God’s greatest victories often require bold sacrifices. Play the long game by trusting His eternal strategy and stepping beyond temporary comfort to embrace lasting kingdom impact.
Magnus Carlsen, the world's top chess player, just defeated ChatGPT in an online match in only 53 moves.
Carlsen won the game without losing a single piece, while ChatGPT lost all its pawns.
This gives me hope for humanity's future and makes me ponder.
I’ve always admired great chess players. Yes, their quick moves are impressive, and they’re incredibly smart. But what I admire the most is how clearly they see the bigger picture.
I once read about a chess grandmaster who stunned spectators when he sacrificed his queen early in the match. To everyone watching, it looked like a huge mistake, an unnecessary loss of his most powerful piece.
But he wasn’t looking at the board as it was. He was looking ten moves ahead. And sure enough, ten moves later, his sacrifice created an opening that won him the game.
He understood something crucial: great victories require bold sacrifices.
Most of us think about life move by move, decision by decision, paycheck by paycheck. But God invites us to see life differently.
In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth... but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Jesus was saying, “Look further. Don’t settle for short-term comfort at the expense of long-term reward.”
That’s what sacrifice is, isn’t it? When Adam, Abel, and Abraham carried sacrifices up a mountain to offer to the Lord, they were trading short-term resources (a sheep or goat) for long-term rewards (faithfulness to God).
Maybe today you’re wrestling with sacrificing something valuable:
A comfortable job that doesn’t align with your calling.
Your pride in order to restore a relationship.
An easy path because God is nudging you toward something greater.
But Romans 8:18 gives us perspective: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
God promises that the sacrifices you make for Him now will yield something far better than anything you could ever lose.
Abraham left his homeland.
Moses chose hardship over palace comforts.
The disciples walked away from secure careers.
Each one sacrificed something good to gain something greater because they saw beyond their immediate circumstances.
Your willingness to trust God and play the long game—especially when it costs you—is exactly what positions you for His greatest victories.
So, right now, ask yourself,
What short-term comforts am I clinging to that might be keeping me from the long-term victory God has planned?
Play the long game. Make moves based on God’s eternal promises, not temporary feelings or immediate pressures. Your best victories always lie beyond your current comfort zone.
