Full Throttle Part 7 - Maximum Potential Part 1

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We're shifting into Fourth Gear, and today we're talking about reaching your maximum potential in Christ.

So many people never arrive where God wants them to be. At 30, 40, 50, or 60 they say, "I thought I'd be further along." But here's the truth: God is not a delivery boy. You can't just sit back in your Christian recliner and dial in what you need. Faith requires action. It's putting your foot on the pedal and going full throttle toward what God has called you to do.

Hebrews 12:1 says, "Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." The Message version puts it this way: "Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins."

To reach our maximum potential, we need to go on a diet from sin. Sin is:

• DEADWEIGHT – Something standing between you and God.
• DECEPTION – A cheap imitation of something authentic God created. Satan offers counterfeits that look good but leave you empty. The creation can never outdo the Creator.
• DISTRACTION – Pulling your focus off the race. Stay focused on the path!
• DETOUR – Taking you places you shouldn't go. Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.
• DITCH – Getting you stuck in habits and addictions, spinning your tires, unable to get out.

We strip off all this weight, not through willpower alone, but by fixing our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). The Message says, "Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it." Jesus is the Word made flesh—a living example of God's Words of Life. He endured the cross for the joy set before Him. If we study how He did it, we'll learn how to run our own race.

The more we cut off the works of the flesh, the more we align ourselves with God and His Word, and the more we reach our full potential. Like a racecar, we keep making fine‑tune adjustments, shedding weight, so we can go faster and farther.

The creation can never outdo the Creator. God has the best for you. The enemy only offers cheap substitutes. Don't settle for imitation when you're called to the authentic.

Let's strip down, fix our eyes on Jesus, and run this race with everything we've got—full throttle, maximum potential!

Key Scriptures: Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV & MSG); Colossians 3:4-14; John 1:1, 14; Romans 10

