Have you ever wanted to quit?

Pastor Max Lyons opens with the story of his first CrossFit class in Idaho with his parents, where he was lapped by grandparents and out-lifted by a pregnant woman, blacked out in the car on the way home, slept for five hours, and announced he would never do CrossFit again. The point: following Jesus means doing hard things, God will ask you to do hard things, and the greater the obstacle, the greater the reward on the other side.

Resistance is not a sign God has left

Many Christians assume that if God is in something, it will be easy. Pastor Max says the opposite is often true: resistance can be a sign you are following Jesus. Since Elan Church went bold at the start of 2026 with a vision to plant a church in every state, his family has faced a newborn's sleepless nights, weeks of sickness, and threatening messages from a stranger that required police reports. None of that makes him doubt God is in it; he now expects obstacles. James 4:7 says resist the devil and he will flee. "The only way the devil wins is if you quit."

Obstacle 1: Writing yourself off

Naaman, commander of Syria's army, was a mighty man to whom the Lord had given victory. But he was a leper, an outcast. God still used him despite his imperfection. Everyone has a but: a great leader but insecure, a gifted person but struggling with addiction. Our shortcomings do not disqualify us.

Obstacle 2: Unforgiveness

A young Israelite girl, kidnapped in a raid and made a slave to Naaman's wife, is the one who says the prophet in Samaria could heal him. No one would have blamed her for saying he deserved his disease, but she had worked through her unforgiveness, and without that choice the miracle never happens. Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. Forgiving does not excuse what was done; it means refusing to carry the weight any longer or give that person ongoing power over your life.

Obstacle 3: Insecurity

When the king of Israel, Ahab's son Jehoram, receives the letter asking for Naaman's healing, he tears his clothes and assumes Syria is picking a quarrel with him. Pastor Max recalls being called a crybaby by cousins as a child and for years afterward pressing his ear to every door he walked out of to hear what people said about him. Getting planted in a local church and grounded in who God says he is set him free. Insecurity becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: walk into a room assuming nobody likes you, act cold, and soon nobody does. Insecurity will rob you of the future God has for you.

Obstacle 4: Wrong expectations

Naaman arrives at Elisha's house with horses, chariots, and treasure, and Elisha does not even come out; a messenger tells him to wash seven times in the Jordan. Naaman storms off in a rage because God did not move the way he expected. Pastor Max shares that launching a 500-person campus in London with a team of friends and full church support was far easier than planting Elan Church in Naperville from scratch during a pandemic. One of his greatest enemies in the early days was his own expectations, and the same is true when we say, "Lord, I thought I'd be further ahead by now."

Obstacle 5: The wrong voices

Naaman's servants speak up: the prophet has only told you to wash and be clean, so will you not do it? Without them he would have missed the miracle. Pastor Max describes weekly calls with his friend Ryan, a church planter in Barcelona, who both encourages him and tells him when he is acting like an idiot. Let the right voices in, whether friends or media, and keep the wrong ones out.

Obstacle 6: Refusing to trust God's way

Naaman dips seven times and is healed, his flesh restored like a little child's. He was not healed when he believed, back in Syria; he was healed when he obeyed. You can do things your way or God's way, but not both. Like Naaman, we all need to be washed, not in the Jordan but by what Jesus has done, which is the picture of baptism: the old life stays dead in the water and we rise clean, a new creation in Christ. The invitation is to let go of your way and trust His.