Play Like A Champion

We try to appear as though made of steel. Our hurt and pain we scarcely reveal. The image we paint with words we speak, depicts us as strong and never weak. For the world demands more than we can give, seeking to rob our will to live. A champion is childlike,  born to be free, ignoring the voice “I can’t be me”.

Life is too short to go through the motions. Yet we all face battles in life that steal away childlike energy and leave us feeling like we can never recover. So we settle for not being something more and accept being something less.
A thousand decisions have made you who you are today. So the decision you make right now will determine who you can be tomorrow. Herein is an attempt to help anyone regain the power to live and master obstacles, both inward and outward.
We say we want answers but often focus more on our problems. In tough times it is easy to lapse into self-pity and a litany of excuses. We don’t even realize when a crippling attitude undermines our life and skews our personality. A troubled heart can bleed-away deep within. No one knows. No one cares. No one asks “Why?” The issue is ours alone to solve. The solution totters on the edge of whether or not one can say “Yes” to humility and “No” to pretense. It is natural to hide our struggles with pride. It is supernatural to be lifted above them by a grace that empowers us to be greater than it all. The ultimate key is the accurate understanding of the truth; reality (Greek-alethea). Truth is not relative to everyone’s beliefs. It is absolute.
Truth shows us who we really are in this world and how to become far beyond whom we ever imagined.
Jesus says “I am the truth… it is why I came” (Jn.14:6,18:37). Jesus does not squelch your personality with laws to conform to a religious system. Quite the contrary, Jesus is the living God Who yearns to come to you, right where you are in life, with the revelation of His living Father (Jn.6:57,7:37,14:6-22/ Read John 17). He promises empowerment (Mt.5:6/Acts 1:8).
His words define reality, impart clarity and resonate healing. He is waiting to personally enlighten you (Jn.1:9/Eph.1:18). But He pulls no punches. His love is confrontative so as to expose all obstacles of deception. Jesus coined the term “the world” as absolute evil (Lk.4:6,16:15/ Jn.1:10,7:7,9:5,39,12:31,15:19,18:36/Is.53/Mk.8:36/1Jn.2:15/Jm.4:4).
What in the world is “the world”? An ocean or rock? No. We are the world. There is an entity within us set to destroy us (1 Jn.2:15/Jm.4:4). It is seen when we open our eyes to a world devastated by something beyond our control. Human suffering is an epidemic. And to everyone who blames God, Jesus says “Come to Me and learn” (Mt.11:28).
The phenomenal composition of our body did not randomly formulate out of pond slime and an evolution from monkeys. Neither is Creation an ancient “fairy tale”. A magnificent God created man, Adam and Eve. They, however, defied God and despised their subservient nature, as do all men today. We are born into a human nature of SIN (Gen.3/Ps.51:5/).
in is not an occasional act. It is “the principle that evil dwells” in our blood (Rm.7:18-21/Rm.5:12,7:24). It sucks life out of our body 24/7. So the thinking that a “sinner’s prayer” or “confession” helps deal with our sin is like thinking a band aid helps cure cancer. Jesus says the slightest urge of anger is as murder (Mt.5:21ff).
Sin has physical and spiritual effects. It puts wrinkles on our face, ages our body and puts bitterness in our heart. Sin drives men into rage, despair and thoughts of suicide. Then tells them it is irrelevant to their situation. All of us are both victims and criminals. God says the whole world (all men) belongs to Satan and is “desperately sick…full of evil and insanity” (Rm.3:10/ Jer.17:9/ Eccl.9:3/ Lk.4:6/Jn.12:31/1Jn.5:19).
The Greek pronoun ego means “I am”. (Read Exodus 3:14/Jn.3:14/Num.21:8). Our ego is self-absorbed and “hostile” to God (Rm.8:7). It says “There’s nothing about God that I don’t already know or could help me. I am able to do what I want”. The truth is that sin makes you do “the very things you don’t want” (Rm.7:20).
