There is a version of faith that sounds spiritual but quietly keeps a man stuck.

You pray.

You wait.

You ask God for direction.

You tell yourself that if it is meant to happen, God will make it happen.

So you do nothing.

And when nothing changes, you say:

I've had to learn the difference between trusting God and using God as an excuse for inaction.

Because they are not the same thing.

I believe God gives the mission. The man has to move.

I've always believed there is something bigger I'm supposed to do with my life.

For years, I could feel that there was a deeper calling inside me.

But feeling called isn't the same as walking in the calling.

There were periods where I had the ambition but not the discipline.

The ideas but not the execution.

The vision but not the evidence.

And looking back, I realise I sometimes wanted God to make the entire path
obvious before I was willing to take the first step.

But that's rarely how life works.

And I don't believe that's how faith works either.

Sometimes God gives you a star, not a map.

You see where you're supposed to go.

You just don't know every road you'll have to travel to get there.

Think about the wise men.

They saw the star.

They followed it.

They didn't know every obstacle that would appear along the way.

They didn't have the entire journey explained to them before they started.

They simply had enough direction to move.

And I think there is something every man needs to understand about this.

You don't need complete clarity to take the next obedient step.

You need enough clarity to know what that step is.

This is where men get stuck.

You say:

But you're not developing your skills.

You say:

But you're not knocking on any.

You say:

But you're not training.

You say:

But you're not learning how to manage what you already have.

You say:

But you're spending your evenings consuming instead of creating.

At some point, you have to ask yourself:

Am I actually trusting God, or am I hiding behind faith because action scares me?

That's an uncomfortable question.

But it's necessary.

Faith does not eliminate responsibility.

This is one of the principles I want to carry throughout the Underdog Diary.

You can depend completely on God while taking complete responsibility for your actions.

Those things aren't contradictory.

In fact, I believe they belong together.

You pray because you know you're not God.

You work because you know you're responsible for what has been placed in your hands.

You surrender the outcome because you cannot control everything.

You give your best effort because obedience is still your responsibility.

That's what carrying your cross looks like to me.

Not passive waiting.

Active faith.

There's a difference between surrender and resignation.

Surrender says:

Resignation says:

One requires courage.

The other can become an excuse.

And I know which one I want to live by.

I've had to make decisions without
knowing how everything would work out.

Even my decision to remain in Albania and build what I'm working on has required a level of faith.

I don't have every piece figured out.

I'm still building.

I'm still working.

I'm still learning.

I'm still trying to make the vision tangible.

But I couldn't wait until every uncertainty disappeared before moving.

At some point, I had to say:

This is the direction I believe I'm supposed to pursue.

Now I have to work.

That doesn't mean I know exactly what will happen.

It means I'm willing to walk while trusting the One who does.

And this is where discipline enters the picture.

People often separate faith and discipline.

I don't.

I believe discipline can actually become an act of worship.

Think about it.

If you wake up when you said you would...

Train when you said you would...

Study when you said you would...

Keep your word...

Control your appetites...

Work when you don't feel like working...

Serve people when there is nothing obvious to gain...

And do those things because you want to honour God with your life—

that discipline means something deeper than productivity.

You're not simply trying to become impressive.

You're trying to become faithful.

But don't confuse hard work with control.

This distinction matters.

You can work extremely hard and still try to control everything.

You can become obsessed with outcomes.

You can become anxious about timelines.

You can compare yourself to other men.

You can become frustrated because God isn't moving according to your schedule.

That's not faith.

Faith doesn't mean you stop working.

It means you stop pretending that your work gives you control over the outcome.

You can plant the seed.

You can't command the harvest.

You can train.

You can't control every adaptation.

You can build the business.

You can't force someone to buy.

You can prepare.

You can't guarantee the opportunity.

You can obey.

You can't control how everyone responds.

Your job is obedience. God's sovereignty is not your responsibility.

That should give a man tremendous peace.

The Bible has a phrase I think about often:

Notice what it doesn't say.

It doesn't say:

It doesn't say:

It doesn't say:

It says don't make your own understanding the highest authority.

There will be things you don't understand.

There will be doors that close.

There will be opportunities you lose.

There will be seasons where the timing makes no sense.

There will be people who leave.

There will be plans that don't work.

There will be prayers that aren't answered in the way you expected.

And sometimes you'll have to keep walking without understanding why.

That's where trust becomes real.

Because anyone can trust God when everything is working.

The real test comes when it isn't.

When the job falls through.

When the relationship ends.

When the business fails.

When your body isn't changing.

When your prayers seem unanswered.

When you feel isolated.

When everyone around you seems to be moving forward while you're standing still.

That's when you find out whether your faith was built around God or around the outcomes you expected Him to give you.

I've had moments where I didn't understand what was happening in my life.

I've had doors close that I desperately wanted open.

I've had periods where I felt alone.

And I've had to learn that sometimes God is doing something in me that I cannot yet see happening around me.

The Underdog has to learn patience without becoming passive.

This is a difficult balance.

You don't want to rush God's timing.

But you also don't want to use God's timing as an excuse for your laziness.

So ask yourself:

What am I waiting for God to do that He has already given me responsibility to do?

Maybe you already know the answer.

You need to train.

Apply.

Study.

Build.

Save.

Pray.

Forgive.

Leave.

Start.

Stop.

Speak.

Create.

Serve.

Whatever it is—

do your part.

Then trust God with His.

THE UNDERDOG STANDARD

Here is the standard:

Don't become the man who only moves when he has certainty.

Become the man who can move with conviction even when he doesn't have the entire picture.

That's what makes faith difficult.

And that's what makes it powerful.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT THIS WEEK

Take ten minutes alone.

No phone.

No music.

No distractions.

Write down three things.

1. What am I asking God for?

Be specific.

2. What am I currently responsible for?

What is actually within your control?

3. What action have I been delaying?

Then pray about it.

And after you finish praying...

go do the thing.

Send the application.

Make the call.

Do the workout.

Open the Bible.

Build the offer.

Have the conversation.

Study the material.

Take the first step.

Whatever it is.

Move.

You don't need to know how the entire story ends.

You don't need to know every obstacle you'll encounter.

You don't need everyone around you to understand.

And you certainly don't need to control everything.

You need faith.

You need discipline.

You need courage.

And you need the humility to understand that your responsibility is not to control the future.

Your responsibility is to be faithful today.

God may give you a star.

Follow it.

You may not know whether the road goes through a desert.

Follow it.

You may not know how long it will take.

Follow it.

You may not even understand why the door in front of you just closed.

Keep trusting.

Keep working.

Keep praying.

Keep becoming.

Because faith isn't sitting still until God does everything for you.

Faith is moving forward while trusting the One who sees what you cannot.

And when the road gets dark, remember:

You don't need to see the whole road to take the next step.

The future looks bright.

— Junior

The Underdog Diary​
​Purpose | Fitness | Faith | Discipline

P.S. Don't pray for God to give you a life you're unwilling to work for.
​Ask Him for the strength, wisdom and discipline to faithfully build what He has placed in your hands.