Foot Wedge…(by Mel McGuire)

There is a concept in golf that mirrors real life, not that golf isn’t real life, it is. For some people golf is life, but that is another subject entirely. I am talking about the concept of “improving your lie”. By lie, I do not mean an untruth, but your situation. In golf this often calls for the “foot wedge”.

One of the fundamental rules of golf is that you must, in most cases, play your ball as it lies. One of the challenges of golf is to matriculate your ball around the course from a variety of lies. On a typical golf course, in a typical round of golf, you will need to hit your ball from thin grass (fairways and greens), thick grass (the rough), no grass (hard pan), sand (bunkers), and negotiate obstacles (usually trees).

Often amateur golfers playing a casual round, will ignore the rules about improving their lie and will incorporate the “foot wedge”. The foot wedge is not an actual golf club, but as the name implies, a technique whereby you move your ball to a better spot by using your foot.

Why a foot? Because it is easier to disguise what you are doing with your ball if you do not have to bend over to pick it up with your hand, or use a real golf club and take a real stroke. Thus, the foot wedge. Golfers justify it all the time, I know I do when I hit a perfect drive in the middle of the fairway and my ball comes to rest…in a divot. Foot wedge it an inch or so and presto! A perfect lie.

Many Christians incorporate this same concept in their walk with God. They are always trying, legally and otherwise to “improve their lie” and will use a spiritual equivalent of a foot wedge if they can.

There are times in life that are difficult, when things may not seem fair (like divots in the fairway), when your approach is blocked, and you are tempted to foot wedge yourself to a better spot. Do not do it! Like in golf, a foot wedge is not playing by the rules.

Tiger Woods, the greatest golfer I have ever seen, would play practice rounds and many times he would intentionally step on his ball to make his lie worse. He did this, so he could practice more difficult shots, knowing that in a tournament, not every lie would be perfect.

Believers need to take heed to that mindset. He was not afraid of tough lies, difficult situations, or uncomfortable circumstances. We cannot fear them either. They are promised to us and with those promises come opportunities for victory!

Persecution will come. Offenses will come. Your faith, and patience, and love, and kindness will be challenged. Play it as it lies. It will make you better. As they say in the military, “embrace the suck”. Yeah, it might hurt. Your score may not be as great as someone else, but you will be better for staying within the rules, and keeping your integrity.

Lose the foot wedge, play it as it lies. Spiritual strength comes from overcoming tough times. Don’t be like the golfer who relies on the foot wedge and deceives themselves into believing they are better than they truly are. God loves you will give you victory without you having to ignore, bend, or break His rules. When He is your waymaker, you don’t need a foot wedge.

“Mismatch…” (by Mel McGuire)

 

During one of my favorite sermons, the pastor was talking about the need to settle things by playing the game, having the fight, or living out what could appear to be, on paper, a mismatch.

Anyone who is a fan of sports understands the idea of a mismatch…on paper. One side is heavily favored and usually rightfully so, but the competition must be held. Winners are not decided on paper; they must win in life, for real.

The boxing match pictured here actually took place, a real-life David and Goliath situation. And while I do not understand how this match was ever allowed to take place under the rules of boxing as I understand them…it looks like a mismatch to me.

On paper, one fighter is clearly bigger, stronger, and with a longer reach than the other. But what cannot be seen, on paper, is the size or type of heart that resides on the inside of each fighter.

In this case, the smaller man won. It was called a surprise knockout, but I suspect he and his corner were not surprised. Why fight if you have no intention of winning? Meanwhile others will only fight if they have no chance of losing. They like a mismatch.

On paper, many of us should not be where we are in life. Christ lives in us and He gives us the heart, the character, to defeat the Goliaths of our life. David fought one and won, that we know of. But I believe Goliath is not singular but plural and on purpose.

In the spirit, our destiny should be a mismatch. On paper, we should not win. But those battles, like sporting competitions, must be played out for real.

Paper champions have no place in the kingdom of God. Grace, favor, mercy, and even the anointed presence and manifested power of God cannot be measured on paper. He creates a mismatch.

On paper, according to God’s word, we are victorious, more than conquerors, overcomers, and royalty infused with the power of God. We are holy, precious, valuable, and valued by the King of Kings. On paper.

But too often we are living lives that are a mismatch. We have believed the enemy’s press clippings, fallen for the hype, and studied too much of his highlight reel, many of which feature him dominating our own lives.

There truly are more for us than against us, but WE must to be for us first! When God is fighting your battle, you are on the winning side of the mismatch. When we try to fight a spiritual battle with natural, earthly weapons, we often lose…and badly.

Get back to reading and believing what God has said about you. Who you are, whose you are. He gives you the advantage, that like on paper, creates the mismatch in your favor.

Fight the good fight. The battle is not yours. He won’t lose if you fight. It’s a mismatch!

“Clinch…” (by Mel McGuire)

During boxing matches, from time to time, the fighters will stop punching and use a tactic known as the “clinch”. This is basically a hug, that prevents or limits the ability to throw effective punches.

Boxers use this when they are tired, or when they are trying to break their opponent’s momentum. Since the point of the match is to fight, the referee usually will eventually step in and separate the fighters, so they can begin punching again.