The “experts” use pyscho-analysis and drugs to “diagnose” insecurity, depression and loneliness as “personality flaws”. But each of us feels these pains as a result of what Adam put in our nature 10,000 yrs. ago. He severed our heart from our Creator (Gen.2:17). All of us now suffer from the complexities of self-autonomy. God created us to be dependent on Him. So we are forced into decisions beyond our capacity.
Every one of our problems in life can be traced back to the nature of sin. This is good news because Jesus already destroyed it. Sin is not YOU but SOMETHING in you (Rm.7:17). If you will face the evil within, you can learn to accurately identify and effectively triumph over every struggle. At the heart of a champion is the gift of grace, by which he learns to deal with his sin in a completely OBJECTIVE and transparent attitude; FAITH (Rom.7,8/1 Cor.9:26).
Faith is the substance through which God works the “magic” of His grace (Heb.11:1). It is not in “going to ‘church'”, trying to be “good” or doing “good works” (Is.64:6). In fact, God gave Moses 10 Laws (actually 10,000-Hos.8:12) to clearly show man that he cannot be good; “there is no one good” (Rm.7:7-13,3:20/Gal.2:16). His laws have “shut up” all men under sin (Gal.3:22).
God is asking you to change your mind.
ne night, long ago, God told a man named Abraham, to do something impossible; “COUNT THE STARS” (Gen.15:7). Abraham was gripped by this God Who proposed something so far beyond him that it brought him to an attitude of desperate surrender (Rm.4). Here then, for the first time in history, God “RECKONED” a perfect life to a sinful man by a childlike decision called FAITH (Gen.17/Heb.11:1,6/Rm. 10:4-10/1 Pt.1:14).
It is not the self-righteousness seen in “Christians” today. Faith is the decision to touch the Father with absolute surrender (Rm.4:17ff). His response is the touch of grace, the energy of youth (Jn.1:17/Eph.2:8). In the desperation of recognizing our own sinfulness, faith is our unique choice to put our mouth in the dust and believe God (Lam.3:20-29/Ps.51:17/Lk.18:10).
Most people think of being a child as a time long past but our child remains within. Each of us is an “orphan” who yearns to cry “Daddy” (Jn.14:18,20:17/Rm.8:15/Gal.4:6). The voice of conscience and all creation bears witness to this truth (Eccl. 3:11/Jn.1:9/Rom.2:15,1:20/1 Cor.10:25-29).
Real faith brings the playful “laughter” of a child (“Isaac”/Gen.17:17).
Isaiah foretold of “a little boy” Who would lead us to “an everlasting Father” (Is.9:6/11:6). This is the story of the Son Who came to earth to beckon all who hear; “Become a child…enter My kingdom…behold My Father…”(Mt.18:3/ Jn. 17:14).
alvation is not a commodity; “Been there, done that”. It is the decision to live in the living Jesus; to bear His rejection and love Him for all that He did. Jesus knew that He alone had to provide the atonement to cover and counterbalance the original sin of Adam (Rm.5:12).
Jesus was touched by everything that touches us but remained untouched (Heb.4:15/Is.53:3). He become a subservient Servant and the sacrificed Lamb Who substituted His pure blood for ours (Phil.2:7). He bore all our depravity in His human nature (1 Pt.2:22,3:18).
On the cross Jesus cried out “Father,where are You?”. His eyes, full of agony, scanned the heavens for His eternal Companion. But the Father had to look away. Jesus, Who knew no sin, became sin (Mk.15:34/2 Cor.5:21/ 1 Pt.2:24/Phil.2).
His words “It is finished” finalized, in the heavenly realm, the blood transaction of a ransom to Satan for the rights to our soul (Jn.19:30/1Pt.3:18/Mt.10:28/Heb.9:11f). His perfect obedience appeased the wrath of a holy God and won forgiveness for all sin past, present and future (Heb.7:27). Jesus overcame all problems in Adam’s race by inaugurating the resurrection race. Through His resurrection, Jesus became the First Born from the dead (Jn.11:25/Rev.1:5/Heb.12:1).
