I prayed as he walked into the batter's box.
"Please, Lord, just this once, let him at least hit the ball.
" All season long, he'd been in a slump, not even able to make contact.
WHACK! The sound of the bat as it connected with the ball let me know it was a good solid hit.
He ran the bases with all the energy and speed he could muster--first base, second base--come on, Josh, you can do it--rounding third base on his way home, the cheers coming from the bleachers blending in with my own cries of jubilation.
I ran to the dugout, and he met me there, his eyes shining, his face glowing, a smile that could light the entire East Coast.
The second time he did it, we met again in the dugout.
This time we were both crying and laughing at the same time.
So what if it was only T-ball? It was a victorious moment, and one I'll never be able to forget.
(Sorry, Josh, it's a mom thing.
) Did you know that's how God wants us to live? Not just some of the time, but all the time? As Christians, the victory has already been won for us.
As pilgrims in this foreign world that is not our home, it's so easy to be defeated and to walk around with burdens and downcast faces.
We're all prone to it.
But when we allow that to happen, we're giving the world a negative impression of what it means to be a Christian.
"With God we will gain the victory, and He will trample down our enemies.
" (Psalm 60:12, NIV) If we give in to defeat, then Satan wins.
In order to keep that from happening, we need to first of all remember who the enemy is.
His name is Satan, and he's a liar and a thief (John 8:44; 10:10).
We may want to label our circumstances or other people as the enemy, but you can be sure that Satan is at the bottom of it.
Next we need to realize that God has already won the victory (I Cor.
15:57).
We need to be convinced that Christ has completed the work that leads to victory.
The other thing we need to do is recognize that as believers we belong to God.
He's already accomplished what we couldn't do, by reconciling us to Himself through the blood of Jesus, making us co-heirs with Christ! We also need to recognize that through our disobedience to God, we turn our backs on God and break the fellowship that brings that victory.
I don't know where you are in your spiritual journey.
You may just be stepping up to the plate.
You may have already made contact.
You may be rounding the bases even now.
No matter where you are, remember the victory that is ours in Christ.
Every step we take leads us closer to home!
"Please, Lord, just this once, let him at least hit the ball.
" All season long, he'd been in a slump, not even able to make contact.
WHACK! The sound of the bat as it connected with the ball let me know it was a good solid hit.
He ran the bases with all the energy and speed he could muster--first base, second base--come on, Josh, you can do it--rounding third base on his way home, the cheers coming from the bleachers blending in with my own cries of jubilation.
I ran to the dugout, and he met me there, his eyes shining, his face glowing, a smile that could light the entire East Coast.
The second time he did it, we met again in the dugout.
This time we were both crying and laughing at the same time.
So what if it was only T-ball? It was a victorious moment, and one I'll never be able to forget.
(Sorry, Josh, it's a mom thing.
) Did you know that's how God wants us to live? Not just some of the time, but all the time? As Christians, the victory has already been won for us.
As pilgrims in this foreign world that is not our home, it's so easy to be defeated and to walk around with burdens and downcast faces.
We're all prone to it.
But when we allow that to happen, we're giving the world a negative impression of what it means to be a Christian.
"With God we will gain the victory, and He will trample down our enemies.
" (Psalm 60:12, NIV) If we give in to defeat, then Satan wins.
In order to keep that from happening, we need to first of all remember who the enemy is.
His name is Satan, and he's a liar and a thief (John 8:44; 10:10).
We may want to label our circumstances or other people as the enemy, but you can be sure that Satan is at the bottom of it.
Next we need to realize that God has already won the victory (I Cor.
15:57).
We need to be convinced that Christ has completed the work that leads to victory.
The other thing we need to do is recognize that as believers we belong to God.
He's already accomplished what we couldn't do, by reconciling us to Himself through the blood of Jesus, making us co-heirs with Christ! We also need to recognize that through our disobedience to God, we turn our backs on God and break the fellowship that brings that victory.
I don't know where you are in your spiritual journey.
You may just be stepping up to the plate.
You may have already made contact.
You may be rounding the bases even now.
No matter where you are, remember the victory that is ours in Christ.
Every step we take leads us closer to home!