Remember as you play....

"Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others." -- Psalm 52:7

A poker tournament is a bit like the board game Risk -- you know, the "game of world conquest." The objective is to build the biggest chip stack you can, and knock out opponents as you do.

But we've seen occasions when big stacks can crumble, in a matter of only a few hands. In fact, it happened to us Wednesday in an NBC Sports online tournament. We won $11,000 in chips in a single pot. But when we tried to use our big stack to eliminate another player, they made a better hand and doubled up against us.

It reached the point where we made a bold $5,000 bet with two pair on the turn -- only to be stunned by two opponents who both had Ace-high straights. We fell from $13,000-plus to zero in a hurry.

Looking back, we think we were overconfident for a moment -- the wrong moment, which cost us badly. In life, overconfidence might work for a while. But sooner or later, it's bound to bite you.

So thank God if you're wealthy -- whether in your 401(k) or at the table. Then display what Paul calls "confidence in the Lord" (II Thes. 3:4), not in your bankroll. The changes in the world's economy over the last 12 months should have taught all of us that lesson. Have you learned it -- and are you applying it?