Good morning, my brothers!  It’s the first weekend of March Madness…my favorite time of the sports year! I have no clue who the eventual national champion will be, but I have 100% confidence in Who the ultimate Victor is! Read to the end for a free Gift, our Blueprint for Victory, and meet my MTM Wingman, Michael Meshaw! Let’s go! A 5-minute, 59-second read

Or listen to the audio version here:

The One Bracket We Can’t Miss

I love March Madness. Ever since Jim Valvano took his Cinderella NC State Wolfpack team to the improbable championship run in 1983, I can’t wait for the tourney.

I filled out my bracket a few days ago, brimming with hope that this was my year. Already, just a few days in, my bracket is in tatters, my dream of this being “the year”, shattered.

Maybe some of you can relate. You, too, look at matchups, circle a few upsets, maybe pick a sleeper team that feels like this year’s Cinderella. There’s always that quiet confidence that somehow, this time, we might get it right.

And then, the games tip off, and our dream is over. One upset we didn’t see coming. One game that flips everything. It doesn’t take long before what felt so certain is gone.

The truth is, the odds were never in our favor. Not even close.

A perfect bracket is basically impossible. Even if we know the game, study the teams, follow the trends, the odds are still like 1 in 120 BILLION that we get it all right.

And yet, every year, we still fill it out with excitement and anticipation.

But there’s something different for us to consider this year.

If We Knew the Outcome

What if we actually knew how it would all play out?

Not hoped. Not predicted. Not had a strong feeling. What if we knew, with absolute certainty, exactly how every game would unfold and had a blueprint that guaranteed 100% success? Every upset, every Final Four team, the national champion. No doubt. No guessing.

We wouldn’t hesitate.

We’d fill out that bracket with total confidence. We wouldn’t second-guess a single pick. We wouldn’t be swayed by anyone else’s opinion. We’d move differently because we knew who ended up hoisting the trophy.

If we’re honest, most of us would probably go all in. We’d tell a few guys we trust. We might even put money on it in the office pool. Why wouldn’t we? When we know the outcome, it changes how we act in the present. Fear disappears. Hesitation fades. We stop playing it safe.

We live like it’s already decided.

And that’s when it sinks in.

We actually do know Who wins and it’s more important than the NCAA’s, impacting eternity.

The Victory That’s Already Been Won

Not March Madness. But life itself.

Scripture doesn’t leave this up for debate. The final outcome has already been declared.

This isn’t a prediction. It’s not a probability.

Jesus wins.

Sin loses. Death loses. Darkness doesn’t get the final word. Everything built on pride and self eventually falls, but Christ reigns. Forever.

So the question isn’t whether we know the outcome. The question is why we don’t live like we do.

Why Do We Still Hesitate?

Because if we’re being honest, there are still areas of our lives where we hesitate.

Areas where we hold back, where we try to keep control, where we say we trust God but still operate like the result is uncertain. We step out in some places, but not all. We obey when it’s comfortable, but delay when it costs something.

It’s strange when we think about it.

We will confidently act on something that has almost no chance of happening, like a perfect bracket, but then approach the promises of God with caution. We hedge. We wait. We play it safe.

And part of it is that we’ve allowed what we know to stay in our heads instead of letting it reshape how we live.

Because if we really believed, deep down, that Christ has already secured the victory, it would change things.

We’d stop chasing some of the things that don’t matter as much as we thought they did. We’d be less concerned about what people think. We’d be quicker to let go of patterns we know are pulling us away from Him. We’d take steps of obedience without overanalyzing every possible outcome.

We’d live with a different kind of confidence. Not loud or prideful, but steady. Anchored.

A Better Prize Than Any Bracket

Let’s say someone actually pulled it off. A perfect bracket. Every game right. It would be unbelievable. It would be talked about everywhere. Maybe there’s a massive prize attached to it, life-changing money, something most people only dream about.

But even that wouldn’t come close to what’s already been promised to us in Christ.

Everything we chase here has an expiration date. Success fades. Money comes and goes. Recognition doesn’t last. Even the champions get dethroned the following year.

But what God offers doesn’t fade.

A relationship with Him. A life that has real purpose. Eternal life that isn’t touched by time or circumstance. A kingdom that doesn’t rise and fall with the next headline.

When we step back, the contrast is hard to ignore.

We get excited about chasing something we almost certainly won’t achieve, and at the same time, we can drift past something we’ve already been given.

Let’s Live Like It’s Already Decided

So maybe the point isn’t the bracket at all.

Maybe it’s the reminder.

We don’t have to guess how this ends. We don’t have to live uncertain or cautious, like everything depends on us getting it right. The outcome has already been secured. God has created His blueprint for victory.

The only question is how we respond to it.

Are we going to keep holding back in areas where God is calling us forward? Are we going to keep managing our lives like the result is still up in the air?

Or are we going to start living like it’s already decided?

Because it is.

Jesus wins.

And when that moves from something we know to something we actually live, it changes everything.

Not sure that you completely understand God’s Blueprint for Victory? Download it here:

Join His team. Play for Him. Bask in the eternal victory He’s already secured.  

-WIll

_{Meet My MTM Wingman, Michael Meshaw!}

I’m grateful to step into the More The Man community—it feels like a prayer long in the making. For the past few years, I’ve been asking God for a place to invest in men’s ministry, and this opportunity felt like a clear “yes.”

I’m 48, married to my wife Amy, with three kids (18, 14, and 11). We live in Wilmington, North Carolina, where I grew up. My background includes degrees in Physical Education and Organizational Leadership, along with seasons of teaching and coaching, and 7 years of service in Kenya. Each chapter has shaped how I view growth, purpose, and people.

Today, I lead a couple’s small group at our church, and I’ve found I come alive in conversations—especially with men who want to be more intentional as husbands, fathers, and leaders. Not perfect men. Just willing men.

We live in a culture marked by passivity, and the question is simple: will we step forward? My own walk with Christ has included both struggle and growth, but I’ve seen God use it all to shape me.

I believe men weren’t meant to do life alone. We need each other—to challenge, encourage, and remind us who we’re called to be. That’s my heart here: to engage, lead boldly, and walk this out together.

-Michael