A Word from Your Mission Strategist, Steve Laughman
If you’re a sports fan in Georgia, you have gotten pretty used to losing. Whether your team is the Bulldogs, the Braves, the Falcons, or any number of other teams, we all know how it feels to get our hopes up only to be disappointed once again. So, when our team wins the World Series or the National Championship, we are more than a little excited. We celebrate the achievement as if we were on the team and scored the winning points ourselves. It feels good to win.
I am often surprised that so many Christians seem defeated. We walk around with our heads down feeling as though all is lost. We focus on the darkness around us, allowing it to determine our attitude and our mindset. Let me tell you, that is exactly what the enemy wants. If he can convince us that there is no hope, we function as though we are already out of the fight.
Praise God that our reality is victory! The Bible tells us over and over through example and instruction that our God is victorious over this world. We are called “more than conquerors.” We are told that “our faith is the victory.” We read about God conquering sin and death. And in Revelation we read about how Jesus returns and defeats Satan with a word. When we feel defeated and broken by this world, we must be reminded that our reality is not what we feel. Will we have times of sadness and grief? Yes, but we are still victorious. Will we be disappointed and discouraged? Yes, but God is still on the throne. Is sin real and are people lost without Jesus? Unfortunately, yes, but we have a Savior and a Gospel message for them.
I do not know what this year holds for you. Centennial has big plans for 2022, and our hope is to reach every goal we set. But even if we don’t, we will not lose hope. Our success is based not on what we achieve, but whether we are faithful to the God we serve. To that end, let us focus our minds on being faithful to His calling and purpose.
