What is the deal Jesus?
I was so hoping to lead my team into battle tonight in the NAIA National Championship Game. Together we fought, dreamed, prayed, praised, fasted, sought, danced and worshipped our Savior Jesus Christ with everything we had all season. We felt his presence and saw His favor so many times this season. I am feeling a little bit like how John the Baptist felt in Luke 7 when he sent some friends to ask Jesus what the deal was.
Those of you that know me, would likely agree that I am in some ways similar to John the Baptist. I enjoy beating to my own drum. At the same time, I would be the first to say that there is a very big difference in our two situations. He was in jail and facing being beheaded when he sent his friends to ask Jesus that question. I, on the other hand, am just wondering if there is anything else I could have done as a leader and coach to help my team win and advance. I know looking back I could have made different adjustments, substitutions, or called different plays, but is there anything spiritually I could have done to make a difference? Did I lack faith?
I am guessing you are wondering why there is a watermelon in a shopping cart as the lead in picture to this post. The last National Championship I won in KC, I told my point guard if we won, I would buy him a watermelon, because he always wanted a watermelon instead of oranges for locker room fruit. I searched all over KC to find him that watermelon that night and we enjoyed sharing the celebration feast. This time I had going into our elite eight game, I bought this watermelon and set it in my hotel room, because I felt it was powerful to play from a point of victory and faith. I thought I had done everything I could possibly do to help my team win.
As we prepared for what we called battle, game after game this season, I constantly reminded my warriors that they could very easily had been born in the Ukraine where they would be putting on body armor, and like John the Baptist, placing their lives on the line for the Freedom to Worship Jesus.
My prayers go out to all the young men and women and all the powerful heroes across the world in every tribe, nation, and tongue who are Fighting for Freedom today as I write this.
President Ronald Reagan gave us a powerful reminder. “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”
We are so blessed to still have Freedom in the USA, where our 18 year olds are able to choose whether they serve our country in the arm forces, go to college, or pursue other dreams. There is no more powerful Freedom than the Freedom to Worship our Savior. Ask the warriors in underground churches in countries like Russia, Iran or China how valuable that Freedom is!
Because of the influence that sports has in the world today, especially in the USA, God can use a team, coach and/or individual to shed His light through sports and demonstrate His love, power, and favor. The truth is, seeking God with all your heart on this side of heaven, does to guarantee worldly championships. The greater truth is, it does guarantee the greatest championship we can every achieve. That championship is waiting for us in Glory!
Jesus response to John the Baptist then is the same response today, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard- the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” and he added. “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.”
What does that last addition mean? The Jesus I know is all about rewarding those who diligently seek him, about healing, about freedom, about life, and yet, here is someone who is dearly beloved to him, beaten, imprisoned, and ultimately beheaded for his service to The King. He knew John’s heart was tender. He knew how fickle the human soul can be, to take offense to it’s creator, to lose faith. It is so easy for us to question God and even get offended.
As believers, I think we become even more offended when God doesn’t “behave” like we think He should. Our Faith cannot be shaken, because powerful faith is not understanding or seeing something come to pass, but still trusting God with all your heart. Jesus died for our sins, so that we may spend eternity with Him. We have to trust whatever else happens is part of the plan. We can come up short on our end with lack of faith or lack of trust, but Jesus is never comes up short on his end of the deal.
For a short time, March Madness helps take our mind off the war that rages both in the Ukraine and right here in our public schools and universities over the Freedom to Worship Jesus.
The Word of God reminds us that the war will rage on until that day Jesus shouts and returns to conquer. Until then, we fight not in flesh and blood, but against principalities of the darkness. It is for this reason, we must be full of the power of Spirit of God. We must wage war daily against the darkness, because it is the only way we will see breakthrough and victory while on earth. It was just a few months ago that our own government tried to remove our Freedom to Worship Jesus. Closing churches while leaving other so called “necessary” worldly establishments open.
Please pray daily for the Freedom Fighters all over the World. We must learn to do both, Worship and War. If we don’t learn how to do both, we will find ourselves coming up short in the areas that truly matter. Winning souls for Christ.
I enjoyed that watermelon tonight, because my identity and faith remains in Jesus and the victory he had at Calvary, not in my own success on this earth.
