A Winning Strategy

“A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” —John 10:10 CSB

Lately I’ve been thinking about lies. Lies of the enemy were a common thread between several conversations I’ve had recently. The enemy of our souls is hard at work trying to convince us of things that aren’t true to keep us discouraged or outraged and to distract us from the truth. One of his favorite plays is to flip the script once we start to listen to one of his tall tales. An example of this might be planting a seed of doubt as to whether God really loves you, and then if you begin to doubt, he might whisper ‘what kind of Christian doubts God? You must not actually be a Christian.’ Thinking about this made me think about how we need a good defense. We can’t go around in life not being aware of or prepared for these tactics. Defense made me think about football, and then I realized, a good offense is important in football, too. Thus, a football-themed blog from someone who barely watches football was born! It’s okay to laugh; I’m having a good chuckle over this idea as well. But you don’t have to big a big football fan to see how some of the basics of the game can be a good analogy for being prepared for life. I hope you’ll keep reading despite knowing my lack of football expertise. 

It would be hard to win a football game without a good defense. A good defense keeps the opposing team from running up the score, and it can stop the opponent in its tracks. In our Christian journey, a good defense is crucial. It would be an understatement to say the enemy of our souls is a jerk, but stronger language probably isn’t appropriate for this blog. He’s a jerk, and a crafty one at that. Always coming up with ways to get us off course and then shaming us for it. He’s trying to run up the score and defeat us for good. He’s counting on tackling us and keeping us down enough times that we will live in defeat with no hope of emerging victorious.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. —Ephesians 6:10-16 NIV 

So, what can we do? God has given us the “playbook” in His Word. We have the strategies we need to play defense. We suit up with the right equipment. Just like a football player wouldn’t run onto the field without the proper protective gear, we must not forget to put on the full armor of God every day. We must review the “playbook” over and over and live by God’s Word. God teaches us how to extinguish those “flaming arrows” throughout the Bible. Knowing the truth of God’s Word is an excellent defense against an enemy who tries to twist it.

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. —2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NIV

We can actively prepare for these match ups. The Bible is the “game tape” that allows us to study our opponent. We know that the devil can attack through whispers of doubt. ‘Did God really say…? Surely you won’t die…’ It’s important to take hold of the negative and hurtful thoughts that creep into our minds and say “Not today Satan!” James 4:7 NIV reminds us to “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”  This is an essential defensive strategy.

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. —1 Peter 5:8-9a NLT

This leads me to Offense. At least I think—my football knowledge is already waning but stick with me. As I mentioned earlier, the enemy likes to switch up his stance, so sometimes we need a defensive approach, and other times we need an offensive approach. God’s Word is not just a great defense, knowing the truth of God’s Word prepares us offensively as well. I think there’s a lot of overlap between defense and offense in this analogy. Both need to be strong to win, even if commentators often say one or the other “won the game.” For us, offense often looks like choosing to trust God and move forward even when the enemy is trying to push us back. It’s being strong and courageous, believing that the Lord is with us wherever we go like Joshua (Joshua 1:9). It’s getting up even when you feel knocked down or “sacked” by the enemy, knowing with absolute certainty that he does not get the final say. It’s throwing off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles us to run with perseverance the race marked out for us, and fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:1-2a). It’s following the Lord and abiding in Christ moment by moment.

But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. —2 Thessalonians 3:3 CSB

In football, the Head Coach sets the standard for discipline and team dynamics and keeps everyone on the same page. Head Coaches have the final say in a lot of decisions and oversee the whole organization. They give the players the security of having a higher authority who is responsible for considering all the details and knowing what’s best. We have a real higher power who actually knows everything, always knows what’s best, and gives us direction in life. God sees so much that we don’t from our limited perspective. We can trust Him to guide us and that His plans for us are good.    

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. —Hebrews 4:14-16 NIV

God put Jesus “in the game” for us. Jesus experienced the entire spectrum of human life and was still perfect. When we think no one could possibly understand how we feel or what we’re going through, we have an understanding friend in the Savior. (And by the way, thinking we’re alone is one of those “flaming arrows” of the enemy.) I love that God said Jesus would be called Emmanuel, meaning God with us, living proof that we are never alone.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. —Romans 12:2 NIV

Every football game has a crowd or “12th man”—describing how the fans can help the team by boosting morale. Can you imagine if a team’s fan base booed every time they had the ball and cheered for the opponent? Okay, this could happen if some fans didn’t really understand what was going on (that could be me!), or maybe occasionally, fans boo their own team after a particularly bad play or missed opportunity. I think the lesson here is to surround yourselves with others who will support you and cheer you on in your offensive and defensive moves. Find people who will help you renew your mind and keep you from conforming to the world (or the enemy’s lies). The “crowd” around us can lift us up or bring us down, so it’s important to choose wisely. Proverbs 27:17 reminds us that iron sharpens iron, and we need to stay sharp in this world. 

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” —John 16:33 NIV

I want to close with a word about the value of a good pep talk. We’ve all seen movies and shows where a team is down at the half, and the coach gives a rousing pep talk, spurring them on to victory in the second half. That may not happen as often with real football teams, but speaking words of life in real life situations is essential. We must speak with kindness and grace to each other and ourselves. Jesus said that we would have trouble, but He assured us that He had overcome the world. No defeat is ever the end of the season or the end of our story.  No matter how bad the “game” is going, we can rest with confidence that Jesus has already defeated death once and for all.

So, friends, get in the game and keep reading the “playbook” of the Word. Fight the good fight for the true faith, and hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you (1 Timothy 6:12)! Amen.