving to California to pursue ministry calling
Application
Pastor Bill's challenge is personal and direct: stop cycling in and out of half-hearted engagement and go all in on the calling God has placed on your life. That starts with honest self-examination — defining reality from God's perspective rather than your own. Ask yourself where you actually are in relation to what God has called you to do, then begin to dream about what it would look like to fully embrace how He has wired and gifted you. Finally, take the step — even the costly one. Like Nehemiah, you may need to confess what has become an idol, release something genuinely good that has taken the place of the God thing, and move from the comfortable path to the called one. Seek first the kingdom, and trust that He will take care of the rest.
