LET US STUDY: HOW TO LOSE?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
I have seen several studies on how to win?
I even saw a book the title was clear... GOD WANTS YOU TO WIN..
I saw another book about DIETING FOR JESUS, GOD DOES NOT WANT ANY
FATTIES.
PEOPLE TEND TO TAKE LIFE AS A GAME... WE ARE JUST ACTORS ON
A STAGE. WE TAKE GAMES SO SERIOUSLY THAT WE CHEAT AND LIVE
IN ANGER...
I. WE ARE HEADED TOWARD FAILURE VERY FAST WHEN WE ARE FOREVER
JUDGING AND PUTTING OTHERS DOWN.
Matthew 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall
be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the
beam that is in thine own eye?
A. Sometimes we need to realize: IT IS NOT HOW YOU FALL...
IT IS HOW YOU GET UP...
B. LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT A LOSING COACH...
John Killinger told about a coach in MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL...
This coach was SO DISGUSTED WITH HIS CENTER FIELDER'S GAME EFFORTS,
THAT THE COACH ORDERED THE CENTER FIELDER INTO THE DUG OUT...
AND THE COACH SAID:
" I AM GOING TO SHOW YOU HOW A REAL CENTER FIELDER PLAYS THE
GAME."
SO THE COACH GRABBED A GLOVE AN ASSUMED THE CENTER FIELD
POSITION. He then said: PLAY BALL.
1. There was a ball hit to center field, the coach was waiting to grab the ball
when the ball took a BAD HOP, and the ball SMASHED into the coach's mouth
and bloodied his lips.
2. A few plays later, a batter hit a REAL HIGH FLY TO CENTER FIELD...
The ball got lost in the SUN LIGHT'S GLARE, and the baseball
BOUNCED OFF THE COACH'S FOREHEAD...
3. Later in the game, the ball was pitched and the batter stepped up and
hit a line drive. Well, seems you know the story, the line drive headed to
center field... The coach started running full speed to CHARGE THE BALL
IN MID AIR. The hard baseball went right between the coach's stretched
out arms and THE BALL SMACKED THE COACH AND BRUISED AND
SWELLED HIS RIGHT EYE real bad...
When the inning was over the coach came into the dug out and cornered his
star center fielder. The coach grabbed the player by his uniform and screamed
at his player:
" LOOK YOU BIG IDIOT! YOU HAVE CENTER FIELD SO MESSED UP
THAT EVEN I CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITH IT!"
C. Don't jump on me and embarrass me in front of others.
SHOW ME... TELL ME... TEACH ME... WITH GREAT UNDERSTANDING
D. SURE, BE DIRECT AND STERN, BUT SHOW WISDOM...
TREAT OTHERS AS YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED...
Matthew 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,
do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
II. I CAN TELL YOU HOW TO LOSE BIG... I AM PRETTY GOOD AT BEING A LOSER.
ANOTHER TOOL IN THE TOOL BOX THAT WILL HELP YOU LOSE IS THE
BLAME GAME...
Genesis 3:12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave
me of the tree, and I did eat.
13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the
woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
A. In CHRISTIANITY TODAY, Philip Yancey wrote about BLAMING OTHERS...
1. When Princess DIANA died in the car wreck in the tunnel, a TV PRODUCER
called and invited Philip: CAN YOU COME TO APPEAR ON OUR SHOW?
WE WANT YOU TO EXPLAIN HOW GOD COULD POSSIBLY ALLOW SUCH
A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT?
Nothing was said about a DRUNK DRIVER?
1. a BIG PARTY?
2. a HIGH SPEED of travel?
3. a SEX CHARGED environment?
2. In the 1994 Winter Olympics there was a SPEED SKATER named
Dan Jansen. Dan lost the race.
His wife was crying on TV, and said: WHY, GOD, WHY AGAIN?
GOD YOU CAN'T BE THAT CRUEL?
Dan had dropped his hand and scraped the ice, this gesture caused him to slow
down by several seconds.
It was not Dan's fault he lost? Dan should not have lowered his hand?
WHY BLAME GOD?
3. DOCTOR JAMES DOBSON tells the story of receiving a letter from a young
woman. The young woman was angry and blamed God for her problems...
She wrote: "FOUR YEARS AGO I WAS DATING A MAN AND I MOVED IN WITH
HIM, I BECAME PREGNANT. I WAS DEVASTED!"
I asked God: WHY HAVE YOU ALLOWED THIS TO HAPPEN TO ME?"
She never addressed the sin of her life-style? She caused this to happen....
4. REMEMBER SUSAN SMITH? She strapped her two sons in the back seat
of her car, pulled up to a boat ramp and allowed the car to drive into the lake.
Both of her little sons drowned that day.
Susan told the TV camera's a BLACK MAN HIJACKED AND STOLE MY CAR
AND TOOK MY SONS....
SUSAN HAD A HUSBAND AND A BOYFRIEND, APPEARS SHE NEEDED
TO GET RID OF THOSE TWO PRECIOUS SONS TO BE ACCEPTED BY
HER NEW BOYFRIEND...
AFTER THE FACT SMITH SAID: I TOOK OFF RUNNING DOWN THE RAMP,
I WAS SCREAMING, "OH, GOD! OH GOD, NO!
