Real Victory In The Christian Life Does Not Come From Winning In The Flesh, But From Staying Close To Jesus Christ And Keeping The Faith To The End

In the 2011 movie ‘Moneyball’ Oakland A’s General Manager Billy Beane said: “I hate losing more than I even wanna win.”. The quote highlighted a philosophy focused on eliminating mistakes rather than solely chasing victory. In his 1993 lecture series “Dead Doctors Don’t Lie”, Dr. Joel Wallach said that if you want to be healthy, you have to “avoid stepping on the landmines” of poor health choices and vitamin deficiencies. In the life of the Christian, we avoid “losing” and “landmines” when we put our eyes squarely on Jesus Christ and trust Him and Him alone for the victory. Our apostle Paul clearly defines “losing” and “winning” in the life of the believer.

“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:57,58 (KJB)

SUNDAY SERVICE STUDY NOTES: It’s How You Played The Game

It’s How You Played The Game

Introduction

This lost world that we live in is obsessed with winning, but it has no idea what real victory actually is. To the lost man, winning is getting ahead, beating the competition, building a name, and protecting his own position. But in the Christian life, victory is not found in ambition, self-effort, or fleshly strength. The born again believer wins when he keeps his eyes on Jesus Christ, and he begins to lose the moment he starts trusting himself, fearing his circumstances, or walking by sight instead of by faith. The issue is not whether Jesus Christ can give the victory, because He already has. The issue is whether the Christian will stay fixed on Him.

“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” Isaiah 45:22 (KJB)

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 (KJB)

“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 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, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;” Philippians 3:7-10 (KJB)

Point 1: Losing Begins When You Take Your Eyes Off Jesus Christ

Peter is one of the clearest examples of this truth in the whole Bible. As long as his eyes were on Jesus, he walked where no man could naturally walk. But the moment he looked at the wind and the waves, he began to sink. Peter did not start going down because the Lord failed him, he started going down because he stopped looking to the Lord. That is exactly how spiritual defeat works in the life of the believer. We get our eyes on the storm, the pressure, the fear, the bills, the people, the disappointments, and the uncertainty, and once our attention shifts from Christ to the problem, we begin to lose ground.

“And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.” Matthew 14:28-30 (KJB)

That is why so many Christians lose long before anyone sees the outward evidence of it. They lose in the heart first. They lose in the mind first. They lose when fellowship grows cold, when prayer becomes empty, when the Bible gets neglected, and when the eyes turn away from Jesus Christ. A Christian does not have to fall into open scandal to be losing. He is already losing when Christ is no longer the center of his attention.

DL Moody said “This Book will keep you from sin, or your sin will keep you from this Book.” Moody, speaking about the daily faith needed in the life of the Christian, said “I prayed for faith and thought that some day faith would come down and strike me like lightning. But faith did not seem to come. One day I read in the tenth chapter of Romans, “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” I had up to this time closed my Bible and prayed for faith. I now opened my Bible and began to study, and faith has been growing ever since.”

Point 2: Victory Comes Only Through Jesus Christ, Never Through The Flesh

The Bible is plain that victory is not something the Christian manufactures by trying harder. Victory is something God gives through His Son. That strips away all boasting and all fleshly glorying. You are not victorious because you are disciplined enough, strong enough, or clever enough. You are victorious because Jesus Christ is sufficient. The flesh cannot win spiritual battles, and it never will. The believer who places confidence in himself is already on dangerous ground.

“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57 (KJB)

“Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:12 (KJB)

This is why pride is so deadly in the Christian life. The moment you think you are beyond failure, you are getting close to it. The moment you start trusting your own strength, you are preparing for defeat. God never intended for the Christian to live the victorious life in the power of the flesh. He intended for him to live in daily dependence upon Jesus Christ. That is why Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13 (KJB) The victory is through Him, the strength is through Him, and the endurance is through Him. Take Christ out of it, and all you have left is religious flesh pretending to be spiritual power.

In the book of Judges, God tells Gideon that his mighty army has too many soldiers, and needs to reduce the size of it, because if not, Israel will think that they won the victory instead of it being God who gave it to them

“And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.” Judges 7:2-7 (KJB)

Point 3: Bible Victory Is Faithfulness, Not Worldly Success

This world defines winning by numbers, applause, influence, money, and recognition. God defines victory by faithfulness. A man can have everything the world admires and still be a complete spiritual failure. Another man can be battered, opposed, ignored, and afflicted, and yet be a total success in the eyes of God because he stayed true to Jesus Christ and kept the faith. Bible victory is not about being celebrated, it is about being faithful.

