Mr. Triumph and Mr. Defeat

Scripture:

Philippians 1:20-23 "I can hardly wait to continue on my course. I don't expect to be embarrassed in the least. On the contrary, everything happening to me in this jail only serves to make Christ more accurately known, regardless of whether I live or die. They didn't shut me up; they gave me a pulpit! (21) Alive, I'm Christ's messenger; dead, I'm his bounty. Life versus even more life! I can't lose. (22) As long as I'm alive in this body, there is good work for me to do. If I had to choose right now, I hardly know which I'd choose. (23) Hard choice! The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better"

Observation:

Where do we get the idea that everybody will appreciate us? We didn't get it from Jesus. He said that His blessings are reserved for the "persecuted" and "reviled" (Matthew 5:11). As author Bob Gass says, "If you have thin skin, life will give you a rough time, and your critics will find you an easy target. Endurance is the secret—not popularity!"

Look at what Paul endured in order to fulfill his life's goal. Desertion by his friends, ugly letters from the Corinthians, disappointment with the Galatians, mistreatment in Philippi, mocking in Athens, imprisonment and beheading in Rom. And I complain?

Today's Scripture was written by Paul in PRISON. What are you going to do with a man like that? His strength comes from within and is not diminished by the things that surround him.

Everybody wants what successful people have. The problem is that most of us don't want to do what they did in order to get it. When it comes to success there's no carpet on the racetrack, and no bed of roses on the battlefield.

All of us have our battlegrounds. Everybody you meet is struggling at some level. And while nobody pins a medal on us for winning, nothing can diminish the satisfaction of knowing that you didn't quit!

I read about a boy who had lost his right hand in an accident. When the doctor asked him about his handicap, he replied, "I don't have a handicap, I just don't have a right hand!" Later the doctor discovered that he was one of the leading scorers on his high school basketball team. It's not what you've lost, it's what you have left that counts!

Application:

Chuck Swindoll says, "Your mind is a thought factory. It produces thousands of thoughts each day. This factory is controlled by one of two foremen, Mr. Triumph and Mr. Defeat.

"Mr. Defeat specializes in producing reasons why you CAN handle whatever comes your way, why you're more than able to conquer. But Mr. Defeat is an expert at producing reasons why you CAN'T succeed, and why you should give in and give up."

"Both are instantly obedient; at your signal they snap to attention. Give a positive signal, and Mr. Triumph will throw the switches and see to it that one encouraging, uplifting thought after another floods your mind. But turn Mr. Defeat loose, and in the name of reality or common sense he'll convince you that you CAN'T or WON'T or SHOULDN'T. He'll drain all your energy, squelch all your confidence, and turn you into a frowning, tight-lipped, fatalistic victim.

"Happiness is not a matter of intelligence, age, or position. No, it's a matter of RIGHT THINKING. Your joy is directly related to the thoughts you've deposited in your memory bank. You can only draw out what you've put in."

Very true! What kind of performance would your car give if you kept putting dirt into the gas tank? The same is true of your life! But you say, "I have so many problems!"

You don't have more problems than other people, you just THINK about them more often! Change how you think and you'll change how you feel!

Prayer:

"Lord, help me to make a decision every day to let "Mr. Triumph" influence my thinking. Forgive me for the times I have allowed a defeated mentality to rule my thoughts and mind. I choose to think on whatever things are true, just, pure, lovely, of good report, excellent, and praise worthy. When I do this, I will have an attitude that you can use to influence those I come in contact with today. My faith is in you, and I trust you! In Jesus name, amen!"

Blessings!

Pastor Rusty