Understanding the Opponent

I was recently flying to Kansas City, MO for a Board of Trustees meeting at Midwestern Seminary and met Matt Millen, who was waiting on the same plane to Atlanta.  Matt played linebacker for the Raiders back in my football card collecting days (early 80's).  He then worked in football management and rose to become the president of the Detroit Lions.  All I remember about that is that it was dismal.  He now is an announcer for ESPN and had covered the MSU and Tennessee game the night before.  He had tried all day to fly out  but these were the Hurricane Sandy days up north and Florida storms down south and everything was thrown off.  Our plane had problems and we had a good delay at the two terminal airport of Columbus, MS.  A great place to fly out of quickly....that is unless...Sandy and storms and plane problems come.  The airport brought in pizza for us to eat for supper and I warmed up next to him and dropped a line- Do you come in here often?  Not really.  I did ask him about how he enjoyed his stress free life of good wages for talking about football, or something like that.  I really asked him how long he had been in Starkville and how did he prepare.  He said he came in on the Wednesday before and had simply watched film of the teams' games.  He said, "Coaches will lie to you.  Players will lie to you.  Film shows everything.  I just watch film." I have given that a lot of thought since that day.  I have watched games he has covered since and thought about his preparation.  If you know the schemes of football teams and know their approaches and know how they attack and how they defend and understand their game, you can know how to play against them, commentate about them, and even how to defeat them. 

My friend, we are involved in much more than a game.  We are in a battle.  The battle is unseen but the ramifications are not.  It is guerilla warfare and is sometimes hard to recognize, but it is very real.  It is more real than what we see.  Paul warned us this way in Ephesians 6.12-13-For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

Understand the battle.  Prepare for the battle (not with films but in the Word) and as they say in football, 'Leave it all on the field.'  In other words, hold nothing back.  You do not get another shot at standing for Christ in this world beyond this life.   Let's be strong today for His Glory!