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Have you ever watched a sporting event and the team you were watching was down a player? Maybe not enough people showed up. Maybe the remaining players on the bench had already fouled out of the game. Regardless of the situation, it can be intimidating. All of a sudden, what was once a level playing field becomes a lopsided match. The team with less players looks at their opponents and think, “Wow. This doesn’t seem fair. They have such a big advantage, now.”

In 2 Kings 6, we read about Elisha, who was greatly disliked by the king of Syria because he had warned the king of Israel about the nearby Syrian army. One morning, when Elisha and his servant woke up, they found themselves surrounded by Syrian horses and chariots looking for him. As we read the verses above, we discover that Elisha’s servant was scared. He was focused on what he saw in front of him, and it looked like they were “down a player.” But Elisha encouraged his servant by reminding him that God’s side was bigger and stronger than the other side.

In verse 17, God reveals to Elisha’s servant the spiritual battle he couldn’t see and the greatness of His divine army: “Then Elisha prayed, ‘LORD, please open his eyes and let him see.’ So the LORD opened the servant’s eyes. He looked and saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

In our own spiritual lives, it may feel like we’re always playing defense. We’re just hoping to contain our sin and not let the enemy run up the score. And the world will only tell us that we are losing.

On our own, it’s true; we can’t win the fight. But, just like Elisha and his servant, we can be encouraged: Our God didn’t just defeat sin and death, He overcame it! Because He did we walk in perpetual victory! Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose again from the grave, winning the war so we didn’t have to. And because the same power that conquered the grave lives in us, we are more than victorious through our relationship with Him!

As it says in 1 John 4:4, the One who is in us is greater than the one who is in the world. Just because we can’t physically see the spiritual battles around us doesn’t mean that our God hasn’t already won them. Today, be encouraged by knowing that, even when times look bleak and dim, God wins. And because you are on His team, you get to experience that victory right along with Him.

God bless and go Cats!

Rev. Scott Murphy is the Pastor at the First Christian Church in Russellville.