Never An Underdog

This time of year is just glorious for a baseball fan. The postseason race is just around the corner and the teams are giving it their all to clench their spot. Rival meets rival and each and every game and at bat matters.

In matters of baseball, my dad and I like to root for the underdog. Is there anything more inspiring than seeing the “little guy” win against the huge, overfunded bully? I think not.

One of my favorite “underdog” Bible stories is, you guessed it, David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17). In physical appearances, David was the “under dog”. Do you have some situations that cause you to feel like the underdog? Is there a situation you are facing that makes you feel like the weaker little guy? I want to encourage you to see yourself with the eyes of God like David did.

David would have chickened out if he took in the size of his muscles in comparison to Goliath’s. He would have backed away in fear if he estimated his height against the giant’s. He would have given up hope if he looked at the odds. But did David do that? No! He kept His eyes on God!

The passage (1 Samuel 17:32-37) says:

32 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”

33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”

34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

David was not looking at himself or his physical situation at all. He was looking at it all through the eyes of the spirit. He saw a giant bullying God’s people and speaking against God Most High. In David’s spirit rose up his champion, never-an-underdog attitude. In his spirit rose up the truth of the matter: Goliath may have had every physical advantage but God was on David’s side and that was what was going to lead David to victory.

Some of you who know my family know that currently we are facing our own fight of faith. In physical terms it may have first appeared like we were a full out underdog. Are we entertaining those thoughts? No way! The physical realm tries to intimidate, but God, in His mercy, continues to help us open our eyes day by day and see ourselves as the victors in Christ! We see ourselves not from the natural standpoint but from the eyes of the spirit. We see ourselves not as the under dog but as the champion- the overcomer! We will receive the full victory just like David did, because we have the God of the universe on our side.

I want to encourage you friend to see with the eyes of the Lord in any situation you are facing. You may be in the middle of ‘the fight of your life” and looking at yourself you may think you measure up as lesser, weaker, or unknowledgeable or capable of dealing with the challenge that is before you. That is you in your own strength. I want you to shake off the “underdog” mentality and realize that you:

Are more than a conquer in Christ (Romans 8:37)
Can do all things through Christ who gives you strength (Philippians 4:13)
We walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7)
He set the world into motion (Isaiah 45:18) and he backs you up when you step out in faith
He is not going to leave you hanging
He is not going to fail you or leave you begging for help (Psalm 37:25)
He is the God of the universe and when you go “up to bat” it is actually him backing you up.

Yes, maybe your past put you in an underdog position. Maybe your lack of schooling, experience, money, or position tries to put you down. Or a sickness or problem has tried to rise up and bully you. All weakness stand aside when God comes up to bat. It is His power in you that causes you to overcome.

Here’s the passage of David overcoming Goliath (1 Samuel 17:45-51):

45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

51 David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.

It’s vital that we rise up with an attitude like David! It’s of the utmost importance that we get our eyes off of how small or incapable we may “appear” to be and get so centered on the truth of who God is that we step out as a champion in Christ, backed by the full out spirit of him who raised the dead (Romans 8:11)! This situation, this victory is not up to you, your talents, or abilities. It is up to God.

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
1 Corinthians 15:57

Jesus Christ, Number #1, all position player, with the perfect track record is up to bat.

He has never known a loss and never will.

And we are on His team!

Hooray!

So that means we can start marching around, yes even though we may appear in the physical to be the underdog, we can march around with an attitude that is big! It’s an attitude that says: My God is coming through for me. Just wait and see!

And it is with those words that faith rises in your heart.

I encourage you today— say it to yourself when you rise:

I am more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus!

He is working all things together of my good!

My prayer for you today: God, I pray for my friends, that they would rise up like David this week. I pray that you would help them surrender their physical “limitations” and get their eyes on you and realize that in you, they are the overcomers! They are champions! Holy Spirit, rise up in each one of us this week. Help us see ourselves according to the spirit, according to our position in Christ. We claim victory in each and every situation we face this week, not because of our strength or abilities, but because you, the God of the Universe are on our side. And according to the Word, you have already given us the victory! So we stand and enforce that truth even when the odds look against us or when discouragement tries to enter in. We are more than conquerers in Christ Jesus! The enemy must run away! He is already defeated. So we bless your name, God, and thank you for leading every battle we fight, knowing that You have already won! Amen.

Until next time,