Every four years, the Olympics reveal incredible displays of courage, fortitude, and perseverance. Few, however, can surpass what Sifan Hassan did during the Tokyo Olympics.

Hassan, a long-distance runner from the Netherlands, demonstrated remarkable determination in the 1,500-meter qualifying heat.

With one lap to go, a runner ahead of her tripped, creating a domino effect. Hassan tried unsuccessfully to leap over the fallen runner and crashed to the track herself.

Undeterred, she quickly got back up and resumed the race. Now in last place, she began passing runners one by one. On the final straightaway, she surged past five of the fastest women in the world, winning her heat.

“Believe me, it was horrible, but sometimes I think bad things happen for good,” Hassan later reflected. “When I fell, I said to myself, OK, life doesn’t always go the way that you want.”

In the finals, Hassan captured the bronze medal in the 1,500 meters. She then went on to win gold medals in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters.

Like the Olympic race, our Christian journey will likely involve some missteps. Some stumbles. Even some falls. Yet God’s greatest servants, whose names fill Hebrews 11—Faith’s Hall of Fame—also stumbled along the way.

Abraham lied. Jacob deceived. Joseph’s brothers were consumed with envy. Moses doubted. David lusted. Elijah ran in fear.

Yet they persevered.

This week, I’m presenting a five-part Vacation Bible School series at the Wellandport Church of Christ entitled Developing the Heart of a Spiritual Champion. The second lesson reminds us of an essential truth: Spiritual champions keep on keeping on.

Unfortunately, perseverance is often undermined by attitudes that weaken our resolve and erode our determination. Consider four enemies of persistence.

Discouragement occurs when setbacks, delays, or failures begin to outweigh hope. It drains our motivation and makes the finish line seem impossibly far away.

We’ve all seen athletic teams fall so far behind that they simply lose heart. The same thing can happen spiritually. When life’s burdens seem greater than our blessings, discouragement whispers that it’s time to quit.

But Paul urged believers, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9). God’s promise reminds us that faithful perseverance is never wasted.

A second enemy is complacency—when comfort replaces commitment.

Complacency is the quiet loss of urgency. We begin coasting instead of striving, settling instead of growing, and becoming satisfied instead of spiritually hungry.

Even entire churches can fall into this trap. The church at Laodicea had become lukewarm, prompting the Lord’s stern rebuke in Revelation 3:15-16. The danger still exists today when we become content with spiritual mediocrity rather than pursuing greater faithfulness.

Then there is fear—when uncertainty controls our steps.

Fear leads to doubt, just as it did when Peter took his eyes off Jesus while walking on the water. Fear can also paralyze us from acting, like the servant who buried his talent out of fear.

Fear imagines defeat before the battle is fought. It magnifies problems and minimizes God’s power. It causes hesitation, retreat, or silence when courage is required.

The antidote to fear is confidence in God’s presence, power, and promises. “Fear not, for I am with you,” God assured His people (Isaiah 41:10). Paul reminded Timothy that “God has not given us a spirit of fear” (2 Timothy 1:7). And Jesus encouraged suffering Christians, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).

Someone wisely observed, “Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. No one was there.”

Finally, perseverance is weakened by a lack of faith—when our trust in God begins to fade.

This was Israel’s recurring problem throughout the Old Testament. Hebrews 3 reminds us how unbelief kept an entire generation from entering God’s promised rest.

People stop pressing on when they no longer trust God’s promises.

Biblical faith, however, “is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). It looks beyond present circumstances to God’s eternal purposes.

Faith is personal. It produces action. It grows stronger as it is exercised. And it encourages others to remain steadfast.

Our determination to persevere is rarely destroyed in a single moment by one dramatic event. More often, it is weakened little by little through discouragement, complacency, fear, and faltering faith.

That’s why we must heed Paul’s battle cry:

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Champions don’t quit. And neither should Christians.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman