And the Winner is...

1 John 5:4 “For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.” (NLT)

Who doesn’t love winning?  Winning is the best! “If you’re not first, you are last.”  (Ricky Bobby, Talladega Nights)  There’s nothing like savoring the taste of sweet victory of contests in school, games at baby showers, Wii with my kids. I L-O-V-E to W-I-N.  On occasion, my desire to win has gotten out of hand.  I am so competitive that I actually can be obnoxious.  OK, not can be, I am obnoxious.  To deal with that issue, I try not to play many games.  It has been many years since I have had that feeling in my gut. It is an all or nothing feeling that comes when I am in the thick of battle. 

Imagine my delight when I came across 1 John 5:4, which says, “For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.” (NLT)  *insert fist pump* I love that satan is a confirmed loser. I adore that every situation that the enemy thought would destroy my health, my finances, my calling, my destiny, etc., God turns around for my good and for His glory.  (Romans 8:28)  Every evil intention, every destructive plan directed towards me, and every malevolent objective, God has already purposed for my good. (Genesis 50:20)

I am a winner!  You are a winner! God declared in His eternal Word that His children defeat the world.  All of the ugliness, despair, hatred, violence and abuse is defeated.  We annihilate it.  The enemy does not have the final say. While we do not fight the battle, we control whether we are going to believe. Our faith catapults us from underdog to victor. 

Believing Jesus when everything looks hopeless, hoping in Him when there is nothing left, trusting God when everyone else has let us down, and looking for His glimmer of light in the darkness are the things that make us winners. Knowing what God says about me is the motivation I need to keep believing in Him because He says, “And the winner is, Jenni.”