Football Season is Here!

Football season is here! For many people in the South, football is god!

I can remember standing on the sidelines and hearing the chant, "Know what to do and DO IT!"

Players and coaches spent countless days in the weight room, watched numerous hours of game film, and trained their bodies and minds for the play calls in practice all to prepare themselves for the physical war under the "Friday Night Lights."

Every routine play and even the trick plays were rehearsed in practice. How could the result not be a 1st down? They can repeat the opponents' play calling in their sleep. How could they not get a defensive stop on 3rd and long?

Life is no different. There's a coach, a playbook, a team, and an opponent. What on earth could de-rail our team from experiencing optimal success? Two things; ignorance and apathy.

So, ignorance is simply not knowing what to do. There are many reasons a player may fail to do the right thing, but he cannot do what he does not know. Maybe he was distracted. Maybe he was absent. Maybe he just didn't understand the play being called. Nevertheless, his inability to fulfill his obligation to the team left him wavering in the ranks of irresponsible behavior.

Apathy is refusing to do something in light of knowing the routine and the results. This player knows the responsibility of the position but is choosing to act independently of those expectations. Pride, inconvenience, or a lack of self control are often indicators leading to apathy. And apathetic tendencies always lead to results that are off course.

How do we overcome two of the most fundamental flaws of any team?

It's simple; obedience. We refuse to be ignorant; we choose to learn and become a student of the game. We refrain from apathy; our responsibility to this team trumps any rights we believe we have as an individual. We submit ourselves to the authority of leadership, to the unity of this team, and to the plausibility of its practices to develop a more cohesive design for success in this game.

This statement, "Know what to do and do it," is more than the MO for a sports team; it's the MO for God's army in the war we face in life. James 4:17 states, "Whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." The only way we can guarantee victory over the struggles in life is to identify the voice of our commander and obey with unwavering vigor and resolve!