Crush Satan #2

One thing I can't stand is for a football team to quit playing before the game is over!! I'm not going to discuss whether or not football shows Christ love or not but what I am going to talk about is how I can relate a team that quits before the game is over to our spiritual life...

I found myself at a game where we are coming into the game as the favorites. Our record was 3 wins and 2 losses. Theirs was 0 wins and 5 losses. Needless to say we should have no problem winning this game. Are athletic ability has been displayed the week before with our ability to keep up with a top ranked team and almost defeat them despite the fact that we were out sized and did not have the depth that the other teams had. This game should be a easier than playing than number 3 team in the nation the week before and we were on a mission to get a win after having the bitter taste of defeat. At half time we found ourselves down 31-14(the score is estimated). At the middle of the 3rd we were down 44-14 (maybe). Anyway regardless of the score we were not catching any breaks. Our defense was getting worse and our offense seemed to forget where the end zone was or at least forgot how to get there. This is when the team started acting like we were already defeated. There was still half of the 3rd and the whole 4th quarter to play ball! Anyone who has been around sports knows that that's plenty of time to win a ball game but the team was acting like we were already on the bus going home. They were out on the field in body but were not trying ANYTHING. I couldn't understand it. The guys on the sideline started taking a knee like someone was hurt. I started yelling "LETS GO. GAMES NOT OVER. LETS GO. KEEP FIGHTING. DON'T GIVE UP!!!" It seemed to have no spark. It was like trying to start a fire with wood that was at the bottom of the lake.

I finally got a few guys on board with encouraging their teammates on the field. It’s amazing how you play when you know that someone is depending on you and is needing you to keep fighting. We started yelling simple things over and over again. I found myself repeating "Let’s Go" before every snap. I don't think my yelling did much but it seemed to turn the tide. We ended up losing the game but for a quarter we gave everything we had and almost pulled off an amazing comeback. We pulled within 3 because we didn't quit. Final score was 45-42. Imagine what would have happened if we had just stayed down in the 3rd. Imagine what would have happened if we would have played like we did in the 4th at the start of the game.

So now for the application of the story. There is never any reason to give up or slow down. We are in the fight and we have a choice to fight or lay down and die. So, to put it back in football terms, since you are already on the field... FIGHT!!!!!!!!! There is no reason not to play the game when you’re on the field! It is ludicrous to think that someone would train for a race and then get a little bit into the race and decide to quit running or decide that since they are not going to win they might as well quit. It is preposterous to believe that you are defeated before the clock has run out of time.

One day the clock of life will run out but it hasn't yet. It is a shame to Christ that there are so many "believers" that decide to slow down in the race so that they might not get "burned out." Christ is in your life to burn. He is not there to be a little candle light. This light has to be seen from the hilltop and that means it has to be blazing. Never give up!! Keep up the fight!! Let’s go!! Let’s run!! Stay focused!! We still have time to honor the Lord!! It doesn't matter if all seems lost. you give it your all and "leave it all on the field!" It doesn't matter if you find yourself down by 50. You keep fighting; you keep playing!!! The game is not over so don't act like it is!!!

1) Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.2) Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.3) More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,4) and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,5) and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. - Romans 5:1-5

We know that these trials are going to mold us into the person Christ wants us to be for His kingdom. SO don't hang your head because your getting beat up on. Christ has already won the victory and since we already know who the winner is going to be that should cause us to run harder so that we can get a better time or play harder so we can increase our lead over our opponent or catch back up for an awesome comeback. It should not in any case cause us to start slowing down!! Christ has called us to a fight. A fight where it seems we are outnumbered and weak. This fight will test who we are and our very character down to the core of our being. Therefore we must exercise our spiritual disciplines to get in shape for the battle which coincidentally is every day and night.

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. There is no need to hold your head down in defeat because it appears all is lost. There is still time on the clock! Start fighting NOW! Get in the game! Never quit!! Never give in!! Keep up the fight!! LET’S GO!!!!!