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:” 2 Timothy 4:7 (KJB)

“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;” I Timothy 1:12 (KJB)

That is the pattern right there. Paul did not say he had the easiest road, the biggest crowd, or the greatest earthly results. He said he fought, he finished, and he kept the faith. That is how God measures victory.

“For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.” I Corinthians 4:17 (KJB)

The winning Christian is the one who stays in the Book, stays close to the Lord, stays humble, and keeps walking by faith when everything around him says to quit. That is why fellowship with Jesus Christ matters more than outward activity. Martha was busy, but Mary was at His feet. One was distracted, the other was centered. One was troubled, the other had chosen the better part. A believer can be active in ministry and still be losing if they are no longer sitting at the feet of Jesus.

Conclusion

The Christian life is won or lost by where your eyes are fixed. If they are fixed on the world, you will drift. If they are fixed on yourself, you will stumble. If they are fixed on the storm, you will sink. But if they are fixed on Jesus Christ, you will have victory. The issue is not whether the Lord can overcome, because He already has overcome. The issue is whether you will abide in Him, trust Him, and follow Him when the pressure is on.

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” 1 John 2:15-17 (KJB)

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (KJB)

So stop admiring the storm. Stop trusting the flesh. Stop measuring your life by worldly standards. Get your eyes back on Jesus Christ. Stay in the Book, stay on your knees, and stay close to the Lord. Real victory is not hype, image, or outward success. Real victory is keeping your eyes on Jesus Christ and remaining faithful to Him to the end. That is how the Christian refuses to lose, and that is how the Christian wins.

In conclusion, we find that one reasons sports are so popular in our modern-day culture is because we very much live in The Game. The people are the players, the game board is the world, the rules are found in the Bible, and we win eternally in Jesus Christ our Saviour who has in inheritance all set up and waiting for us.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:3-5 (KJB)

In his 1941 poem entitled “Alumnus Football”, sportswriter Grant Richland said this:

“Keep coming back, and though the world may romp across your spine,
Let every game’s end find you still upon the battling line;
For when the One Great Scorer comes to mark against your name,
He writes—not that you won or lost—but how you played the Game.”

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

• HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

Author Ray Dalio Issues A Chilling Warning That The Current Chaos Around The Globe Is Part Of A Larger Struggle That May Soon Erupt Into World War

Bridgewater founder and billionaire Ray Dalio is warning that the conflicts now raging across the globe are not isolated events, but connected parts of a growing superpower struggle. What the world calls ‘geopolitical instability’ is actually the steady setup for the prophesied last days. Dalio warned this week that the globe is already moving through the early stages of world war, and that the conflicts now erupting around the world are not isolated crises, but pieces of a much larger military and economic struggle between major superpowers. On that point, he is exactly right.

“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Matthew 24:7,8 (KJB)

Have you really been paying attention to what’s been going on around the world? Gaza lies in ruins, Iran lies in ruins, Lebanon is being reduced to rubble on a daily basis and the common denominator between those things is the nation of Israel. Add to that the closing of the Strait of Hormuz which enriches Russia by $270 million to $760 million on a daily basis. China is benefitting as well as they sit back and watch the United States spending hundreds of billions in an unwinnable war in Iran.

‘For today, that is most importantly that the US-Israel-Iran war is just part of a world war that we are in and that isn’t going to end anytime soon,’ Dalio said.

Dalio’s world war warning lies in how global alliances are forming, with a clear alignment emerging. He says China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and Cuba are broadly opposed to a bloc led by the United States and its allies including European countries, Israel, Japan and Australia. He pointed to United Nations voting patterns, treaties and economic ties as evidence of this division, suggesting these alignments are already influencing outcomes. According to Dalio, we are now at Step #9 on his 13 Step outline that shows the ramp up to world war. In his 2021 best-selling book, The Changing World Order, you can read his entire premise.

The 13 Steps That Lead To World War:

1. The decline of dominant powers relative to rising ones
2. Escalating economic wars such as sanctions and trade blockages
3. The formation of economic, military and ideological alliances
4. An increase in proxy wars
5. Financial stress, deficits and debts increase, especially for the leading powers that are most overextended financially.
6. Government control increases over critical industries and supply chains
7. The weaponization of trade chokepoints
8. Powerful new technologies for war are built rapidly
9. Multi-theatre conflicts increasingly happen simultaneously
10. Suppression of internal dissent, as loyal support for the country’s leadership is demanded and opposition to the war and other policies is squashed
11. Direct military combat between major powers takes place
12. There are big increases in taxes, debt issuance, money creation, FX controls, capital controls and financial repression to finance the wars. In some cases, markets are shut down
13. Eventually, one side beats the other and gains indisputable control of the new order, which is designed by the winning side

