You are a “Born Loser” However, you weren’t “Born to Lose”

Last night like most Steelers fans I watched my beloved Steelers lose Super Bowl XV. First and foremost, hats off to the Green Bay Packers who played a near flawless game. They were the better team and quite frankly deserved to win. And hats off to my Steelers as well as no one expected them to even be in the Super Bowl this year, much less make it a great game.
I must admit that the loss has not put me down in the dumps as it did in 1995 when we lost to the Cowboys. Maybe it’s because I am content to have 3 Super Bowl appearances and two victories in the past 6 years; or maybe it’s because I am a little more mature and realize there are more important things to be upset about than a Steelers loss. Or maybe it’s because I have come to learn that it is through defeat that some of the most incredible victories have come.

You see, I am a born loser, and I’ve been losing all of my life. I literally can’t win for losing! And I’m not just talking about the many stupid mistakes of made… and no, I’m not referring to losing my hair either! I’m talking about the fact that I was born a sinner, a rebel against the very nature, will, and purposes of God. I was born defeated; but I was created to win.

I don’t know about you, but defeat can get the best of me. I experience a couple of defeats and I begin acting like, and living like a loser. “That’s just the way I am, I can’t help but to do such and such, be so and so.” And before we know it we live our lives in the constant agony of defeat. We literally begin to convince ourselves that we were not only born a loser, we were born to lose! And that’s just not the case at all.

“Ok, here it comes! The religious part of this little note here...” I can hear some of you saying that, and you know what? You’re kinda right. However, there really is no victory in religion in of itself. Victory only comes through a relationship; a relationship with the only one who could have, and did defeat this rebellious spirit that we are all born into called sin; a relationship with Jesus Christ.

When a person comes to realize that it is only through Jesus that they can be free from the penalty of sin, and that He is the only way for their “broken relationship” (because of their sin) with God to be restored, and in-turn they make a decision to depend on Him for their salvation; that person is called a Christian or better yet a “Disciple of Christ”. Now, just because a person is a Disciple of Christ doesn’t mean they don’t or won’t sin; what it does mean is that their sins past, present, and future, have been completely forgiven.

Now, I must add here that although our sins have been forgiven there are still consequences for our sin. When you touch a hot stove, you are going to get burnt and you are going to feel the pain associated with touching that hot stove. And just like with the stove, sin can often times leave us with consequences that are often painful and long lasting. Sometimes the consequences of sin can leave scars, incredible pain, and even have life-long effects. You see, just because we are forgiven doesn’t mean we have a license to sin. In fact, as Disciples of Christ we are called to live lives that honor God and are aligned with His will and purposes. However, this is an extremely hard thing to do because we were born losers meaning that our natural tendency is to sin, to rebel against God. And let me just say that I truly believe that when a Christian sins, or is living in sin, the scars and pain are even more severe.

So, how do we experience victory? Let’s look back at that Steelers game last night, and from that game I want to give you:

5 KEYS TO VICTORY FOR A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST

1. Believe and live like the victory is already in hand.

The night before the packers won the Super Bowl, their coach had them fitted for their SB rings! He believed they were going to win, and they did just that!

1 Corinthians 15:57 - But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

2. Stick to the game plan.

Even though during the game the Packers lost several players to injury, they kept to their game plan and doing so kept them on the path to victory. Our game plan is found in God’s Word. As Christians, we struggle constantly with the idea that we can do it better, get there faster, and that we’ll be “ok” doing it “our way”… WRONG! God’s way is always best. Get to know the play book (His Word) and stick to the game plan!

Psalms 119:105 - Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.

3. Don’t give the enemy a chance to score.

The more you fumble, make poor choices, do stupid (yes stupid) stuff, like hand the enemy the ball, the better the chance you’re going to lose!

Ephesians 4:27 – And do not give the devil a foothold.

4. Don’t give up.

No matter how defeated you feel that you are, don’t give up! I thought for sure we were toast in the AFC Championship game against Baltimore. However, the Steelers didn’t give up and in a year no one gave them a chance they made it to the Super Bowl!

Philippians 3:13&14 - Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

5. Learn from your defeat and use it to be victorious next time.

The Steelers will be back and will compete for a Championship next year, I believe it! They have to believe it and we fans have to believe it, otherwise we might as well just give up, right? If anything the pain and scars of defeat should remind us where we don’t want to be and where we do want to be! Don’t let defeat have the last word. Let defeat encourage you to victory!

Romans 8:31-39 - What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Blessings,

PCW