Monthly Archives: March 2021

Perfect Practice

Several weeks into the football season, the coach would tell us he wanted a perfect play drill. He would call an offensive play and we were supposed to perform it with no mistakes. He then would put the offense against the defense and expect the same perfect play. As you can guess it rarely happened to be perfect against the defense.

In life we are not perfect either. King David was a man after God’s own heart. He knew the Ten Commandments, he knew right from wrong, but he saw Bathsheba and desired her in his mind first, which lead to coveting, adultery, lies and murder.

You and me are men just like King David. We know we should not commit adultery, lust or fornicate, but we do have inner thoughts of things we should not do and at times we fail even if it is just in our imagination.

There is no perfect church where there is no sin. There is no perfect pastor, priest or preacher. If your pastor and church is held up as the perfect place you know it is a fake. None of us are perfect, but we must strive for perfection.

Paul the Apostle talked about this imperfection in men and claimed he was the chief sinner of us all. He took the Gospel to the gentiles and wrote many letters that are in the Bible today. A great man, but still a sinner, just like you and me.

1 Timothy 1: 15-16 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.

Romans 7:15-20 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.  For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

Tackling Drills

The Head Football Coach was angry. He and the assistant coaches were running the football team through variations of tackling drills early in the season, and coach was not happy! All of a sudden the coach stops the tackling drill brings everyone in close and screams as loud as he can, “Have any of you guys ever been in a fist fight? Have you ever got angry enough at someone that you wanted to punch them? That is the kind of attitude I want to see in our tackling drills from now on!”

Peter, in the Bible, got angry when they came to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He drew his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest servant as he struck the servant in the head. You can bet Peter didn’t just come up behind the servant and grab his ear and cut it off quickly. No Peter pulled his sword and then attacked Malchus just like you would in a fist fight or a tackling drill!

John 18:10 “Then Simon Peter having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.” Jesus did tell Peter to put away his sword and then healed Malchus’s ear.

So have you ever been in a fist fight? The worst punch I ever received was when I took my eye off of my adversary. I did not see the punch coming. That is the worst punch satan will ever give you, is when you take your eye off of him. You take your eye off satan when you don’t believe in him. Research shows that well over half the church going people in America don’t believe in satan and that includes pastors, priests and ministers. So is it any wonder satan is knocking out families, pastors and priest left and right because people don’t believe in satan and they don’t see the punch coming.

Now I am not advocating punching anyone and getting into fist fights to prove anything. That is foolishness. But I do know you need to be ready to fight with satan. This fight will be in your mind. That is where the real battleground will be found. The fight with satan should be just like a tackling drill or a fist fight and you need to bring some attitude to the fight. Who will win that fight in your mind, satan or Jesus?

Matthew 12:30 Jesus says, “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.”

2 Corinthians 6:15 “What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?”