Forgiveness and freedom from sin are not gained by self-purification and trying to be a good Christian. They are “reckoned” to any unrighteous man as a gift of God through faith (Eph.2:8/Phil.3:9/Jn.8:32/1Jn.3:9). You have lived the ways of Adam. Now you must be “born again” to learn the life-giving ways of the “second Adam” (Jn.3:3,4:24/1 Cor.15:45/2 Cor.5:17).
This revelation is specifically designed for a child (Rm.1:17/Mt.11:25/Gal.1:12). Paul says “I run in such a way…” to be a champion (1 Cor.9:26/Heb.12:1). It is as near to you as your free will (Rm.10:9/Jn.6:40). Faith is the energy of God that pumps the heart of a champion with the vision “Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world…” (1 Jn.4:4,5:3).
Pay the price for new life (Jn.12:25/Lk.14:26). Eternal life is worth it! Faith is the end and the beginning (Rm.10:4/Gal.2:16). Nothing to fear. Everything to gain (Luke 15/Gal.4:6). Jesus declares “I have overcome the world” (Jn.16:33).
Don’t sell your one chance at life to the world or Chri$tianity. The so-called “Christians” remain self-absorbed and fixated on the mantra “‘church’, ‘church’, ‘church'” to cover their laziness and justify the place where they hide from accountability (Pr.24:11-12/Mt.7:21/Mk.7:6/Joel 3:14). Fat-cat preachers hoot and holler about sin while bound within by ego and greed (see the true church-Acts 4:32-37,17:24/2 Cor.6:14/Jn.4:21ff).
Satan has corrupted the “Christian” and secular systems through peer pressure and mass conformity. A degree from The Youniversity of Selfland hypes “The American Dream” but leaves all in a nightmare of debt, disillusionment and despair. TV, movies and songs sizzle with an image of marriage as bliss but 70% end in divorce. Modern witchcraft has no cauldron or pointed hat, just a vexing and contentious woman who manipulates others (Ecc.7:26/1Tim.2:12/1Pt.3:4/Mal.2:16). Men today are utterly passive and obsessed with work. As a result, the children suffer greatly.
The world is crafting a rhetoric of ‘tolerant love’ to advocate the mass acquiescence to lawlessness and madness. Passive acceptance of marijuana, homosexuality, Mormonism, Islam and all other religions, exposes the insidious deception of these last days. Soon unimaginable wrath shall fall upon this world. Let me assure you, this is no fairy tale or scare tactic (2 Pt.3:12/Rev. 16).
My six adult children, wife and I proclaim Jesus in some of the worst prisons in the world. Recently in South America, we stayed overnight and listened to cries echoing in the courtyard. As we gazed out a window, we were shocked to see several prisoners desperately trying to escape. Sirens, guards, dogs and gunshots were everywhere.
That night was a metaphor of a world imprisoned by sin (2Tim.2:26). Every man is trapped in his own cage. Jesus holds the key. Each of us is accountable, under the threat of hell, to forsake wealth, help the poor and “free the captives” (Mt.24:41/Is.61:1/Lk.6:24). Jesus is the sole Mediator of such good works, born not of ego, obligation or guilt, but predestined by His Spirit (Eph.2:10/Jn.5:29/Rev.3:15/1Tim.2:5/Is.64:6).
No need for a “sinner’s prayer” or “altar call”. Give yourself fully to Jesus and He will give Himself fully to you. Then, in His love, “Go into all the world…”. Jesus says “you shall be hated by the world as I am hated”(Jn.17:14). Be a witness not a coward (Mt.11:28/Mk.12:30,16:15/Acts 1:8). His Holy Spirit is well able to fully equip His ‘child’ to conquer all obstacles (Jn.14:16,16:13/Rm.8/1 Jn.2:27,4:4, 5:3). Look to the stars. Faith will lead you “home” (Jn.14:23).There are moments in life that define you and moments that you define. Let God take over your moments. He will define you “Champion!” (Jer.20:11/Rm.8:36)