You
have learned the rules and taken a step off start. Now is when the game really
gets fun. Are you extremely competitive? Not too many people play a game
without wanting to win. Competition can bring out both the best and the worst
in us. As we continue to play games as we grow up, we hopefully become better
sports. As a child, I hated
being sent back to start because someone else landed on my spot. I was sure I
would lose the game. As an
adult, I see it as merely a setback.
As we walk through life, testing
and trials can bring either the best or the worst out of us. “The good person out of the good
treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil
treasure produces evil, or out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45 ESV)
The longer we walk with Christ and
see God’s faithfulness, the more we will develop faith and trust that he will
bring us through. We learn
that setbacks do not determine our outcomes. Our
attitudes should improve, and our hope and trust soar.
To be successful in any game you
must know your opponent. Football teams watch video of games played by their
upcoming opponent. They study strength and weakness, and they proceed from
there. Chess players study the moves of other players, both to sharpen their
own skill and defeat their opponents. Whether it be a board game, card game,
sport or any competition, watching the opponent to see his or her tendencies
can be very valuable. But even more than knowing your opponent’s strengths and
weaknesses, it is important to develop your own strength. This is done by daily
walking in the Word.
So, in life, who is our opponent? “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your
adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to
devour.” (1 Peter five: 8
ESV) So often we think we are fighting against other people. This simply is not
true. “For we do not wrestle
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12 ESV) Our enemy is the same enemy that
tripped up Adam and Eve. He
is the same enemy Jesus faced and defeated. The devil is the enemy of God and we
belong to God. Therefore,
he is our enemy.
Our enemy, the devil, knows the
Bible and will taunt us with it. This was evidenced by his attempts to tempt
Jesus in the wilderness. (Luke 4) He
repeatedly quoted Scripture to Jesus. He knew what the Word said, but did not
allow the Holy Spirit to show the true meaning. He twisted the word to tempt
Jesus, and he will do the same to us. It may come as a thought or a
misunderstanding of something said by another. The intent is always the same.
He will either try to deceive us and cause us to sin, or to doubt the direction
God is leading us.
We are called to fight with faith.
“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which
you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of
many witnesses.” (1 Timothy
6:12 ESV) We are to keep advancing around the game board. Though the enemy will
try to make us retreat, we seek the will of God, trust the word and advance.
We are not in this game alone. This
is a game played with partners. These partners are your brothers and sisters in
Christ. People who play games or sports with the same partner for a long period
of time get to know, trust and rely on those partners. They can often tell
exactly what moves that partner will make. Then they can adapt themselves to
those moves. We also can get to know our brothers and sisters in Christ. We can
operate together to advance the kingdom of God. “Two are better than one,
because they have a good [more satisfying] reward for their labor;” (Ecclesiastes
4:9 AMP) We are all in this together.
And our greatest partner of all is
Jesus! He walks beside us, every move we make. “For he has said, “I will never
leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews
13:5b ESV) We can trust that He will be with us until the end. The final words
of the Matthew’s gospel states, “And
behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16b ESV) We are never alone on this journey.
Our opponent has already been
defeated. “And I heard a loud
voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of
our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our
brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.” (Rev 12:10 ESV) So move forward in
the power of God. Many are watching and cheering for you. "Therefore,
since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside
every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance
the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of
our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews
12:1-2)
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