Part 2 of the previous post, as promised… and now, the how…

Everyone loves to win.  But exactly how does one do so, especially spiritually, since that so outweighs sports and even life itself?

In this particular post I’ll provide three truths, three answers, three solutions, three steps.

The first step is so simple and obvious that it’s surprising, no, shocking that so many don’t seem to really  realize it:  Before you can win, you have to understand and remain  aware of the fact that (ding, ding ding) you’re in a race, a competition, a battle.

Or put another way… before you can come in  first place, you have to realize that you’re in a race in the  first place.

I enjoy watching football games (actually, except for “full game”-worthy major matchups, just the first two drives and final/fourth quarter) but almost never on Sundays, mainly on Mondays – not because of any “religious” reason at all but because I can catch the condensed versions which have all of the ads and between-the-plays downtime edited out, which allows me to obey the Bible by properly managing/maximizing my time…

• “making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:16)

… and frankly just makes it much more enjoyable.

Last Sunday saw some superb games, marquee matchups; the first one went down to the wire and was full of twists and turns and tension (Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs); the second one, the night game (Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys) was even better on paper since they sported 10-2 and 9-3 records, respectively, but this one wasn’t nearly so close, not nearly so contended, but it’s actually the one which provided a fantastic illustration for this post.

Not once but twice in the third quarter, then yet again  in the fourth, a defensive player “punched” the football right out of an opposing player’s hands, producing a much-coveted fumble.

That’s exactly how it is with us and the devil!  He’s always running around the “field” of life, just looking for an opposing player (especially Christians, since unbelievers are already on his team as it were, per 2 Timothy 2:26) to tackle (attackle?) and better yet in his view, to strip the ball away from them (i.e., to make them stumble and fumble) and best of all, to injure and put them out of the game.

• “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert.  Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.” (1 Peter 5:8-9)
• “Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” (Ephesians 6:11-13)

[Side note:  These two passages are extremely similar, nearly identical in nature and message – even though they were written by two different people!  The first by Peter, the second by Paul… but both  by the Holy Spirit! (2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 3:16)  Just one of the many miracles and blessings about the Bible.]

Therefore, “step 1” has two  parts:  not just being actively aware that we’re in a race, a competition, a battle, but also who the opponent is and isn’t (i.e., the devil, not other people, per the verse just cited).

The second step is similarly simple and obvious:  you can’t come in first place unless you finish  the race!  Which is why, along with awareness, winning requires endurance.

• “yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach – if indeed you CONTINUE in the faith firmly established and steadfast… As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.” (Colossians 1:22-23a, 2:6-7, emphasis added)
• “But the one who ENDURES to the end, he shall be saved [i.e., win!].” (Matthew 24:13, emphasis added)

And whereby cometh endurance, how exactly does one obtain it?

• “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” [Ding ding ding!] (James 1:2-3, emphasis added)
• “In this [spiritual salvation] you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ… And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” (1 Peter 1:6-7, 5:10, emphasis added)
• “All discipline [i.e., trials, tribulations, testing] for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” (Hebrews 12:11)

Which is why a Spirit-superintended Apostle Paul could pen this potently powerful, proper perspective:

• “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18)

As is the case for so many biblical truths, a beautiful illustration of this can be found in nature:  one can plant THE BEST seed in THE MOST FERTILE soil… but if it doesn’t receive rain, that plant won’t grow, indeed, it’ll definitely die.  So too, it is the “rain” of trials in our life that allows and produces growth and lets us “ripen” and mature and “bear fruit” and endure, for without it  we would surely die (remain dead) spiritually.  Which is why I wish  it would “rain” regularly in my life.  Just like the plants.  [I almost never use secular songs (one-second  snippet in this case) on this website but because it proclaims a biblical principle and is perfectly on-point with this post, here’s one from four decades ago; if secular music offends you, simply skip/scroll past this snippet to continue reading.]

I dare say that, other than the Lord Jesus Himself of course, nobody in human history has experienced trials quite like the Apostle Paul

• “… in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death.  Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.  Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep.  I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.  Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure upon me of concern for all the churches.” (2 Corinthians 11:23b-28 … see what I mean?!)