Ray Dalio is not, to the best of my knowledge, a saved man, and neither does he invoke scripture is his warning to the world he gave this week. But I know this. I know that the entire world is now watching, and has been watching for some time now, the escalating events that absolutely do lead to world war. Think of what’s happening right now. Vice President JD Vance is in Pakistan alongside of Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, trying to finagle a satisfying conclusion to the war with Iran that, thus far, Trump has been unable or unwilling to obtain militarily even though he started the war in the first place. The world order is not merely unstable, it is highly unstable, and at this point it will take very little more to blow the whole thing sky high.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

• HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

As Iran Dominates Headlines, First Lady Melania Trump’s Epstein Files Statement Looks Like A Strategic Attempt To Flood The Zone

They did not roll Melania Trump out to ‘fall on the sword’ yesterday by accident. They did it because the walls are closing in, the Iran narrative is cracking, and somebody inside that machine decided it was time to change the subject before the subject changed them. So out of the blue, First Lady Melania gets in front of the mic to disavow Jeffrey Epstein and his files. Are you crazy, why?? If Hollywood made a movie about all this stuff, no one would believe it. Yet, we’re here on Day 2,216 of 15 Days To Flatten The Curve.

“The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.” Proverbs 12:19 (KJB)

On this episode of the Prophecy News Podcast, Franklin D. Roosevelt, our 32nd U.S. President, is widely credited with saying: “In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.” Apply that to what First Lady Melania said yesterday in a move that no one saw coming, and you have all the ingredients for an end times conspiracy thriller. Only in this movie, everything is real. At the same moment this Epstein firestorm is reigniting, the administration is under pressure over Iran, military escalation, and instability tied to the Strait of Hormuz. Is it all going so badly for Donald Trump that this type of a catastrophic reset was needed? Apparently so. From the political fixed perspective, this is classic ‘flood the zone, split the headlines, and force the public to look in two directions at once’ messaging. When an administration is wobbling abroad, it often reaches for spectacle at home. This is not conspiracy theory, this is happening in real-time. So the question is on everyone’s mind today is who made her do it? Maybe nobody had to “make” her. Maybe lawyers told her more material was coming. Maybe advisers told her silence was no longer safe. Maybe the White House understood that a First Lady denial would generate exactly the kind of emotional, chaotic coverage they needed. But whatever the internal trigger was, this much is plain: the statement was coordinated, timed, and deployed for effect. My conclusion is simple. This was not confession, this was not courage, this was containment. It was an attempt to draw a hard line before the facts drew one for them. It was an attempt to redirect a dangerous narrative before it metastasized. And it was an attempt to create just enough noise, outrage, and confusion to bury the deeper question: what else is still coming out, and who inside Trump world already knows it? That’s the real story, and today we give you everything you need to know, from every angle, to help you make sense of all of it in light of end times prophecy found inside your King James Bible.

REGISTRATION FOR THE NTEB 2026 CAMP MEETING IS NOW OPEN, CLICK TO SIGN UP NOW!!

Study Helps And Links For Today’s Podcast

• The Orangeburg County Detention Center In South Carolina Needs King James Bibles For Its 354 Inmates
  
• History Teaches Us That Wars That Are Won Like WWII End In Surrender, And Wars That Are Not Won End With ‘Peace Talks’ Like The Korean War And Vietnam
• TACO TUESDAY: After Threatening Iran With The Extinction Of Their ‘Whole Civilization’, President Trump Now Agrees To His 8th Meaningless Deadline
• The Cult Of Trump That Has Elevated Him To The Level Of Jesus Christ Is Dangerous, Blasphemous, And Absolutely Fosters An Anti-Christian Perspective

We Are Broadcasting Live Four Days A Week

• The BIBLE BELIEVERS Sunday Service

Every Sunday morning, from 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM EST, we invite you to join us live and in-person at the Bible Believers Church here inside the NTEB Bookstore in Palatka where we lift up the Lord Jesus Christ in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, and preach a message from the pages of the King James Authorized Version Holy Bible.

OUR MOST RECENT SUNDAY SERVICE VIDEO: All Forever Satisfied At The Resurrection

• The RIGHTLY DIVIDING Radio Bible Study

Every Sunday evening from 7:00 – 9:00 PM EST, we offer an in-depth rightly dividing and dispensationally correct rocket ride through the preserved word of God as found within the pages of the King James Holy Bible. 

• SUNDAY NIGHT: Our original Sunday Night Radio Bible Study, it’s from 7:00 – 9:00 PM EST, and we have praise, singing, testimony and of 90-minute King James Bible study. All our King James bible study programs are archived here.

• The NTEB PROPHECY NEWS PODCAST Hour

Every Monday and Friday afternoons from Noon to 1:30 PM EST, we examine breaking news and current events  in light of bible prophecy. 

