The Victory is the Revelation

The Victory Is the Revelation

Anyone can win if they don’t play fair. That’s not victory — that’s deceptuon dressed up as triumph.

I told my grandson this week, “The victory is not the win. The victory is the revelation.”

Because when you’re in the game — whether it’s life, leadership, playing chess (which he is learning) or sports— you learn two things:

1. You learn about yourself. How much courage you carry. How deep your integrity and faith runs. How strong your endurance is when the rules aren’t in your favor.

2. You learn about your opponent. Their character, their integrity, or lack thereof, becomes clear. And when they don’t play fair, you get the revelation of who they really are.

Winning becomes impossible when your opponent doesn’t play fair. But here’s the thing — that’s where the real victory is found. Because God lets you see behind the curtain. He gives you revelation that no scoreboard or chessboard- in my grandsons case- can measure.

Jesus said, “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open” (Luke 8:17). That’s the promise: exposure is inevitable.

And Paul reminds us, “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). Notice he doesn’t say through people — but through Christ alone.

Your opponent may choose not to play fair (and make no mistake it’s a choice) But the true victory is when their integrity (or the lack of it) is revealed, and you walk away wiser, stronger, and no longer deceived.

The revelation is the victory because the win fades. The scoreboard or chessboard changes. But revelation? That stays. Revelation is the real crown.