… which is why he (a) is undoubtedly the greatest Christian ever to live (no offense whatsoever to Abraham, Joseph and Daniel, who would no doubt be next on that list, humanly speaking) and (b) could truly and lovingly declare near the end of his life, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day…” (2 Timothy 4:7-8a)  [Side note:  How stunningly amazing that you and I, though nowhere near Paul’s level of spiritual growth/maturity, can still receive that very same crown! “…and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (verse 8b)]

The third step will fill the remainder of this post.

“Everyone loves a winner.”

“Go for the gold, or GO HOME.”

“Nobody will remember who came in second.”

These adages are demonstrated nowhere more obviously or fully (and often painfully) than sports and politics.

To wit…

• millions of children can readily tell you which team won the Super Bowl going back 50+ years
• millions of children can readily tell you who was elected President going back 235 years

… now ask them who came in second.  Few will be able to name even a few  prior to more recent years.

Want to hear a surefire way to WIN, not lose, in life?  I have (humbly he said) found the answer.

And it all starts with your mind!  Much more about that to come but in the time provided for this post, let me simply ask you a question:

How many times did you think about the Lord today?

Sadly, in many cases anymore, the correct question is often just “Did  you think about the Lord today?”

I get it.  Life is hurtling by at the speed of light or so it seems most of the time.  Everybody’s busy, by the “billion” things they need to get done and places they need to be, seemingly at once.

What I’m not saying is that we shouldn’t meet deadlines, run errands, and TCB…

… what I am  absolutely saying is that all of those things will be enhanced, improved, amplified, and accelerated when one puts priorities in proper order:  the Lord via the Bible (reading, studying, memorizing, meditating, praying, obeying) FIRST, and THEN everything else.

• “… that He Himself might come to have FIRST PLACE in EVERYTHING.” (Colossians 1:18c, emphasis added)

We (rightly) teach children to “mind their manners” … but it’s even exponentially more important to teach them (and remind ourselves) to “mind their MIND“!  Because literally everything else flows forth from that, from our mind, heart, thoughts, perspective.

• “Watch over your heart [i.e., mind] with all diligence, for from it flow the springs [i.e., matters] of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)
• “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.  For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:5-8)
• “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)
• “[God] will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed [i.e., kept, remains] on [God]” (Isaiah 26:3a, emphasis added)
• “But seek FIRST His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

If you aren’t already doing so, I humbly and lovingly encourage you to give this a try, it will REVOLUTIONIZE YOUR LIFE:  Mind your mind.  Think about  what you think about!  Each week.  Each day.  Even each hour if possible but at least  at the end of each day, take inventory of exactly what you thought about that day, of exactly what was filling and occupying your mind, then strive to do better the next day in increasing  the time allotted for the Person and things of the Lord (especially His attributes and His Word, work, will, way, wisdom, and wonderful design for life – my “6 W’s for notching W’s”) and decreasing  the mindspace granted to the things of this world.

Yes, my friend, “notching wins” in life is as EASY as 1-2-3:

• 1.  REALIZE that you’re in a race in the first place!  A nonstop, supreme spiritual battle, against a brutal but beatable foe.  (Actually, beaten  foe… he just doesn’t act like it.  Yet.)
• 2.  Heed the rules and FINISH the race!  Endurance is absolutely key, which is why we should want  the rain, the trials, the tribulations, the tests in life, as the latter actually produce  the former.
• 3.  Mind your MIND!  Regulary take inventory of exactly what has been filling and occupying your mind, your thoughts, as such literally determines what kind and caliber of person you are.  (As I like to say about a person’s thought-life:  If you don’t measure  it, you can’t manage  it.)

This really will revolutionize your life.  It’s so true:  keep running the race, keep God and the Bible FIRST in your mind, your heart, your thoughts, and EVERYTHING ELSE will absolutely and beautifully be added to you!

 

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NOTE:  This is the finale of a five-post series so if you’re currently reading this blog top-down (most recent first, i.e., counter-chronologically) these five will make more sense if you scroll down (four) to the “Born Again…” post then read bottom-up to this one (i.e., in chronological order).  (This very rarely comes into play, only for the seldom series  of posts.)

Continuing on from the previous post with the next thought that hit me while on my many-mile mega-walk today…

To bring the past few hours full circle, my many-mile mega-walk ended where it always does:  my humble abode.  But my mind goes back to a home I rented a few years ago, during the pandemic, and one day in particular when I returned from a mega-walk much like today’s and indeed at exactly this time of the year and heard a noise coming from the front coat closet.

