“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” — John 16:33
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For most coaches and athletes, watching game film is a crucial part of analyzing your own performance as well as preparing a game plan for future opponents.
I coached high school girls basketball in Texas for many years. After each game I would load up the VCR (OK, it was a few years ago) and watch the entire game all over again. I could feel the pain and disappointment of missed shots, wrong decisions and what I thought were bad calls from the officials.
But even though I was anxiously watching a close game, I always knew the final outcome before I started watching.
There is a whole different feel when a coach or an athlete reviews their performance from the previous game if they are watching from a standpoint of victory. That missed shot or bad pass in the first quarter doesn’t seem as significant when you already know you win in the end.
As Christians, we need to be reminded that we are fighting from victory, not for victory. Jesus has already defeated darkness and, as His followers, we win!
In Joshua 6:2-6, before the battle had even begun, God told Joshua He had delivered Jericho into Joshua’s hands: “Then the Lord said to Joshua, ‘See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men'” (v. 2).
God didn’t use normal tactics — at Jericho they marched, shouted and blew trumpets. God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). We need to stop trying to figure it out and rest in the fact that He has the victory, whether we can see it in our current situation or not.
So what does it look like to fight from victory?
1) Listen to what God is telling you to do.
2) Be ready to obey — even when you might not understand.
3) Strengthen your faith because you know who WINS!
It’s time to settle it in your heart and mind that you already have the victory through Christ.
— Melissa Motes
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