What Would You Do If You Knew You Couldn't Lose?

I was watching the highlights of one of my favorite football team's games when something caught my attention. During the highlight reel, I watched several plays that didn't go in my team's favor. They turned the ball over, gave up big plays, and at times it looked as though everything was falling apart. Yet I didn't panic. I wasn't frustrated or discouraged. I simply kept watching. Why? Because I already knew the outcome. Before I ever watched the highlights, I knew my team had won the game. Every mistake, every setback, and every bad play was simply part of the journey to victory. None of it changed the final score because the outcome had already been decided.

That experience reminded me of another game I watched live. Early in the game, my team started making costly mistakes, and momentum shifted to the opposing team. Frustrated, I looked at my wife and son and said, "I'm done watching. They always do this." Convinced I knew how the game would end, I got up and walked out of the room. A little while later, I heard my wife and son shouting with excitement. Curious, I walked back into the living room to see what had happened. To my surprise, my team had mounted one of the greatest comebacks in franchise history and defeated one of their biggest rivals. I had missed the most exciting part of the game because I assumed I already knew the ending.

As I reflected on those two experiences, I realized how much they resemble our Christian walk. How often do we abandon our post because our circumstances convince us defeat is inevitable? When prayers seem unanswered, relationships fall apart, finances become overwhelming, or life simply doesn't unfold the way we expected, we begin to believe the battle is already lost. We stop expecting God to move. We stop praying with confidence. We emotionally walk away from the situation because we've convinced ourselves we know the outcome. Meanwhile, God is still working behind the scenes, making adjustments we cannot see, opening doors we never imagined, and orchestrating circumstances that will ultimately bring Him glory. The problem isn't always that God has stopped working; sometimes it's that we've stopped believing.

The greatest example of this truth is found in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you had only watched the events leading up to the cross, you would have concluded that everything was over. Jesus was betrayed by one of His closest friends, arrested, falsely accused, unjustly condemned, mocked, slapped, beaten, and spit upon while His hands were bound and He had no opportunity to defend Himself. Peter, one of His most devoted disciples, followed from a distance, only to deny three times that he even knew Him. Jesus was scourged nearly to death, forced to carry His own cross to Golgotha, and crucified like a common criminal. From every human perspective, it appeared that evil had won and hope had been buried.

His followers believed it was over. Their dreams had died with Him. Peter's response was telling. After Jesus' crucifixion, he simply said, "I'm going fishing" (John 21:3). He returned to the life he knew before Jesus called him. Isn't that what we often do? When life doesn't unfold the way we expected, we return to old habits, old mindsets, old fears, or old ways of living because we've already decided defeat is certain.

But while everyone else believed the story had ended, God was still writing the final chapter. Jesus' body was placed in a borrowed tomb, and a large stone was rolled across the entrance, seemingly sealing His fate forever. To the religious leaders and to Satan himself, it looked like victory belonged to darkness. Yet they didn't know what was about to happen. On the third day, the stone was rolled away. Jesus rose from the dead, defeating death, hell, and the grave. Through His resurrection, He secured victory for everyone who would place their faith in Him. What looked like history's greatest defeat became history's greatest triumph.

That is why, as believers, we should never allow our present circumstances to determine our confidence in God's promises. We don't live by what we see in the moment; we live by what God has already declared. The resurrection reminds us that God specializes in bringing life out of what appears dead, hope out of despair, and victory out of apparent defeat. Our setbacks do not determine our future because Jesus has already secured the final victory.

The next time you find yourself facing a situation that seems hopeless, remember the highlights instead of focusing only on the current play. Remember the cross—but don't stop there. Remember the empty tomb. Remember that Jesus has already defeated death, hell, and the grave on your behalf. Because of Him, the outcome has already been determined.

So I leave you with one question: What would you do if you truly believed you couldn't lose?

The truth is, through Jesus Christ, ultimate victory has already been won. That doesn't mean every battle will be easy or every trial will end the way we expect, but it does mean that God has the final word. So don't give up. Don't walk away from your faith. Don't abandon your post before the comeback. Stay in the game, keep trusting God, and watch what He can do. The greatest victory may be closer than you think.