I would describe it as a “stirring, rustling” noise, a new one I’d never heard before and I immediately realized that it was a MOUSE and that’s when it hit me:  I wasn’t alone.  (Right then, Kari Jobe’s voice started ringing in my ears…)

WE ARE NOT ALONE.  YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

• “… for He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you, nor will I ever forsake you'” (Hebrews 13:5b)

Therefore, there’s no reason to ever  be afraid!

• “so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my Helper, I will not be afraid, what shall man do to me?'” (Hebrews 13:6)

That doesn’t mean you’ll never feel  lonely, but rest assured that you’ll never, ever be alone.  If you know the Lord as your Savior, He’ll always be within you, and even if you don’t  He’ll be right there:  watching, working, waiting for you to make that wisest and warmest and most wonderful choice anyone will ever make.

• “the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous” (1 Peter 3:12a)
• “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” (Hebrews 4:13)

We just entered “the most wonderful time of the year”, the Christmas season.  But the most wonderful day  of the year and best moment  of your entire life will be when you do choose to put your trust in Him; it’s so true:  He’ll never let you down, you’ll never be disappointed.

• “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed” (Romans 10:11)
• “he who believes in Him shall not be disappointed” (1 Peter 2:6)

Either way, always remember that you are not alone.  God is always there for you, just waiting to get that call.  And I am here for you, for as long as the Lord lingers in lending me breath.  Yes, indeed:  you are not alone.

 

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Wars.  And rumors of war.

Even here in America, an abundance of crime and dearth of law and order.

Open border.

Bungled budget beckons bankruptcy.

Uncivil  society.

At least that applies to the loudest  ones among us; I’m certain that the (vast) majority of the citizenry are good and decent in their conduct toward others since I see it practically every day, but the volume level of the vile and virulent minority can sometimes make many feel unsafe and insecure especially when they’re out and about, among the public.

I possess plenty of personal flaws but I’ve got to admit that I feel no such sensation since I know Who has my back, but buckets and buckets of people I hear from express those feelings frequently and I wish they could’ve been walking beside me today because as I crossed the walking bridge over the Tidal Basin directly in front of the Jefferson Memorial, three military helicopters came roaring by, just feet above the water and bridge, almost touchable, definitely something scintillating to see, certainly a sight and sound  to behold.  Because although my confidence is based entirely on and in the Lord…

• “For the LORD will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught.” (Proverbs 3:26)

… under that umbrella, in my humanity, it was a comfort to know that while wars are waged worldwide with weapons which would’ve been unimaginable just a decade or two ago, we have an impressive, powerful military, made up of men and women not just willing but ready  to lay down their lives in order to protect ours.

And that immediately made me think (and thank) about how blessed we are to have a “big Brother” of a whole higher magnitude protecting us individually, specifically, so on that special note I wanted to end this post with a story imparted by one of the highest-profile pastors which pounds home that point far better and certainly more amusingly than I ever could but it doesn’t appear to be available for embedding so if you’d like to listen to it you can click here then the “Play Audio” button and fast-forward to the 7:39 mark (time stamp) … whether you love him or hate him, whether you agree or disagree with his views, I think you’ll find the story extremely well-delivered, humorous, and perfectly on-point  in illustrating how nice it is to have an at-the-ready resource of a big Brother available to us.

If you ever find yourself in a scary situation, simply know that you needn’t hesitate for even a split-second to utilize that God-given resource of our ever-present big Brother!

• “He is not ashamed to call [us] brothers” (Hebrews 2:11)

 

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I’m thankful that I was able to muster sufficient time to take one of my many-mile mega-walks today.  As mentioned several times in the past, other than the time spent “hunkered down” in my daily Bible memory sessions, these walks are probably my most prized and precious pastime or activity of any kind.  Because (very similar to my memory sessions, not surprisingly) they invigorate me physically, stimulate me mentally, inform me intellectually (just being amid nature does that ever time!) and renew me spiritually since I’m able to focus on and listen to and speak with the Lord with utmost intensity and clarity and consistency (thus giving a whole new meaning and texture to the phrase “walking  with the Lord” =).