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Hi everyone, Pastor Don Smith here. Welcome to the Talk About It Podcast, where we take relevant topics with a biblical point of view and we talk about it. You know you want to, so do I. Let's talk about it. Well, once again, welcome back everyone to the Talk About It Podcast. Season 10, episode 7. That's where we're at. And I am so glad that you are here. Hey, on this season, we are talking about what it looks like to live wide open for Jesus. Out loud. Yesterday in uh the message here that I preached at our church, I talked, I said this particular statement that I really thought, man, I want to share it on the podcast as well. I said, while our um faith in Jesus Christ is deeply personal, it is never private. You ever heard those people say, Well, my faith is a private thing? What do you got? Some kind of private Jesus? Let me let me help you out uh if you think that way. Jesus is not coming back privately. And he says, right, that if you're ashamed of me in front of people, I'll be ashamed of you in front of my father. So there's no such thing as a private faith, okay? And we need to settle that. And that's what I'm trying to really encourage us about on this season of the podcast. I want to talk about what it means to live out loud. We've been, we've been so uh conditioned, I think, to say that, well, you know, we shouldn't offend people with our faith and those type of things. Listen, my faith is a part of who I am, and so you don't get me without my faith. Does that make sense? And so uh if I were to hide my faith from you in order to have a relationship with you, then I am having a hypocritical relationship with you. If you are requiring of me that I have to hide my faith in order to have a relationship with you, then you don't truly want a complete relationship with me. Hello, somebody. So you don't get me without Jesus. Come on, talk about it. Man, we just opened wide open today, didn't we? Hello, somebody. Hey, talk about it. That's what we're doing. I want I just believe that Christians are to be the most excited and happiest people on planet Earth because of our faith, because of who we've put our faith in, because of who and whom we belong to. And so that's what we're doing on this season. Uh, this is episode seven, and I'm so glad that you're here. If you're a longtime listener, I thank you so much for your support. If you're a monthly supporter, I thank you so much for your support. If you're not, uh, why don't you consider doing that? Right there in the show notes are all the links uh that help you follow and do all the things you need to do. If you're a first-time listener, where you been? We have been waiting for you. And now that you are here, we are excited about you being here. Do us a favor, though, if you're a first-time listener, just push pause right here. Go back to the beginning of season 10. Uh, start right there and just catch up with us. We'll be here waiting for you. I promise you, when you get back to this episode. Uh, but altogether today, what I want to do is I want to talk about moving into fourth gear, if you will. Okay, so we've been first, second, and third gear, and here in episode uh seven, I just want to move into fourth gear, talk about maximum potential, and I'm gonna use a little bit of NASCAR, I think, uh, to help us understand our relationship with Jesus. Now, some of you who are living in other countries and you're listening to the podcast, I think there's like 68 different countries. Maybe NASCAR isn't kind of familiar to you. It's an American thing for sure, but race race cars probably are. So it's the same thing. You know, um, what I want to do is I want to talk about reaching our maximum potential today. And I'm gonna give you a couple of things uh that I think uh we need to work on. Today I'm just gonna give you one, and I think next week I'll give you two more, and then we'll move into the next area of this season. But I want to talk about reaching our maximum potential. In other words, when you're driving a car, it it has a maximum speed limit. Does that make sense? In uh in NASCAR, they put restrictor plates on the engine, and so uh about 200 miles an hour is its maximum speed uh because of those restrictor plates. Imagine that. Uh they actually keep the engine from going as fast as it can. Now, what we're wanting to do with full throttle, come on, is we're wanting to remove any restrictor plates. And that's what I'm going to be talking about over the next two weeks, okay? What does it look like? Uh, because so many people never reach, I believe, their their full potential, or they never attain really where God wants them to be. I mean, there there are people that I meet all the time who are like 30 years old who say, man, I thought I'd be further in life than this. Or are there people who are 40, 50, 60 year old who say, you know, I didn't think I'd be here. I didn't know where I'd be, but I really didn't think I'd be here. I really thought I'd be in a different place or a different phase in my life. Well, let me just help us out, talk about it. Are you ready? God's not a delivery boy, okay? Did you hear me? God is not a delivery boy. Because here's the way some people approach Christianity. I'm gonna sit back in my little Christian recliner and uh I'm gonna dial in what I need from God, and it's up to him to bring it to me. That's kind of the way people live their Christian life, especially in the Western world. Um, no, it it says that we're saved by grace through faith, that God's grace is a gift to us, and our faith is us reaching back out to God because of his grace. See, faith is putting action to what we believe. Let me say it again. Faith is just simply putting in action out loud, okay, full throttle, what we believe. In Romans chapter 10, it says something like this: we are saved. And so we have to put action there. We are saved, so we got to put action there. If we're if we're gonna reach our full potential, if we're gonna become what God desires us to be, we're gonna have to put the pedal to the metal. We're we're gonna have to go full throttle, live out loud to reach our maximum potential. And anybody who has ever tried uh, you know, to live in silent reservation for Jesus has always been a person who's never reached their maximum potential. Okay, uh, if you got a car, now I wouldn't recommend this, but have you ever tried to reach the maximum potential speed of that vehicle? Hello, somebody. Come on. There's there's been a couple of times in my teenage years uh that I did that for sure. And it uh uh yeah, there's always a maximum potential, okay? Those are stories for another episode, but uh because I'm digressing here, but Hebrews chapter 12 in the NIV, okay. It says, Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witness, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Now, I want to talk about some things, okay, that we need to do in order to reach maximum potential. You remember that the NASCAR illustration, they put this restrictor plate on the engine so it can only go so fast. Some of you may understand it, old, old terms are like a governor, all right? It would govern how fast uh the engine would run. So uh, number one, here's the here's the first thing you got to do in order to live out loud, live your maximum potential. Here's the first thing you got to do to remove that restrictor plate or that governor for living for Jesus, okay, is we got to go on a diet from sin. Listen, to reach our maximum potential, we need to go on a diet from sin. Here's the way the verse one in Hebrews chapter 