• MONDAY AT NOON: Every Monday at Noon we review all the latest news and events related to bible prophecy, and examine what is happening in light of what is written. If you miss the live show, all of our Prophecy News Podcast programs are archived here.
• FRIDAY AT NOON: Friday at Noon we review all the latest news and events related to bible prophecy, and examine what is happening in light of what is written. If you miss the live show, all of our Prophecy News Podcast programs are archived here.

Your Generous Donations Make These Live King James Radio Bible Studies & Prophecy News Podcasts Possible!

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

Listen to What Our Donation Angels Have to Say About the Ministry of Now The End Begins

• “You are truly an end time ministry and I appreciate how our Precious Lord is using you to educate his very own flock. There is a lot of confusion , but your ministry is putting scripture in the right prospective. Thank-you so so much Geoffrey S Grider for standing firm and putting in a lot of hours of your time. God Bless You , also your Ministry and your family. IN JESUS MIGHT NAME.” T. Muto
• “Jesus. I am now 64 years old and never in all the years I’ve been a Christian was I able to grow in the Lord as much as I have in the last past year. All because of our blessed brother’s work Geoffrey Grider who as the bravery of standing fast forward without fear of claiming the truth of God by the power of his love in Jesus Christ. May God bless you abundantly to the end my dear brother… ROMANS: 8: 36,37,38” Mireille Anderson
• “I met you at the car dealership earlier this year. We spoke briefly, then you handed me a card and told me to check out the website. You left. A few minutes later, you returned to tell me not to forget to look up the website. I told you…” I already did. I already subscribed.” In that short time we spoke, I experienced from you…a total stranger…peace, joy, kindness, gentleness, compassion, and love. I am convinced that God sent you to share the Good News that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. For that, and for the work you are doing for the Kingdom of God, I say…Thank you and God Bless You.” Sonia Merced
• “I really enjoy the emails and Bible studies! I haven’t found a church and enjoy your services very much! Be blessed brother!” Marcia Mann
• “You and your organization are on the front lines in the Battle For Truth…. current events, end times, and trying to awaken a sleeping Laodicean Church. Thank you brother for fighting for us and all your teaching and insight God bless…” Daniel Cartrette
• I just want to thank you for the teachings you give every Sunday night on radio.  You are such a blessing to me. I absolutely love your way of teaching the scriptures.  I don’t have a church where I can have fellowship and teaching, so you have been my teacher for many months now. Thanks God you are there for all of us who have no church to go to.  I pray that the Lord will bless you abundantly in your ministry, and your loved ones too.  You are such a blessing to me, and many others, in these last days before the rapture.  Thank you so much Geoffrey, from the bottom of my heart. May the Lord keep you, until He comes back for us. You are in my prayers.” Donald Godin
• “Thank you for the work  you are doing brother.  Your page and your testimony were a blessing to me this morning as I came across it for the first time.  Thank you for the reality of your testimony and what God has done for you in introducing you to Jesus our Lord.  God has brought me, in salvation, to Himself as well, through His love and mercy and grace in salvation.  How can we praise Him enough?  How can we not share this good news!?  I pray this day for God’s blessing on your ministry that He may save many souls through the work He has called you to.  Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)” Mark and Melissa
• “Love the Sunday night bible study. I want to support someone who has the passion for the lost like Geoffrey does and rightly divides the word of God. God bless you.” Teresa Carey
• “I give because not many news outlets are brave enough or Godly enough to tell these stories from a Christian’s point of view. I see stories here that will not be seen anywhere else.” William Grayshaw
• “It’s hard to find solid biblical teaching in America these days. It’s a blessing to be able to take part in a ministry financially without being concerned about false teaching. All glory to God! God bless!” Maximilian Swan
• “I donate because you are reporting the truth about the increasing wickedness of our time, as God’s word foretold. In so doing we are reminded to “Keep looking up” as we wait in joyful hope for the Lord’s coming, Maranatha! ” Anthony Sloane
• “Geoffrey has the best End Times News out there. I have been receiving his emails for years now and always enjoy his Sunday night messages although I don’t always think exactly as he thinks. We are all in this “boat of life” together and as I come to the end of my life’s journey here, I am more aware of Jesus’s call for us to be one as He and the Father are One.” Deborah Cleaveland

STREET-TESTED NTEB GOSPEL TRACTS:

This is the official gospel tract of NTEB, used here on the streets of Saint Augustine and sent around the world as they are purchased through our website. We ask you to prayerfully consider supporting the work of Now The End Begins by purchasing a box of these full-color, high-quality gospel tracts. Thank you in advance!

CLICK IMAGE TO ORDER YOUR BOX OF NTEB GOSPEL TRACTS

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB