"to Be A Winner, You Must Learn How To Lose."

SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES

(Philippians 3:7-8) [7] "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ." [8] "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,"

(Genesis 12:8) " And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD."

(Psalms 133:1-3 ) [1] "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"

[2] "It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;" [3] "As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore."

PREFACE SUMMARY

God whispered in my spirit before leaving home for church, "I have a plan." When we arrived at the church, the minister spoke about the Lord's harvest and trusting God's plan. While listening to his message, which he delivered in Tagalog and broken English, the Lord whispered to me, "Before you can be a successful winner, you must learn how to lose."

This thought was sentimental to me as it reminded me of a message the Lord gave me back in the early years which I preached in a large Baptist church which was live streamed on the local radio station in their community.

The message was on learning how to lose which emphasized embracing our losses as part of our spiritual journey. It allowed me to reflect on my own experiences of loss and how they have shaped me and to share this wisdom with others.

In the book of Genesis, chapter 12, there is a reference made to Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, who was on his way to offer a sacrifice. The passage mentions that Abraham stopped between two mountain ranges, Bethel and Ai or Hai.

Bethel is often called the house of God, and it was a special place of worship for the Israelites, whereas Ai or Hai was known to be called a place of ruins, which a previous battle had destroyed.

Beloved, Abraham was on a journey, just like we are all on a journey called life, and many times during this journey, we may encounter different types of people who influence us in various ways.

In this story, Abraham is faced with a pivotal choice; he could either keep his focus on his journey or divert his attention to his surroundings, which was a place of ruins.

In summary, let us take heart and keep moving forward on our journey, realizing that failure is not the end but a stepping stone toward success, and by embracing the lessons we learn through losing, we can refine ourselves and become even stronger and more resilient in the face of adversity.

"LEARING HOW TO LOSE REFINES WHO WE ARE."

Beloved, did you know that suffering through setbacks and failures can be discouraging, even cause us to entertain the thoughts of giving up, failure is not the end of the road, but an opportunity for us to learn and grow?

Throughout this inspirational message, we will learn that adversity and setbacks serve as formidable teachers, imparting invaluable insights and experiences that enable us to better understand ourselves, our abilities, and the world around us.

beloved, experiencing failures can be a meaningful and transformative experience that allows us to gain a unique perspective on our strengths, weaknesses, and the strategies we need to adopt to achieve success in our future, and by embracing our setbacks, we can become better equipped to face future challenges with resilience and determination.

Did you know that experiencing defeat, can help us gain a greater understanding of the challenges and struggles others go through which helps us become stronger and more successful in life?

Beloved, when we focus on the lessons learned from our failures, we begin to see them as opportunities for growth rather than stumbling blocks for failure.

Missing a target in target practice is not as bad as it would be during an actual battle which could result in catastrophic consequences, such as the loss of innocent lives or the failure of a mission.

Missing a target during practice allows us to improve our aim and hone our skills to reduce the likelihood of missing the target in a real-life scenario.

In summary, setbacks are valuable growth opportunities that challenge us to re-evaluate our strategies, hone our skills, and explore new pathways toward success which serve to condition us to face adversity with unwavering confidence