12, verse 1 reads in the message, the paraphrase, the message. Watch what it does here. It says, strip down, start running, and never quit. No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sin. I love that. No parasitic sin. Those, those, those leeches that are sucking the life of God out of you. Listen to me talk about it. We need to go on a spiritual diet. A lot of us are carrying around way too much stuff, okay? You ever seen those Olympic swimmers? Uh, I always thought it was pretty cool. The men and the women alike. And uh, you know, you they're swimming in this like Olympic-sized swimming pool, okay? And I can imagine that if I'm like an Olympic swimmer, okay, I'm not gonna jump, go jump into the pool fully dressed with my dress shoes on. No. What I'm gonna do is I'm gonna get me one of those high-dollar little bitty skinny swimsuits, okay, that even the guys wear. It's those little bitty things that make them get move sleekly through the water. It helps them glide through the water. There's no restriction on their bodies because those suits are designed to stop the friction of the water moving across the body. And so what we need to do is the same thing with sin, is we need to go on this diet from sin. We need to cut off the extra weight. We need to get rid of the excess baggage. And that that's the things that are hindering us from reaching our maximum potential. You see, in a race car, what they're continually doing is trying to make that car lighter and lighter so they can get the maximum potential out of the horsepower of the engine. They're adjusting the carburetor, they're fine-tuning all the elements so they can get just a few more miles per hour out of the power of the engine. Well, that's what's happening in our lives. We need to cut off some dead weight, the works of the flesh, the works of darkness. And we've got to put ourselves in alignment with God and with his word so that we can reach our maximum potential. So let me give you, let me just give you P. D's definitions, if you will, of what sin is, okay? And I'm just gonna bypass the religiousity and the churchisms and all those things. I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna give you P. D's definition of what sin is. Let me give you a couple of examples, okay? Sin is a dead weight, number one. It's that a deadweight. That's just something that's standing between you and God. Right now, talk about it. What is it? What is that thing that's standing between you and God? Whatever it is, let me give you a definition. Dead weight. That's what it is. It's dead weight. It's it's it's something extra you are carrying that is keeping you from running full throttle and living out loud with Jesus. That's what it is. You want me to tell you what sin is? Number two, it's a deception. It's a lie. Okay, I said the word. It's a lie. Let me let me put it in this phrase that so some of you don't get offended by the word lie. Okay. Sin as a deception is a cheap imitation of something authentic that God made. Oh, you might want to write that down because that was pretty good. Deception is a cheap imitation of something authentic that God made. You see, the enemy, okay, who is part of the creation. Remember in the beginning, he's part of creation. And what he does is he tries to imitate the authentic things that God has created. But let me help you out. The creation can never outdo the creator. And so the lie is this when Satan comes and says, Hey, I want you to try some of this or try a little bit of that, it's raw deception. So anything that the enemy tries to offer you, it's a deception. It's a cheap imitation of something authentic that God has. Let me give you an illustration that I think we can all say, okay, I get it. I understand it. Think about it in terms of marriage. Think about those things that married people do. Hello, talk about it. Y'all know what I'm what I'm insinuating here. Okay. The enemy wants you to say that there are other people that you should do married things with. My friends, that is deception. That is a cheap imitation. Okay? It's like if you go downtown for lunch one day, you get out, you park your car, you walk in, and a guy says, Hey, hey, hey, hey, come over here. Would you would you like to buy a cheap Rolex? And he opens up his coat, and on the inside of his coat, he's got a bunch of watches there, $50, and you can own a Rolex. Well, you know instantly it's not authentic, okay? It might look like a Rolex, it might have the name Rolex, but it's not authentic. And too many times the enemy comes and says, This looks like love. This this looks like it will satisfy you, this looks like it will be fulfilling, but it will always leave you empty. That, my friends, is the end result of believing a lie and what deception does. That's what sin is. Okay? Sin is a deception. How about this? Sin is a distraction. It's a distraction in our lives. It's like we're running a race and we're saying, man, I'm going for Christ. And then all of a sudden someone calls you and says, Hey, buddy, come here. And you reply, No, I'm busy. But then he says, No, come here. And no, I'm you're you're like, no, I'm living for God. And it's like, no, come here. And then you say, What? And the enemy is trying to distract you. That's what sin is. It's a distraction. And what we need to do is stay focused on the path. Our God has the best for us. Talk about it. Our God served, listen, He has the best for us. And the enemy can only serve something less than our God has already given to us. And that, my friends, is the approach we have to take to distraction. God has already given me the best. So anything the enemy is trying to distract me with is less than the best. That's what sin is. Sin is also a detour. Am I helping us today? Am I helping us today? Come on, talk about it. You see, so many people don't arrive at that point. God wants them to be at their life. You remember those people I was talking about 20, 30, 40, 50, and they're like, I I d I thought I'd be somewhere else by now. You see, here's what happens to a lot of people at the end of their days, they're going, I didn't do a third of what God called me to do. I didn't even make 50%. I want to get listen, I don't know about you, okay, but see, sin is a detour. But see, I want to get to the end of the race, and I want to finish the race like Paul said. I finished my race, I ran my course, I've completed what God has called me to do. What an amazing feeling to break the tape at the finish line. You're like, yeah, everyone's giving you the high fives. You see, but the enemy wants you to take a detour. Talk about it. He gets us involved in things we shouldn't get involved in. He takes us to places we shouldn't go. You you know the phrase. Sin takes you further than you want to go, keeps you longer than you want to stay, and costs you more than you want to pay. That, my friends, is a detour. That's what sin is. It's a detour. You know what sin is? One last thing here. About sin. Okay, it's a ditch. It is a ditch. Now let me spell that because I know my accent. Hello, somebody. D I T C H. It's a ditch. The enemy wants you to get stuck in a ditch. Anybody ever been stuck in a ditch? I live in Michigan, and in the snowy weather, sometimes people slide off the road and poof, they're stuck in a ditch. Okay? What does that mean ultimately in life? Well, in life, to be stuck in a ditch means to that you you've gotten off course and you've chosen a different path, and then you get stuck in a ditch, and you're stuck, it's like getting stuck in a habit. It's like getting stuck in an addiction. You're stuck in a ditch.

