I had a disturbing thought recently: We are destined to lose. I’ve read the Bible and I know how this war ends. God wins. We win. But this battle we fight today? We are destined to lose. God’s will for our lives is we continue the mission of Jesus. We are to bring the Kingdom of God down to earth. It is our job to model the love of Jesus and proclaim the incredible truth of God’s character to every person we encounter.
Unfortunately, the Bible makes it clear things will get worse before they get better. We live in dark, evil times. Many think these are the last days. We are not to the first to think this way; most generations before us believed the same for their own lifetime. The fact is, until Jesus returns, we are fighting what at least appears to be a losing battle.
Ah, but appearances can be deceiving. All those losses are actually paving the way to victory. When a single soul repents and turns to Jesus, we have snatched victory from defeat. No matter how bloodied and devastated we might be from the battle, we can know we have won. In fact, we win even if not one person turns to God as an obvious result of our efforts. We have sown the seeds for others to come and water (1 Corinthians 3:6-9). We have paved the way for the next person and the next generation to bring the light of Christ into that particular area of darkness.
So while it may seem on the surface we are destined to lose, in reality we are laying the groundwork for the ultimate victory of Christ. This is why it’s so easy to get discouraged as we work for Jesus. We aren’t seeing the victories. We see a world growing darker and more evil by the day no matter what we do. Ultimately, if Jesus does not return before we die, it will certainly appear we have lost. Rest assured, this is far from the case.
Whenever it appears you are losing ground, remember, God cannot be defeated. He is able to perfectly anticipate every decision and every maneuver of the enemy. He is the ultimate strategist and always has a way to turn our apparent losses into big wins for the Kingdom. Our job Is simply to stay faithful to His commands and His calling.
To the world looking on, we do indeed appear to be destined to lose. We have thousands of generations behind us who have turned away from God, which has resulted in a world getting more evil by the minute. The good news is we bring hope to their despair. We bring light into their darkness. By demonstrating the love and character of God, we push back the forces of evil and offer a way out for the lost masses in our world. We sacrifice ourselves for the glory of God and in this way have a part in laying the foundation for His Kingdom when it comes. In the world’s eyes, we are destined to lose. But we know better. God is on our side, and we are destined to win.