One of my good friends, Alejandro, will sometimes text me out of the blue to just see how life is. But rather than ask me how life is, he always opens the conversations with,
Bro, are you winning?
I love that! I can’t just say, “Fine,” and move on with my day. I have to think about it.
Am I winning right now? Am I on top of life’s troubles? Or buried underneath them?
It’s epidemic in the Christian subculture that surrounds me – millions of Christians who have made peace, so to speak, with their eternal destiny but who, in the here and now, are walking around defeated and deflated.
There are all kinds of reasons for this, but I’m firmly convinced that at the root of it all, it’s a matter of focus.
When I focus on my problems and issues, or on all the bad news, or on comparing my life to the social media highlight reels of others… I’ll always feel like I’m losing.
But when I focus, instead, on something that is forever, absolutely, unchangeably and undeniably true – something that changes the game and makes everything different, then I’ll have a different experience of life.
Like this, for example…
Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
– 1 John 5:4 NIV
Or this…
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
– Romans 8:35-37 NIV
Imagine how you’re going to feel next week when you fix your focus daily on the fact that Jesus Christ has already defeated your biggest enemies through is death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead.
Death is no threat to you. Sin has no power in you. Satan has no authority over you.
You. Are. A. Winner.
Realize it. Focus on it. Pray about it and praise God for it. Fix your focus on the fact that you’re on the winning side!