Deuteronomy 9:11 And at the end of forty days and forty nights the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant.

Deuteronomy 9:18 Then I lay prostrate before the Lord as before, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin that you had committed, in doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger.

Forty is a significant number with meaning in the bible. The first significant effort by man, Moses, was a period of prostrating himself before God twice.

Two is the number of division. It is the first number that can be separated evenly. 

The significance of forty began with two parts. The first event is in the giving of the law by God to Moses.

The second significant event is Moses interceding for Israel because of their sinning by turning the gold they had into a calf idol to be worshipped.

Israel violated the first commandment even before it was given to them.

Sin existed before law. Intercession began after the law was violated.

Are we celebrating the significance of forty days or intercession?

James 5:19-20 English Standard Version

19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

What does winning look like? It depends on the game you are playing and the rules of the game.

Revelation 19:7-9 English Standard Version

7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

If you are helping a friend that is struggling, James has you covered.

But if you are looking to participate in the wedding feast, then is it as an invited guest or as the bride?

Revelation 21:2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

We are being prepared. Winning looks like a wedding.