Posts Tagged ‘Ephesians 6’

“Never underestimate the power of a rivalry”.  These were the words I heard as my heart pounded in my chest; the one win Cleveland Browns had just triumphed over their nemesis – the Pittsburgh Steelers.  I must say, it got me thinking.

What is a rival?  Websters defines a rival as:  “a person who is competing for the same object or goal as another, or who tries to equal or outdo another; competitor”.  Another definition describes a rival as:  “a person or thing that is in a position to dispute another’s preeminence or superiority”.  How do we define our rivals?  The Bible tells us plainly that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”.  Do we underestimate the power of our rivalry?

It is so easy to become lulled to sleep in the comfort and complacency of modern convenience.  To become apathetic about the world that surrounds, yet never seems to touch, our isolated lives.  To daily begin the game without truly understanding the strength of our enemy.

I believe that it is time to wake up!  It is time to understand that we face a real foe; he is likened to a “roaring lion seeking whom he may devour”, and is our greatest rival.  He is competing to be the god of our lives and to have preeminence over this world.  We must never make the mistake of underestimating exactly how powerful, cleaver, and subtle he is.  We must live obedient lives with the discernment and wisdom that only comes from God, escaping the snares of our adversary the devil.  Then, and only then will we find victory in this life!

They were fast

Our first game of the season had a bit of a disappointing end (we lost 3 to 1).  However, what seems the most vivid to me was not the end, but the shocking start.  We have a very young team this year, most of our players are playing for the first time;  the team we played was not.  They were a foot taller than my boys (on average) and ran faster than some adult males I know.  After one of the trick plays they masterfully executed, one of the boys on my team said in despair “they were faster than I thought they would be”.

Isn’t that how it always appears to be in our lives?  Don’t we often find ourselves up against seemingly unbeatable odds?  Our adversary is quicker, smarter, stronger, with more experience; yet we do have a secret weapon.  The Bible tells us that “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

If we are going to have any success in this game of life, we must understand who we are facing.  Our adversaries are not flesh and blood; they are much stronger – much smarter – much faster than that.  They will do everything in their power to prevent us from fulfilling God’s plan.  However, we are on the winning team!  Though we are facing an incredibly formidable opponent, we can always remember who we are playing for.  Through the shed blood of our coach (the Lord Jesus Christ) we will have ultimate victory!