WHAT HAVE I DONE?
GOD, WHY DID YOU LET THIS HAPPEN?"
B. What kind of _____________, would this __________________ be
if every member were just like me?
Put in team? School? Church? Family?
III. STUBBORNESS AND DEMANDING MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY BRINGS DEFEAT.
IF YOU WANT TO LOSE THEN ARGUE, FUSS, AND DISAGREE ALL THE TIME...
ALLOW US TO BECOME OUR OWN ENEMY TO GET US TO CO-EXIST AS A DIVIDED
GROUP...
A. We must do more than CO-EXIST...
We must COOPERATE TOGETHER...
B. Do we understand HARMONY? STUBBORNESS?
Mark 3:25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
Luke 11:17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided
against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.
C. CAN WE LEARN SUPPORTIVE ROLES ... IF I AM NOT THE STAR?
Matthew 18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching
any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye
be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
D. Have you ever seen a school divide in to SMALL GROUPS? Football team? Band?
Cheerleaders? Basketball? And form cliques...
We lose apart and win together...
E. BEWARE OF DIVISIONS... We are a team...
Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences
contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be
perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
IV. MY FRIEND YOU ARE ALWAYS DOOMED TO LOSE WHEN YOU HATE RULES
AND UNDERMINE AUTHORITY... RULES AND DISCIPLINE ARE GOOD...
IT IS ABOUT YOUR ATTITUDES...
A. The TEN COMMANDMENTS are much more than suggestions...
Happy are those that develop ETERNAL VALUES...
2 Timothy 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for
what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
B. Rules are good...
V. IF YOU LIKE LOSING LISTEN TO ALL THE NEGATIVE GOSSIP
YOU CAN HEAR... THEN MAKE SURE TO TELL OTHERS THE NEGATIVE...
NEGATIVITY FEEDS NEGATIVITY... SOW STRIFE... BE BUSY BODIES?
A. DO YOU ALLOW PEOPLE TO POUR RAW SEWAGE IN YOUR EARS AND BRAIN?
What on earth did they do in the garden of Eden...
Who did Adam and Eve have to gossip about?
B. Conversation exercises the mind...
GOSSIP EXERCISES THE TONGUE.
A 4 inch tongue can kill 6 feet tall men...
Proverbs 11:13 A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit
concealeth the matter.
Proverbs 16:28 A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.
Proverbs 20:19 He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore
meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.
Proverbs 26:20 Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no
talebearer, the strife ceaseth.
C. HE WHO THROWS MUD IS LOSING GROUND...
How can you sling mud and keep clean hands?
1 Timothy 5:13 And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house;
and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they
ought not.
V. WE CAN BECOME GOOD AT LOSING. WE MUST TAKE THE INITIATIVE.
WE CAN'T DO THIS. LET'S STAY DEPRESSED...
NO ONE ELSE HAS DONE THIS? STAY DEPRESSED
NO MOMENTUM, NO ZEAL, NO ENTHUSIAM...
COMPLACENCY: GOOD ENOUGH
A. THERE ARE TWO GREAT ENEMIES OF WINNING:
1. ZWW ... ZEAL WITHOUT WISDOM
2. WWZ ... WISDOM WITHOUT ZEAL
Romans 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to
knowledge.
Romans 12:11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
2 Corinthians 9:2 For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them
of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many.
B. WE CAN NOT WAIT FOR OTHERS TO ENCOURAGE AND FAN THE FLAME...
Judges 20:22 And the people the men of Israel encouraged themselves, and set their battle
again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day.
C. DAVID HAD LOST EVERYTHING...
YET HE ENCOURAGED HIMSELF...
1 Samuel 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him,
because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his
daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
VII. DOUBT WILL ALWAYS KILL VICTORY...
WILL YOU BUY INTO THE PLAN...
DOUBT OF ANY FORM HURTS...
DOUBT OTHERS, SELF DOUBT...
A. THOMAS HAS FOREVER GIVEN HIM SELF TO A NEW NAME...
THOMAS THE DOUBTER...
Matthew 21:21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith,
and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye
shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea;
it shall be done.
B. Blessed is he who expects nothing,
he shall get exactly what he expected...
Mark 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou
removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe
that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
C. Will we be like WATER?
James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave
of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
VIII. IT IS EASIER TO BUILD A FIRE THAN TO KEEP A FIRE BURNING?
WINNING IS MUCH MORE THAN SUPER TALENT, WE NEED MORE THAN STRENGTH....
CAN WE RECOGNIZE THE LOSS OF MOMENTUM?
DO YOU DO WHAT IT TAKES ?
2 Timothy 1:6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God,
which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
IX. QUITTERS NEVER WIN... WINNERS NEVER QUIT...
NEVER QUIT... ALWAYS TRY AGAIN...
A. PROCRASTINATION,
B. HESITATE TO TAKE RISK,
C. PUT OF CHOICES AND DECISIONS
James 5:11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of
Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
CONCLUSION: Maybe we do not need to teach others how to lose. That maybe
an automatic issue... God has a plan for you... PLOD ON MY FRIEND...
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.... Kyfingers@aol.com
Study is good, help me and pass my work on to others?
