Winning Before You Start

Deuteronomy 5:1

And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.

The Christian life is not easy, and it is not successfully lived without the believer guarding certain things in their life. When you look at the nations that Joshua and the children of Israel were about to conquer, these nations had lost the battle before the battle had begun. They lost the battle because their heart melted and they had no more spirit. It did not matter how strong these armies were; they were defeated because they did not protect their heart or their spirit.

In sports, one of the keys to defeating the opponent is defeating them before the competition starts. If you can get into the head of the opponent before you have started the competition, you will defeat them even if they are better than you. Many teams have lost before they even competed because they did not protect their heart and spirit.

The Christian life is no different. Many believers lose daily because they live defeated lives. If you are going to live a victorious Christian life, you must protect your heart. Your heart is your resolve or resolution that it can be done. If you don't believe something can be done, you have defeated yourself before you started. Having the resolve that you can do what you are about to face is critical to winning in the Christian life.

Moreover, you must protect your spirit if you are to win in the Christian life. Your spirit is your attitude and frame of mind. Your morale will be defeated if you don't protect your spirit from negativity and fear. The spirit of a man is critical to winning in the Christian life. This is why God often told His leaders to be of good courage because He understood their spirit is critical to winning. There are a few things you can do to protect these two critical areas of your life so that you are not defeated before you have fought.

First, you must protect what you hear. These nations had lost heart and spirit because of what they had heard that the LORD had done to other nations that fought Israel. You must avoid the naysayers from polluting your mind that God cannot do today what He has done in the past. What you hear does affect your heart and spirit. You cannot spend time around negative people and live victoriously at the same time.

Second, you must protect your mind. 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells the believer that they must cast down imaginations. Most of the battles you face will be in your mind. You must not allow the “what ifs” to control your life. The “what ifs” are a faith destroyer that keeps many from doing great things for God. You must cast down the “what ifs” and embrace the “I can” if you will see God work miracles through your life.

Third, have faith in God. You cannot have faith in God if you are self-focused. Get over yourself and your pity party, and by faith see what God is about to do through your life, and you will find victory. Faith is the focus that gives you the heart and the resolve that God will give you victory, and it is the cheerleader that reminds you that greater is He that is within you than he that is in the world.