American Ninja Warrior Daniel Gil Takes Faith to the Finish Line

Published: November 13, 2023

American Ninja Warrior Daniel Gil Takes Faith to the Finish Line

By Movieguide® Contributor

Eight-time American Ninja Warrior finalist Daniel Gil joined the Jesus Calling Podcast to share what it means for him to have faith to the finish line.

Gil gave his life to the Lord as a kid, but it wasn’t until high school that his faith became his own.

“I said, ‘God, I don’t want to just live off of my family’s faith, my parents’ faith, my pastor’s faith. This is going to be my walk with you,’” he began.

“It wasn’t until I was chasing wholeheartedly, fully, and completely after my walk with the Lord that these relationships and these doors began to open for what I feel like God had purposed for my life all along,” he added.

Since his start as an American Ninja Warrior, Gil has been committed to the race set out for him.

“It was while I was at a two-year Bible college during my college years that a friend of mine in that tiny, tiny classroom said, ‘Hey, I got a job you might be interested in.’ And sure enough, it was at a ninja gym here in Houston, the only one,” he said. “And I was like, ‘Okay, Lord, if you’re going to open this door, then I’m going to use it for you.’And that’s kind of how I got into American Ninja Warrior in the first place. It was literally just a byproduct of chasing after Jesus.”

Before each competition, the athlete always takes a moment to pray.

“I don’t take it for granted,” Gil expressed. “I stand at the starting platform, and I pray, every single round I lift my hands up and I said, ‘God, thank you for this opportunity. Thank you for another opportunity to do something that I love so much, something that makes me come alive, but also something that I know will affect those who are watching it. So, God, give me the grace right now. Give me the ability to do what I believe I’ve trained physically to do. I’m capable. But God, whatever happens, whether I hit a buzzer with the fastest time or if I fall and fail, give me an example of what it looks like to get back up. Lord, give me the grace to do that today.’ And I pray that and literally the anxiety, the nerves, literally turns into like this excitement and this anticipation for what it is that I’m doing.”

“I’m going to try to go the distance. I’ll give it everything that I’ve got, but at the end of the day, I don’t find my identity in American Ninja Warrior,” he added. “I don’t find my identity in anything that I do. I find my identity in my walk with the Lord.”

He shared that his “faith [and] my Lord and Savior Jesus” motivate him to keep training and competing. “I’ll think about all he went through and all that I want to accomplish. Nothing is impossible Nothing is too hard. Once you get into that right mindset, mind frame, you can do it. You can do anything.”

Gil frequently uses his platform to share his faith.

“I’m thankful for every opportunity I have to share my story at churches across the country,” he posted on Instagram. “My heart is to encourage, inspire, motivate and point people to the Kingdom.”