The Ugly Win
There are so many times that it seems like people who are doing wrong get away with it, but if I am to remain in the will of God I can not afford to give up when it looks like I am on the losing team. There are so many people who have committed crimes in broad daylight only to have courts say that it wasn't what it looked like and let them go free. There have been so many times in my life when others around me lied or cheated and got away with it. I have little to no faith in this world's justice system. What sometimes makes things even harder for me is that I've seen people who love God and have put their pride, livelihood, and relationships on the line for their faith only to be mocked, misunderstood, and written off. It's upsetting to see God's people treated so badly, but scripture says not to worry about what it looks like because no matter how puffed up the devil and those who follow him get it is a losing battle for him. No matter how bad life gets for the christian and no matter how good life looks for the unbeliever, in the end the riches of the wicked are laid up for the just (see Proverbs 13:22).
My victory is not in the admiration that I get from others, or the amount of earthly wealth that I have acquired. Money, power, and fame are not the victory that the world portrays it to be. These things are just tools to be used to either glorify God or ourselves, and sometimes they become weights that sink the one who has them. Without the strength of character to handle them the one who has the money, power, and/or fame becomes dependent on and servant to these things eventually realizing that these things will never fully satisfy them. If money, power, and fame were enough to make us winners then why are there people who have all of those things and are depressed, anxious, lonely, and suicidal? It is because living a victorious life requires living from the perspective of eternity. "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36) There is a God sized hole in each of us that can only be fulfilled by our creator, and any substitutions only make the emptiness more apparent. I say all of this to implore every Christian who is struggling and every Christian who is not, do not get caught up in the things and/or people that you do or do not have. There is only one thing that makes you to win in this world and eternity, salvation through Jesus Christ. There is one title that is worth clamoring after and that is the title Child of God. Now thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. (2 Corinthians 2:14).
This "game" of life is really a war for our eternal souls. God desires for us to embrace a relationship with him as his children that will last forever and our victory was made possible when Jesus died on the cross and rose again three days later having paid the debt of our sins and bridging the gap between us and God forever. The devil wants us to embrace our sin nature and snatch us away from our creator to suffer with him in Hell for eternity. We guaranteed our victory when we accepted Jesus the Christ as our proxy and savior. John 10:10 says that the thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
If the Devil can't have our souls, he wants our minds and our lives. This is his consolation prize, to make you feel like you are losing when you are winning. He tried it when he tempted Jesus In Mathew 4. The devil puts things in front of our faces to tempt us toward sin and doubt. He challenges our identity in Christ to make us feel like we've made some terrible mistake in trusting God. All of this is to rob Christians of the abundant life that Christ came to give us. But what is that abundant life supposed to look like? Are we supposed to be skipping through life with no problems, all the resources, and perfect health?
Romans 8: 14-17
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
1 John5:13-15
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. 14And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
Every life is going to have struggle whether it is external or internal because we live in a broken world full of broken people. The difference between the Christian and the non-christian is that when I have trouble we know that we are not alone and that we have the creator of all things on our side and he helps us when we ask him.
Will I suffer...yes. Will it seem unfair sometimes...yes. Scripture tells us that life is a few days and full of trouble (see Job 14:1). This is true for the believer and the unbeliever, but while my faith makes me a target for the Devil, it also makes me a winner. 1 John 5:4 says it this way, "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."
This is my encouragement to any Believer who feels like they are going through Hell right now, keep going. We are partakers of Christ's death before we are partakers of his life, but our suffering is not the same as with the unbeliever. If we allow God to work through our struggles with us there will be glory after this. Remember an ugly win is still a win. If you can run across the finish line then run, but if you have to crawl then know that you still win and after the cross comes the crown.
My victory is not in the admiration that I get from others, or the amount of earthly wealth that I have acquired. Money, power, and fame are not the victory that the world portrays it to be. These things are just tools to be used to either glorify God or ourselves, and sometimes they become weights that sink the one who has them. Without the strength of character to handle them the one who has the money, power, and/or fame becomes dependent on and servant to these things eventually realizing that these things will never fully satisfy them. If money, power, and fame were enough to make us winners then why are there people who have all of those things and are depressed, anxious, lonely, and suicidal? It is because living a victorious life requires living from the perspective of eternity. "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36) There is a God sized hole in each of us that can only be fulfilled by our creator, and any substitutions only make the emptiness more apparent. I say all of this to implore every Christian who is struggling and every Christian who is not, do not get caught up in the things and/or people that you do or do not have. There is only one thing that makes you to win in this world and eternity, salvation through Jesus Christ. There is one title that is worth clamoring after and that is the title Child of God. Now thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. (2 Corinthians 2:14).
This "game" of life is really a war for our eternal souls. God desires for us to embrace a relationship with him as his children that will last forever and our victory was made possible when Jesus died on the cross and rose again three days later having paid the debt of our sins and bridging the gap between us and God forever. The devil wants us to embrace our sin nature and snatch us away from our creator to suffer with him in Hell for eternity. We guaranteed our victory when we accepted Jesus the Christ as our proxy and savior. John 10:10 says that the thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
If the Devil can't have our souls, he wants our minds and our lives. This is his consolation prize, to make you feel like you are losing when you are winning. He tried it when he tempted Jesus In Mathew 4. The devil puts things in front of our faces to tempt us toward sin and doubt. He challenges our identity in Christ to make us feel like we've made some terrible mistake in trusting God. All of this is to rob Christians of the abundant life that Christ came to give us. But what is that abundant life supposed to look like? Are we supposed to be skipping through life with no problems, all the resources, and perfect health?
Romans 8: 14-17
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
1 John5:13-15
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. 14And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
Every life is going to have struggle whether it is external or internal because we live in a broken world full of broken people. The difference between the Christian and the non-christian is that when I have trouble we know that we are not alone and that we have the creator of all things on our side and he helps us when we ask him.
Will I suffer...yes. Will it seem unfair sometimes...yes. Scripture tells us that life is a few days and full of trouble (see Job 14:1). This is true for the believer and the unbeliever, but while my faith makes me a target for the Devil, it also makes me a winner. 1 John 5:4 says it this way, "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."
This is my encouragement to any Believer who feels like they are going through Hell right now, keep going. We are partakers of Christ's death before we are partakers of his life, but our suffering is not the same as with the unbeliever. If we allow God to work through our struggles with us there will be glory after this. Remember an ugly win is still a win. If you can run across the finish line then run, but if you have to crawl then know that you still win and after the cross comes the crown.
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