[moldbreakers]

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to be in Memphis, Tennessee for a thrilling basketball game between my North Carolina Tar Heels and the Wildcats of Kentucky. For those of you that are not basketball fans (what’s wrong with you, it’s March!) the last seconds of the game are here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmtSeA4_qC0

It was heart-pounding, sweat-beading, edge-of-the-seat moment as Luke Maye’s shot left his hands and travelled toward the rim. Sitting in those stands, it felt like an eternity as the ball rotated through the air until finally…

Swish.

As a North Carolina fan, it felt like I was a part of the victory. As I watched the players subsequently cut down the nets, I felt an intense passion and celebratory emotion – as if I was part of the team, playing in and winning the game. It was a great memory, and I was more than happy to claim the victory along with the other powder-blue wearing fanatics next to me. We all had a sense of pride, accomplishment and achievement. To the victor belongs the spoils, as they say.

But that’s not even close to the greatest victory I’ve been a part of. But, for some reason, I am much slower in claiming this particular victory.

I’ll admit that life is not easy. Sometimes I feel like my life is just moments of trying to survive in between spells of doubt, disaster, mistakes, sin, foolishness, apathy and unhappiness. But that is because I am not looking at life through the eyes of victory. Think about that winning feeling. It makes everything else in your day so much better when you experience a victory in your life. I felt great for at least 36 hours after that basketball game. I need to remind myself daily that my team wins! But this time, I’m not talking about UNC.

Jesus Christ defeated sin and death, overcoming the whole world in a battle that had eternal consequences for you and me. If you believe in Jesus and have made him your Lord and Savior, you are a winner because of Jesus’s death on the cross. That’s a life changing win! It changes our life because it gives us eternal life; this changes our life each moment because it takes our viewpoint from momentary to eternal. It makes the day-to-day struggles and pains of life temporary. We don’t have to focus on the now – we can focus on the forever.

I’d much rather complain about bills, school, over-scheduling, busyness at work, uncertainty of life, impossible decisions, relationships, etc., but the fact is that those things are not everlasting. Even trials, tribulations, hard times, persecution, and injustice – all those things will come to an end.

The enemy wants to convince you that you are a loser. This is a lie.

Remind yourself: you are a winner.

We may still taste the consequences of the battle, but the war is over. Jesus wins, and we share in the victory. The spoils of this war are peace, love, hope, eternal life, and the security in knowing that this triumph lasts forever. Jesus took your punishment for sin. Now you are free from sin and death, a child of God who can stand proud as a fanatic follower of Jesus Christ. You have victory. Claim this victory, and let that change the way you view your life. Jesus already took care of the biggest problem mankind has ever seen – as a member of the winning team we can trust Him with the other problems too. Jesus has our victory, and because of his love for us, you can have it, too.

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33