Today’s walk was without a doubt the most creativity-drenched I’ve ever experienced; literally, I’d walk a fraction of a mile and another interesting and impactful thought would come to me.  And right after filtering it through my mind, a new one would manifest itself… so instead of trying to cram them all into a single post, I think it would be better to publish five of these distinct thoughts in their very own post; I won’t include the billion little, split-second thoughts, just the big ones, of which there are several so, specifically, these next five  posts (starting with this one) will convey those thoughts that hit me along the way on my walk today.

Okay, let me say without delay if I may that I’m definitely, absolutely, certainly NOT sinless… but I do sin less  each year than the one before.

You see, though saved, even saints slip on a proverbial banana peel (or, for fellow alliteration lovers, proverbial plantain  peel =) from time to time; the key is firstly to confess and repent of that sin (1 John 1:9) (the sooner, the better) and secondly that, like the chart of a failing stock, the presence, the occurrence of sin in a Christian’s life should surely show a clear trend DOWNWARD.  (Or conversely, righteousness and good deeds in a Christian’s life should have a consistent UPWARD trend overall, like the sun that gets brighter and brighter as the morning progresses.)

• “But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the fullness of day.” (Proverbs 4:18)

Which is why we are warned by the Bible’s magnificent mirror multiple  times to check the “stock chart” of our life to see whether or not there is in fact that upward trend of goodness and downward trend of sin, since such signifies and indeed confirms that a person is truly saved and thus headed for heaven when their time on earth ends.

• “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble” (2 Peter 1:10)
• “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!  Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you — unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)
• “Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.  But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.  But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.  If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.  This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” (James 1:21-27)
• “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious:  anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.  We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren.  He who does not love abides in death.  Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.  We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.  But whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?  Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.  We shall know by this that we are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before Him, in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.  Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.  And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.  And the one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him.  And we know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” (1 John 3:10,14-24, emphasis added)

In other words… during our time on earth (which, compared to eternity, is like a single breath you see for a split second in cold weather according to James 4:14) Christianity has NOTHING to do with being sinless.  But the Bible bids us to be crystal clear that Christianity has EVERYTHING to do with sinning less.  Or put most simply and concisely:  a Christian will NOT be sinless  but WILL sin less  overall from the time of our spiritual birth (the “born again” of John 3:3,7 and the “born of water and the Spirit” of verse 5) to our physical death (or, for a comparative few, Christ’s return or as it’s often called, the Rapture, which will preempt death at that time).

The Bible blesses us by giving these clear and wise words of warning; likewise, the goal and pointed purpose of this post is NOT that you’ll question your salvation but rather than you’ll CONFIRM it, i.e., to increase confidence and destroy doubt.

And derail deception.  You see, for our entire time on earth, our sin nature within will never stop trying to deceive us…

• “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

… to make us think we’re headed for heaven when we’re actually headed for hell, or to make us think we’re headed for hell when we’re actually headed for heaven.  The fallen human heart hungers and constantly seeks to deceive; it literally plays both sides of that equation.  This is exactly why it’s so important to take time at regular intervals to truly and honestly look at our lives through the lens and “mirror” of the Bible to CONFIRM that we are indeed redeemed, to not just believe but KNOW that we’ve been born again.

 

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When I was a mere child in elementary school, there was a common saying when we really  liked something:  ”I love it to death!”

Pizza?  ”I love it to death!”

Popcorn?  ”I love it to death!”

Ice cream?  ”I love it to death!”

Watermelon?  ”I love it to death!”

The Huffy bicycle my parents gifted me for Christmas when I was ten?  ”I love it to death!”

Jesus loves you to death.

Literally.  He loved and loves you and me so much that He left the comfort of Heaven and willingly set aside the voluntary use of His very Deity and took on all of the aspects of human living except for sin and then capped it all off by letting sinners sneer and snicker and sarcastically salute as they hoisted and nailed Him to an old, rugged cross so we could gain what we cannot lose if we simply give what we cannot keep (to paraphrase pilot-turned-missionary-martyr Jim Elliot).

Therefore, our lives should truly be one long, unending effort to let Him know, to show  Him, to return the favor and demonstrate our  love toward and for Him.

He has graciously granted “great big blessings” by which I’m humbled and for which I’m grateful on this special late-November day and the other 364 each year… “I love You, Lord Jesus – my Love, my Life – I am in awe of You.”  For Your awesome – and awe-inspiring – attributes, and Your faithfulness to them, to Yourself, to us.  But most of all, just for who You are… I am indeed in awe of You.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

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