When asked to come up with the 20th century's most memorable sports moment in a survey, American sports fans most often cited the 1980 Olympic hockey game between the United States and the USSR. My then-boyfriend Steve, his parents, and I watched the game by the fire that February evening in 1980. The game had actually already taken place in the afternoon, but ABC made the decision to delay its airing and score announcement until the evening so fans could enjoy it after coming home from work.
 
The USSR came into the Olympics favored to win the gold. They were a force with which to be reckoned. No one expected any team to pose a threat to them on their way to the top.  Yet as the game wore on, it quickly became apparent that the U.S. was going to give the Russians a run for their money. It was a hard-fought contest. Finally, in the third period, for the first time in the game the Americans pulled out ahead with a shot into the goal, making the score 4-3. Ten minutes remained left to play.
 
When the TV station cut to a commercial, I left to get a drink. While I was absent, the local channel did a promo clip of the news show which would immediately follow the game. Someone made a big mistake.  To thousands of viewers on the edge of their seats, waiting impatiently to see the final ten minutes, the newscaster announced: "More on the exciting USA 4-3 victory over the USSR at eleven!"
 
I heard the whole room erupt in anger from where I was in the kitchen. The game was ruined for those who now knew the end. The suspense and thrill of victory had been eclipsed by a premature announcement. Of course, the TV station apologized profusely after realizing their mistake when the news aired at 11. But the damage had been done. So while I continued to be blissfully ignorant and on the edge of my seat until the end, my fellow-viewers remained passive. Knowing the outcome made all the difference. 
 
The anxiety evaporates out of a conflict if we already know the ending. I know someone who always reads the last page of a new book first. She claims she enjoys the book more when she doesn't have to deal with the suspense.
 
As Christians, we are in a contest of sorts. Scripture tells us we fight a war on two fronts: against the spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6) and against our own sinful flesh (Romans 7).  We discourage easily and give in more often than we should. It is easy to do in light of what we see around us. Just channel surf through what's available on TV; a shocking lack of moral standards is evident within minutes of watching. Truth is now relative and no more a black and white absolute. Human life has become cheap; murders are reported on a daily basis in the news. Satan gives all appearances of winning the war. We often don't seem to fare any better on a personal front, either, as time and time again we allow our lusts and ungodly desires to lead us by the nose, and we sin and sin again. It can all seem hopeless if we focus on either the circumstances around us or the struggle within ourselves.
 
"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" Paul wrote to the Corinthian church. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 15:57-58)
 
We too easily forget that the outcome is already written in indelible ink. The victory is already ours because Christ has already won. "When you were dead in your transgressions," Paul wrote the Colossians, "He made you alive together with Him . . . having canceled out the certificate of debt . . . having nailed it to the cross, having disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him." (Colossians 2:13-15) Author Chip Ingram put it this way his book, The Invisible War: "When we fight, we're not trying to win. We're enforcing the victory that Jesus has already secured. In His power, we are invincible."
 
Knowing the end score should make all the difference in how we live. The suspense is out of the story for us. Scripture does mandate that we be aware of the enemy and arm ourselves accordingly (Ephesians 6:10-20). But our efforts will not determine the victor. That has already been determined. The Good Guy won. Knowing this, we can face the enemy within and without with confidence. The battle belongs to the Lord.