1 Samuel 4:9 (NKJV)

“Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, you Philistines, that you do not become servants of the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like men, and fight!”

It takes a particular mindset to win. Winning doesn’t just happen. Winning is a product of a specific way of thinking. People who win conduct themselves in a way so as to win. Whoever desires to win must be strong, strong at heart, and strong in mind. Whatever may be lacking in other areas of competence can be overcome if there is inner strength. And where better can we get that inner capacity than from God Himself. For those who seem to be behind and feel like life is working against them, strengthen yourself in God and determine in God that you will overcome.

For the Philistines, they had no choice. They did not have God on their side, but they determined not to become slaves of the Hebrews. They encouraged themselves, strengthened their hearts, and ventured out into battle. And they won. If we give up because the cards are stacked against us, then we don’t have the right psyche to win. If we quickly become discouraged because of some negative circumstances in our lives, then we do not have the psyche to win.

To win, we need to gird ourselves with strength. To win, we need to “conduct ourselves like men.” To win, we need to depend on God, who has never lost any battle before. If we fail to rise up in our hearts and thinking, then surely we will lose the battle and end up being slaves. Embrace the winning psyche. Believe. Gird yourselves like men. Fight back.