Only ONE Champion

“Second place is just the first loser.” Sounds a little harsh, but since only one person or team can be crowned at the end of a competition, it is completely accurate. Perhaps Federer still feels this way after losing to Djokovic in the U.S. Open last night. However, whenever victorious Djokovic rewatches the match, he can rest easy since he already knows that the competition went in his favor. He won. Nothing changes that. Although he may relive some of the intense emotions he had during some of the taxing parts of the competition, he can watch it with a peace of mind knowing that his victory (and the $3.8 million he won) is sealed.

What if we could go into every basketball contest already certain that the outcome was an automatic win? Wouldn’t that feel pretty good? It would certainly give a great deal of confidence on the front end! We could walk into every contest with the mindset of victors, never questioning our status as winners.

Although we cannot perfectly predict our game outcomes, guess what…. In life, WE CAN!!!! When I was driving back from a recruiting trip last week, I saw a billboard that said, “Only ONE conquered death.” Only ONE. Only ONE conqueror. Only ONE champion. That win is recorded, and NOTHING can strike that victory from the record book (The Bible). This means that Jesus Christ, who was crucified as payment for our sins, defeated death and that through this victory, we are “MORE THAN CONQUERORS” through Him who loved us (Romans 8:37).

As such, EVERY battle that we are facing (and will ever face in the future) has ALREADY BEEN WON. This means that we NEVER AGAIN have to walk around as the “first loser.” NEVER! As members of His Kingdom, we are able to walk around FOREVER VICTORIOUS. Whether it is a battle against fear, doubt, anxiety, depression, sickness, pain, stolen joy, unrest, or any other “kingdom of darkness” attack, TAKE HOPE!! It is OUR RIGHT to stake claim to the victory over the enemy who is trying to steal from us. NO MORE stolen joy. NO MORE pain. NO MORE doubt. NO MORE fear. There is NEVER a day that goes by that we have to walk around defeated. We are PROMISED victory. Regardless of the situation or circumstance, know that WE ARE VICTORIOUS. Through our VICTORIOUS SAVIOR, WE WIN!

Much like the next time we go back and watch film of a game that was already won, remember that ALL of our “contests” in life are won and that we forever remain WINNERS in Christ Jesus, our One and ONLY champion. As much as we would hate for our players to walk around defeated before a contest, how much more does our Father want for us to avoid the same mindset? Rest in His promise of victory today, and always.

Have a winning day!