Winning Life

Winners don’t entertain thoughts or words of defeat. If we want to be winners in life we need to start to speak the way winners speak. The only way we can do that is to find out what God wants us to speak, and to concentrate on doing everything he wants us to do. This book has been written to show why the things we say are so powerful and why we need to change the way we speak. We all need to grow, but if we want change it will only come as we resolve to change our words.

Words are powerful. They can create or destroy, encourage or discourage, build up or tear down. The power of words is not measured by their volume or the intensity of their delivery but by their effectiveness in fulfilling their purpose. Powerful speech flows from an inspired heart, either for good or evil. An example from history illustrates the point. Sir Winston Churchill, the English war-time Prime Minister, inspired a nation to greatness by using his words to construct a picture of victory in the face of certain defeat. His famous address calling the nation never to surrender turned Britain’s darkest hour into arguably its finest. His words created faith in a nation and inspired the whole world to believe that good could triumph over evil. Conversely, the dictator Adolph Hitler used his skilful, manipulative way with words to inspire a nation to evil. His words were so powerfully motivated by the appalling intent in his heart that he nearly succeeded in his grandiose scheme of world domination. His words created fear and inspired men to do inconceivable evil on a colossal scale. The Bible perfectly describes the subtle, devious power of words: ‘The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords’ (Psalm 55:21). Endless tapestries of both good and evil can be woven by our words. What we say reveals what is in our hearts. God had the image of the whole creation in his heart before the world ever was, and when he spoke this image into being, his words created exactly what he had within him, through the awesome power of the Holy Spirit. In Genesis we see time and time again how God spoke the creation into existence: ‘Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light’ (Genesis 1:3). We too create with our words. We bring the things we see in our hearts into being through our mouths, just as God did. If our words are godly words we will create the lifestyle God wants us to have: heaven here on earth. If our words are not godly they will create the lifestyle the devil wants us to have: hell here on earth. The choice is ours. Winners don’t entertain thoughts or words of defeat. If we want to be winners in life we need to start to speak the way winners speak. The only way we can do that is to find out what God wants us to speak, and to concentrate on doing everything he wants us to do. This book has been written to show why the things we say are so powerful and why we need to change the way we speak. We all need to grow, but if we want change it will only come as we resolve to change our words.

Margaret Smith Court is one of the greatest tennis players of all time. From a child of eight hitting a hairless ball with a plank of wood against a garage wall, she progressed to win a total of sixty-two Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles in a career spanning seventeen years. The Grand Slam itself—the Australian, French, US and Wimbledon titles all in the same year—became hers in 1970, only the second Grand Slam in women’s tennis history. Born in 1942 into a working class family, Margaret began her career sneaking though a hole in the hedge of Albury tennis club in New South Wales, Australia. Such was her talent, however, that the club professional, Wally Rutter, eventually took her under his arm and provided free coaching. At about thirteen years old she came to the attention of legendary Australian player and coach Frank Sedgman, who sowed the seed in her mind that she could be the first Australian woman to win Wimbledon. When Margaret fell unexpectedly pregnant in 1971, she adopted a new dream: to be the first mother to rank number one in the world. This she achieved after less than a year back on the circuit. She went through 1973 in dominating form, taking three major titles for the fourth time in her career. After having her second child in 1974 she made a second comeback at the age of thirty-three. She won her last major championship, the US Open doubles, in 1975 and retired shortly afterwards. But towering as her tennis record is, Margaret found that sporting success did not fill the inner hunger that kept her striving for one goal after another. A life-long church attender (she was raised a Catholic), she sat in a church service in Paris during the French Open in 1973, wondering if there was more to knowing God than simply being in church. God was not real or personal to her. She prayed that day that God would reveal himself to her in a tangible way. The answer to that prayer came later that year in the US when someone gave her a book, How to Be Born Again. Usually religious books ended in the trash can, but Margaret read this one again and again. On returning to Perth she learned that a close friend had become a “born again” Christian, and shortly afterwards Margaret too gave her life to Christ. She felt as though someone had switched a light on inside. Today she counts this as the most significant day of her life. In 1991 Margaret established Margaret Court Ministries, with a vision to bring people to faith in Jesus. As a result of her growing speaking, counselling and healing ministry, in 1995 she established Victory Life Centre in Perth, a church congregation which today numbers about 700 people. The church runs a Bible training centre, an outreach ministry and a community services program. Sixteen nondenominational churches are affiliated with Victory Life Centre. Margaret says, “I have achieved many, many goals, but the greatest thing that has ever happened to me is accepting Jesus Christ.” Today she dedicates her energies to helping others discover God’s principles for an abundant and successful life.