Faith and Football | What's the Correlation?

Recently, I began reading a book called Spiritual Warfare: Christians, Demonization, and Deliverance written by Dr. Karl I. Payne.  This book is one that when you begin reading you cannot put it down because the wisdom and knowledge contained within its covers has a profound effect on you.  What I took away from this book is too good for me to keep to myself. 

When I began writing this article a few weeks ago, there was so much buzz about Tim Tebow, the Broncos' quarterback who was living out his faith in front of millions each week.  No doubt his successes this past year (despite his losses) have been fun to watch even if a bit painful for Bears' fans who befell the magic (term used loosely) of Tebow-mania.

In any case, I'm sure that Tim Tebow prepares for his opponents by watching their performances recorded on tapes. He probably doesn't watch these tapes just once; he most likely watches them over and over until he knows his opponents' strategies.

Why do you suppose football players do this? They do this to gather information that will help them prepare an offensive and defensive strategy that will hopefully lead them to a win against the opposing team. Makes sense, right?

All throughout the New Testament, Jesus used parables to help us understand points He was making. I am taking the liberty here to use football to prove my point today. And my point is simple:

If we ever hope to win our daily battles against Satan and his demons and against the world's system that competes for our attention constantly, then we need to study our opponent and formulate a winning strategy against him.

It is true that the final war was one at Calvary when Jesus Christ sacrificed His life on the cross as a ransom to save us from our sins. No doubt about it. But we live in this world. And we cannot overlook important strategies the devil uses to keep us from living a fulfilled life in Jesus. Yes, we are saved. But the question remains, why do we struggle still?

A Defensive Strategy Is Not Enough

Satan's strategies are at work against us. We know this but what are we doing about it? Sadly, many of us do not have a strategy to fight against him. We offer up defensive prayers that keep him at bay for a while but are not enough to overcome daily struggles. We see this principle at work each week as we watch professional football teams struggle to win. For example, the Bears have a strong defense but their offense needs reworked and strengthened. The Bears, or any other team for that matter, cannot win with a defensive strategy only and neither can Christians.

What is a defensive strategy? Prayers like, "thank you for keeping me safe Lord. Please do this or that for me and my family. Please keep the enemy at bay." These prayers are effective. But Imagine a little boy balled up in a corner, using his hands and arms to shield himself against an attack of spit balls flying at him.

He is protecting himself but he is not winning or overcoming the attack by just sitting there. He has to stand up. He has to raise himself up and do something offensive to stop his attackers. Defense alone cannot win wars. Defense allows one to rest but the offense scores the points.

An Offensive Strategy Is Important

In football, an offensive strategy moves the ball forward, scores points, and ultimately does its part to win games.  I read and hear about many great quarterbacks who have impeccable work ethic, who do their part to formulate an offensive strategy to win games.  They learn their opponent's tendencies.  They watch how defensive players work against them. Simply put, they know their opponent.

Christians need to know that they have opponents working against them too.  Consider this, Satan is our opponent. He has two strategies: one, his mission is to keep people deceived from accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior; and two, his strategy is to keep Christians distracted and ineffective in leading people to Christ. His world system, which is set up to rebel against the truth of Jesus Christ, does its job well.

We see his plan working against us in TV shows, music, culture, social acceptance of systems diabolically opposed to the truth, and so on. Likewise, his strategies against us as Christians to keep us ineffective from leading people to Christ, are working, too.

How does he keep us ineffective?  A few things come to mind: anger, un-forgiveness, bitterness, hard hearts, justification of actions that without a doubt do not line up with the word of God, back biting, gossip, hate, jealousy, pride, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life, which is selfish ambition.

Any trace of these cancers simmering in our hearts renders us ineffective.

The emotional baggage keeps us weighed down and focused on ourselves and not on leading people to Christ through a truly reformed and free life in Jesus Christ. I'm not saying that a true Christian never feels these emotions or doesn't have experiences that hurt us deeply but when we allow our emotions to fuel wrong actions, the sin comes alive.

Satan challenges us by presenting thoughts to us that question the authority of God's instruction. He distorts the truth and has done this as recorded in Genesis 3:1-6 when he tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden.

His tricks have not changed but for some reason we haven't either because like Eve we trade our eternal rewards for his temporary bag of goods.

