Winning at all cost...

As a people winning seems to be in our DNA.  I would even take it a step further and say that as Americans winning seems to be the only thing that matters.  Who's first?  Who is on top?  No one really cares about second place right?  And why should they?  No one wants to be labeled a loser; and no one wants to admit defeat.  People will push harder and fight longer just to not be labeled second place, or third, or fourth.  Beauty Pageants turn ugly real quick when it comes to the ladies wanting to claim that first place prize.

Adrenaline kicks in and it almost seems like animal like instinct takes over when your status seems to be threatened.  People will train for years for the Olympics just for their one shot to be named number one and get that gold status.  But when it comes to the most important prize of all; we tend to get lazy.  To have Christ is the ultimate plateau; the ultimate status.  But alas in this world the prize of Christ doesn't hold any weight, why?  Perhaps one reason is you can't see Christ with your physical eye and this world is firm standing on if I can't see it then I don't believe it.  Or maybe because everyone is not clawing or training or even hungry to win Christ.

We seem to only want Christ as the "gotta have it" prize when our lives are in danger; when things are all out of control and falling apart.  Then we want Christ; however we don't want to give him the glory and the praise.  To obtain Christ doesn't take great effort, but keeping Him on our part does require persistence, training and a hunger to achieve this.  God in His infinite wisdom knows this and even though He knows that this world is enticing and the flesh is weak He gives us the greatest training assistance "tool" ever; His Holy Spirit.

Right before Jesus is arrested and sentenced to death He tells the disciples that He "must go" (John 16:7).  Did you catch that?  He must go is what He said; not because His time on this earth is ending, but because by Him going we win!!  By Christ leaving us in the flesh we get the inside track/scoop.  Check this out; you can hear His love for us in these few verses..

"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  When the Spirit of truth comes, "he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.  He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.  All that the Father has is mine; therefor I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.  (John 16:12-15)

In this passage right here Christ declared several things.  One; what the Father has is his also, and two; the Holy Spirit receives what is under Christs authority.  It says it right there in verse 14: He will take what is mine and declare it to you.  This is the promise of the greatest "trump card" for our success in this life.  I will even take it a step further.  In 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 the Apostle Paul speaks on wisdom from the spirit.

...God has revealed to us through the Spirit.  For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.  For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him?  So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.  Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.  (1 Corinthians 2:10-12)

You want to know how to make it in this life; it's through God's Spirit.  You want to understand why you are here; it's through God's Spirit.  You want to understand God's plan for this life; it's through God's Spirit.  But here's the kicker; we don't want to know.  We want to know how to pay our light bill; we want to know how are we going to feed our children when money is tight; we want to know how in the world are we going to get gas and groceries when we only have money for one.  The answer is still the same;  it is through God's Spirit.

The answers are in God's word, the bible which is spiritually inspired, and his Spirit.  You want to win, it is through Christ's Spirit that is living inside the believer.  Christ's Spirit is not given to the unbeliever.  I mean think about it really, we are in a fallen world born in sin and He is just going to give everyone this special gift.  Noooo He may want to, but that would contradict His word.  And the word of God does not contradict itself.  Jesus says "I am the way the truth and the life, no one shall come unto the Father but by me" (John 14:6).  So let's get this straight shall we.

God's Spirit knows the inner secrets of God.  In order to get God's Spirit I have to go to Christ.  In order to get Christ I have to believe In Christ.  This is how we win!!  No one not even the Bible said winning would come easy (John 15:18).  Just in the few verses posted you understand the beginning steps to winning in this life.  You want answers; get God's Spirit.  You want peace; get God's Spirit.  You want to be stress free; get God's Spirit.  You want to get over your sexual lusts and desires? The answers are right there for the asking. We receive power and knowledge from the source himself.

People always wondering why it seems like Christians can just walk through this life and not have a worry in the world.  This is why; right here this is the reason why we can do so.  We have the inner workings of God's Spirit living within us giving us the "inside scoop" on his plan for our lives.  No longer do we sit in darkness wondering; why does everything around me seem to be crumbling?  Our trust in God's Spirit means we trust what he says and since his Spirit knows the inner workings of God we know we are getting sound advice.

You've got to want it.  You've got to want to win bad enough that you will forsake all to obtain Christ (Matt 19:29).  And that brothers and sisters is how we being to grow closer to Christ.....and that is how we win!!!