I recently read this short story from the book, “Rebuilding The Real You” by Jack Hayford.

“When I played basketball in high school, on one occasion we were playing “away” — playing a game on another school’s home court.  Our team was playing quite well–outscoring the opposition, in fact–but somehow the sense of winning just wasn’t there.  Our momentum began to fade.  Recognizing the problem, our coach called for a time-out.  As we huddled at the sidelines, he began, “Hey, guys, listen up.  You’re winning.  But I know it doesn’t feel like it.  Now, brace yourselves.  Understand this.  You’re playing on ‘enemy territory,’ and you’ve got very little crowd support.”

It was true. Because of the distance, very few of the fans from our high school were there.  The crowd was made up largely of the fans of our rival team.  Everytime we scored, we heard nothing but boos.  Whatever the other team did was lauded and applauded, and this meant that although we were ahead, a horrible sense of being defeated hung in the air and weighed us down.  The coach recognized it’s effect on us.  Having wisely helped us see the source of our “lag,” he sent us back into the game with renewed determination.  And, of course we won.

It can sometimes be like that for you in the middle of trying situations.  The adversary opposes you.  You’re in God’s will and purpose, yet you feel depressed:  “It sure doesn’t feel like I’m winning!”  But cheer up, teammate!

Don’t let the adversary’s crowd of demon liars get you down.  You may not have the “home court advantage” at this time, but you do have the presence of a Coach who wants you to remember, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”  1 John 4:4  (“Rebuilding The Real You” page 91)