Faith When the Game Is on the Line

1/31/2026

In every area of life. Spiritual. Business. Sport. Family. “If you don’t have the faith to have courage when the game is on the line, then you’ll never even know who you are.”

It begins with this absolute Essential. Taking control of our loose, undisciplined minds: Dismissing, and vanquishing—the evil army of doubt, fear, bitterness, negativity, comparison, jealousy, the past, the future (“what if”), pride (“what will they think”), greed, hatred, anger, unforgiveness, anxiety, judgment, undisciplined noise and static.

Those stray thoughts want to own you. Those thoughts all have rabies, leprosy; they are the Black Death plague—regardless of how “logical” they seem to loose minds and hearts unresolved into the Infinite...

Dismiss the stray, loose, controlling, eroding thoughts. Push them out. Completely and totally.

The sooner we realize we are not the only victims, that everyone is a victim, if you knew the whole story, the sooner we can turn back to the task at hand with compassion and courage instead of all that other unproductive static.

“The battle is the Lord’s,” said David, with a mocking giant in front of him, and no more than a slingshot and a river rock in hand. Give the cancerous, relentless thoughts and speculations over to Him. Let go of the brain game. Stop it. It is not you.

THIS DECISION to control our feral sleepless thoughts is where we determine who we are—who we are meant to be.

The topic here is not about being a courageous, self-protecting, or self-advancing rebel, but rather being submitted and trusting.

Sure, you could TRY to lead a quiet, sterile, riskless, conviction-less (selfish, fearful, empty) life. But, don’t. “I hope you dance.”

“If you don’t have the faith to have courage when the game is on the line, then you’ll never even know who you are.”

Supplant the loose thoughts with:

Finally, family, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are honorable, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—contemplate on these things. These do, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)

Our job is to not win, or lose, for ourselves.

“Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, ‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’

‘Neither,’ he replied, ‘but as commander of the army of the Lord, I have now come.’

Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, ‘What message does my Lord have for his servant?’” (Joshua 5:13-14)

Many of the “good things” I have worked for in life have not, or have not yet, blossomed into what I may have envisioned. And lots of “bad” things have happened. But the journey is in the trying and the sacrifice, not in “winning,” from our very limited perspective.

“For greater Purpose, I will violate protocol.”

“I will go to the king, which the law forbids. And, If I perish, I perish.” (Esther)

“May the LORD be our judge and decide between us.” (1 Samuel 24:12)