How To Win

Love you all, praying for you. 
 
I just love God’s Word – it is the standard for discernment.  If you don’t have a bar, a standard to measure truth by, trying to discern it is difficult if not impossible.  Without a bar, it’s just a sliding scale.  It’s hard to score when the goalposts constantly move.  Just a quick reminder of your New Information Filter.  Every time you hear something, or something new.  #1 Is it true?  #2 Where is the evidence?  #3 What’s in it for them?  #4 What does God say?  This filter will help you test new information, as well as old, that you’ve been believing for a while.  Growing up in basketball circles, the pressure starts early to learn to be a team player.  But there’s a difference between “You can accomplish more as a team” and ‘everyone gets a turn.’  This isn’t the petting zoo, this is basketball.  “Pass the ball” the altruistic parents yell from the stands to your kid.  What they really mean is ‘pass the ball to my kid so he can shoot.’  Why do people want to score? To win?  Or to get the most points.  Usually the latter.  Michael Jordan said something interesting.  “There is no “I” in TEAM, but there is an “I” in WIN.”  In basketball you need at least one player who is team selfish.  That will ignore the criticism “you shoot too much.”  No, you just want your kid to shoot more, but he can’t shoot.  At least one person has to have the mentality – Give me the Ball!  Otherwise, the clock runs out, and you lose.  That’s not to excuse selfishness, or poor leadership.  The quote, you can get there fast, or you can get there together… reveals the truth that more can be accomplished together than individually.  But sometimes it comes down to you.  God gives us each other - the body of Christ, to help encourage, admonish, exhort, and affirm.  He makes us interdependent as well as dependent on Him.  He knows that two are better than one.  Encourage one other daily – is a guaranteed strategy for victory.  Praying that you will invite someone for a Daily Call!   But sometimes it comes down to you.  What does WIN stand for?   W-ill-I-N-ow.   No one can obey for you.  That’s up to you.  Going together is great, but if no one will go with you, will you still go?  Will you still obey?  If no one agrees, but God told you, will you do it?  Be careful, discernment required.  Sometimes, when no one agrees (especially if you have developed a counsel circle of obeyers), there’s a reason for it.  But sometimes, God told you.  Now it’s on you.   Will  I  Now?  What did God tell you to do?   If you’re going to pass the big test, start practicing now on the little ones.  PiVAT before dinner is the best “hearing God’s voice – so you know what to obey” – practice.  It’s the best prophetic practice, the best obedience practice.  Get His plans for you for today, and by the end of the day you’ll know if you heard Him.  Especially if you do PRISM with it.  It’s how you know, it’s how He reveals… So you can prove what is that good and acceptable and complete will of God.  Romans 12:1-2.  Basketball games don’t mean much.  Those wins are soon forgotten.  But the game of life is between obedience and disobedience.  God’s Way, or man’s way.  Either you win, or the devil wins.  You can’t wait on everybody else, you can’t depend on everybody else.  Sometimes is comes down to,  will you obey.   WIN – Will  I  Now?    Praying that you will be a winner.  That every time God prompts you – you are so used to obeying in the daily – that when the moments of truth that determine life and destiny come,  that still small voice is so distinctly clear, that it’s just ‘one more day at the office.’  Like Jordan’s 63 in the Garden, or Luka’s 60-21-10.  Praying that you will WIN.  That you will learn to obey every day, that every Will I Now?  Is always that choice to obey – that becomes a win.
 
Love you all,
dad