unknown 16:59

Okay?

SPEAKER_00 17:00

That's what sin is. It's a stronghold. And what is happening when you're stuck in a ditch is you're just spinning your tires. You're trying to get out, but you're you're not getting out of the situation. As a matter of fact, the more you spin your tires, the deeper you are getting stuck. So, what we have to do in this moment is we've got to turn our hearts, we've got to turn our potential so that we can walk free from the sin that's trying to trap us and tries to ensnare us. Listen, listen to what Hebrews chapter 12, verse 2 and 3 says, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, for the joy that is set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. We've got to fix our eyes on Jesus. Come on, talk about it. We have to fix our eyes on Jesus. I I actually love again, once again, what the marriage, the message paraphrase says in this version, Hebrew chapter 12, verse 2 through 3. It says, keep your eyes on Jesus who both began and finished this race we are in. Study how he did it. I I love that. Let me say it again. This is the Hebrews chapter 12, verses 2 and 3 in the message paraphrase. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished the race that we are in. Study how he did it. I like that so much. Talk about it. Study how did Jesus do it. How did Jesus finish the race? That's a great question. John chapter 1, verse 1. In the beginning was the word, and the word's with God, and God was the word. Verse 14 of that same chapter, the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. So what happened? What took place here? The Word became flesh. Jesus is the Word. The Word is Jesus. Study how Jesus did it. How did He finish the race? Study how Jesus did it. He's the living example of God's words of life to us. And you know what he says to us? Talk about it? He says to us, follow me. Wow. In other words, he says, Do what I did. Do what I'm doing. Follow me. This is so I'm studying how he finished the race. I'm studying how Jesus lived out loud, wide open, for God. Study how he did it. Study how it's so good. And Jesus says, follow me. He says, Remain in me, and I in you, and you'll bear much fruit. Let me say this to us right here, towards the end of our time together today. And again, I'm so glad you're here. The creation can never outdo the creator. Okay, and if we're gonna live out loud, we've got to understand that God has never called us to carry dead weight. Come on, somebody, you gotta deal with dead weight in your life. Talk about it. I'm gonna challenge you right now. Deal with dead weight. It's holding you back. The best thing you can do is cut it loose. Don't try to reform it, repackage it. No, cut it loose. Throw it overboard. Get rid of it. You know what you got to do? You got to challenge yourself to say, where have I believed a lie? Deception. Where have I believed a lie? And you got you gotta own that aspect of it and say, I'm not gonna believe this lie anymore. Okay, I'm gonna walk in truth. You gotta really challenge yourself if you're gonna live out loud for Jesus to say, where am I distracted? Too many many modern-day Christians are incredibly distracted. Social media is the worst for that. It's the worst. Where am I distracted? You gotta challenge yourself and say, maybe I'm not living out loud and wide open for Jesus because I've taken a detour. And I don't want to be that person who doesn't arrive where God wants me to arrive. I don't want to be that person. And you know what you gotta do last but least? Right? You can't stay stuck. Come on, talk about it. You can't stay stuck, okay? And and if you're spinning your wheels, okay, and you're stuck, just admit it. Alright? And and get back into what it means to live for Jesus. And if there are things in your life that are causing you to wind up in a ditch, okay, you you need to deal with those things. All of these are or could be why, okay, you're not able to get to maximum potential. Here we are in fourth gear, okay? And we got to go on a diet from sin. That's the first thing. That's today's episode. That's what I wanted to give us today. Now, next week, we're gonna learn to draft. If you ever watched a race, you understand that cars uh they draft each other. In other words, they get right on each other's bumper so that the wind restriction uh isn't so bad on them as the second car. They let the lead car take uh take the wind so that, and and actually, believe it or not, the the second car is faster than the lead car because there's less drag because of the draft. We're gonna talk about that and how we need to align our life with the life of Jesus. That's what a drafting does. The second car aligns itself with the first car. Oh, it's gonna be so good. It's gonna be so good. I'm so glad you are here today. Thank you so much for joining me and allowing me to just share some things that are on my heart. Uh, and I want you to think about those things that I challenge us with today, okay? Dead weight, deception, distraction, detour. Am I in the ditch? Am I stuck? How do I get unstuck? These are all great questions. Man, I want you to live out loud for Jesus. What would happen if every Christian said, hey, you know what? My faith is deeply personal, but it's never private. I'm living out loud for Jesus. What would happen? My goodness, how many people would we touch? How much faster would we run for the Lord Jesus Christ? Thank you so much for being part of the podcast each and every week. You people make this happen. Would you do me a favor? Like, share, and subscribe, especially share. Just copy the link, share it on your social media, pray about being a supporter. I love all you guys, but I need you to remember something. As much as I love you, Jesus loves you more. I'll see you next week.