Satan, along with our flesh and the world's system war against us, too. How many times do we accept what the world offers without thought to the eternal consequences it produces? We pursue things that take us to "Nowhere'sville." These temporary rewards give us satisfaction today but at what cost to our well-being, our sanity, our family, our testimony, our community, or the impact we have on our world?

We are supposed to be set apart not blend in with the world's system.  I can think of a few ways we support and accept the world's system:  watching reality TV or movies that promote lifestyles that oppose right living according to God's word.  Listening to music with lyrics that oppose God's character and instruction for living.  Keeping up with the Jones' by getting caught up in buying the latest and greatest thing even if we don't have the means to do it. Appealing to our senses, like gazing on things that set our minds against God and that aren't pleasing to Him.    Overindulging, whether it is in food, "retail-therapy", and preoccupation with our looks, health gimmicks, exercise, or whatever.    

Satan's number 2 strategy is to Distract.  Distract. Render Christians Ineffective.  Dull our senses and convictions because after all, we don't want to appear religious right?

I realize even mentioning some of these things that take more of attention away from our efforts at developing a relationship with God are hard to swallow.  I don't mean to step on anyone's toes because I am talking to myself here as well.  But at the same time, as I reflect on what I want to accomplish in 2012, I know that I need to make profound changes that take the power that--Satan, his world-system, and that my flesh have lorded over me for too long--away. 

I have mentioned to my son many times that if he exercises obedience, his obedience muscle will grow.  But there is another side to the equation.  I say to him that if he chooses to make wrong choices, or chooses to disobey repeatedly, then that action becomes strong too.

So what do we do? 

Developing the Strategy

Developing a strategy against our opponents entails an offensive and defensive strategy.  We must know the authority we have in Christ.  For example, I can have an inheritance waiting for me because a long-lost uncle has died and left me billions, but if I don't know the inheritance exists, it is of no value to me.  Likewise, my dad could give me his authority to use his checking account for any of my needs but if my name is not on the check, then the merchant may not recognize the authority that my father gave to me. 

We have to know with confidence that we are co-heirs in Christ and we must not let Satan or any of our opponents question our authority in Christ. 

Pray with authority against the enemy.  The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:15b).  Offensive prayers may include:

• In the name of Jesus, I bind (whatever it is) on earth as it is bound in heaven. I cut off the works of the enemy against me, my family, my husband, my children, our finances, etc.


• I cancel the assignments of the enemy placed against me, my family, my job, our life, in Jesus' Name.


• I release confusion against (whatever is ailing you).  Father God, crush the enemy's strategy against me! In Jesus' Name.


• I plead the blood of Jesus Christ over my mind, over my thoughts, over the works of my hands, on the ground that I walk! 

Study David's prayers in Psalms.  Look closely at how he talked openly to God and used offensive prayers to scatter his enemies.  Close the door and pathways that may feed your flesh or that may give access to the enemy in your life.  Do this by pleading the blood of Jesus Christ over those areas, resist the devil and he will flee (James 4:7).  Don't stay balled up in the corner, allowing the enemy to throw his fiery darts at you.  Use God's word to fight against him.  No weapon formed against us shall prosper (Isaiah 54:7). 

Continue to pray those defensive prayers as Satan tries to tempt you.  If you are trying to overcome an area in your life that is tied to you flesh, then remove all traces of it from your life.  Determine each day to live free in Christ because His death set us free from the law of sin.  He conquered death at the cross.  We do have authority in Christ Jesus to overcome our daily battles but we have to know our opponents.  We have to get serious about our strategies.  We have to want to change and submit ourselves to Christ to gain the victory. 

Final Thoughts

Knowing our opponents, preparing a strategy that is sure to win, and developing an offensive and defensive prayer life that implements the authority of Jesus Christ against our thoughts, against our flesh, and against Satan ensures us of victory in our daily struggles.  Refusing to buy into the world's system is another way we can cut off the enemy's direct attack on our life.  Why would we praise God on one side of our mouth and curse Him with the other?  I believe we do this by making choices that line up with the world's values, which ultimately negate the power of Christ in us.

This year I don't want to do the same-old, same-old things.  I want to make real changes that have real effect on myself, my family, and all that God has entrusted to me. I would love to hear your thoughts.  Do you agree or disagree?  Whatever your thoughts, I pray that you would know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  I also pray that this year would bring many wonderful and great things to your life! I would like to open the dialogue.

God Bless Always,

Dori