Today is the first Sunday of the 2023-2024 NFL season. Football fans all over the nation and the world can hardly wait for kickoff. New big screen TV’s are mounted on living room walls, barbecues are warmed up and cupboards are well-stocked with pretzels, chips, dips and all the other necessities for fan survival as they cheer on their favorite teams (Go Bills!).
Sunday football is a sacred tradition in many American homes. Every play is analyzed, every hit rated, every touchdown cheered. We admire the players and coaches for their determination and their sacrifice, living vicariously through them as they battle up and down the field.
Football is an exciting sport, but it is also a dangerous one. Every hit takes a toll on the players’ bodies and they know they are each just one step or one hit away from a career-ending injury. Millions of dollars has gone into development of the equipment players wear to protect themselves from serious injury.
No NFL player in their right mind would ever consider stepping onto the field without their helmets, pads and other protective equipment on. To do so would be to invite serious injury. Yet so often you and I try to play the game of life without the “full armor of God…” (Ephesians 6:11 NIV).
Football players battle against opposing teams made up of human beings with similar strengths and weaknesses to their own. Usually they are fairly evenly matched. That is not the case in the game of life. No, “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.” (Ephesians 6:12).
In this struggle we are totally outmatched, but we are not alone. Jesus, promises, ““Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5). He “has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:15). He understands the struggles we face, because He has gone through them Himself. Through faith in Him you may have victory, if you will daily “Put on the full armor of God.”
Each piece of that armor is essential, just as each piece of protective gear is necessary to the football player. Over the next several days we will consider the different pieces of that armor and their importance. Until then, know this, with Christ victory is already ours. So, have a wonderful day and “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” (Ephesians 6:10).