But there are also times when the referee, for a couple of different reasons, will tell the fighters to “punch their way out” of a clinch. This means he will NOT break it up, or separate them, they have to fight their way clear.

When you are winning a fight, a clinch can be frustrating, for it calls for a different strategy than what was probably working for you. If you are not careful, fighting out of a clinch can give your opponent an easy shot at you.

From time to time in my spiritual battle, I have felt like I was in a clinch. I was still in a fight, but there seemed to be a lull in the action. To be honest, most of the time I felt I was so close to a sin habit or destructive lifestyle pattern, I needed the referee to come in and separate me from it.

God, being faithful, especially early in my walk, would show up and push me away, protecting me in the process. Then the fight would resume. And before I knew it, I was in another clinch.

Eventually God stays back…He is close, but He does not step in. I can hear Him, like a referee tells a fighter, “fight your way out”. He expects me to break the clinch myself…by punching my way clear.

Repetitive or habitual sins are usually the ones with which we battle and wind up in a clinch. Whether we are winning or losing, it does not matter it seems. We are in a clinch and we must fight our way out.

We must keep our spiritual guard up lest we take an unsuspecting close range shot, and allow the momentum of the battle to swing against us.

Even though we are tired of the fight, and would love to “rest in the clinch”, boxers know clinching takes a lot of energy, it’s just used differently that actively punching. So even though you are not punching, you are not resting either!

Fight the good fight. Stay active as you battle in the spirit. Resist the temptation to rest in a clinch. Keep punching, keep moving, stay aggressive. Doing so makes it hard to “tie up your hands” and makes a clinch less likely.

But if you do find yourself in a clinch, don’t wait for God to break you free…punch your way out, fight your way clear.

Our battle is in the spirit; our weapons are not carnal. Protect yourself at all times. Stick and move…and avoid the clinch.

“Trophy…” (by Mel McGuire)

I played team sports as a child. At the end of every season, the top three teams would have a ceremony where they would be recognized for their achievements and each player would receive a trophy.

The team that won the most, or earned first place, got the biggest trophy. Made sense to me. Now as an adult, I see kids receiving trophies merely for participating. Some sports do not keep score, do not establish a winner (or loser), and everyone receives the same reward regardless of how well they perform.

I think sometimes believers think God is giving out participation trophies. We often act like there is no benefit to “winning”, just showing up and “trying” ought to be enough to win the prize.

In sports there is a price to pay in order to win the ultimate prize. It involves sacrifice, pain, overcoming adversity, and actually performing at a high level at the right time. While there may be some good fortune involved for sure, no team wins the highest prize without doing the work.

The participation trophy is probably okay for beginners, for novices, or for children. Adults, professionals, and maturing believers should not expect such from God. If we are honest, we would all prefer not to have to do all that it takes to win, as long as we receive the winner’s prize. But neither God, nor real life, hands out such a trophy.

We want the ring without the seventh game victory, the cup without the season-long struggle, the title without the fight, the applause without the adversity. We want the result without the work.

As believers, we want His power but not His persecution, His life without our death, His insight without His intimacy, and His Crown without His character. We cannot have His will without His way, nor His voice without His word.

We would all love to do what he did without having to become what he was. Think about that. We want the title of overcomer without actually overcoming anything. We are called more than conquerors, yet often refuse to fight, much less win.

God’s grace and His mercy are always available to us, not so we can do just enough to “make it in”, but to demonstrate to the world that He is alive and still reigns over this world! God is a champion! He wants to be in first place in your life.

When God is your champion, He gets your best. You give Him the biggest trophy of all…your life! Your heart, mind, soul, strength…it all goes to give Him the glory! When we do that, we recognize Him as Lord of all, King of kings, Almighty God.

When we don’t we are basically offering Him a participation trophy, the same reward as everyone else in our life. REALLY??

He has given us everything we need to win, to overcome, to conquer. Win the fight, win the race…win the trophy, the top prize: Not just life, but eternal life!

“Highlights…” (by Mel McGuire)

Every night I spend a few minutes watching sports highlights on television. I like them because you get a sense of what happened without having to sit through an entire game. The other side of that coin however, is that you don’t get a feel for the ebb and flow, momentum changes, and rhythm of the actual event. You just watch what someone else has decided is worth showing. Sometimes the highlights are more focused on the losing team…they had more exciting plays, but lost the game.

As a result of this phenomenon, we have a generation of people who focus on the spectacular catch, in your face dunk, or big hit…the knockout punch, the acrobatic goal, or the longest fight (hockey fans, you know who you are).

Of course as I watched the same highlights for the third time one night (am I the only one?), the Lord “interrupted my regularly scheduled programming”. He reminded me that the highlights, while entertaining and addictive, do not tell the whole or even true story of an athletic event.

The fundamentals, the basics, the routine…they that perform those the best, with the least amount of errors, usually win the game. Has our Christianity become like the late night highlight show? Have we become so enamored with the latest sermon, the miracle, the testimony or praise report that we forget the importance of the fundamentals of our faith? Prayer, obedience, holiness, forgiveness, and giving…the basics that determine outcomes far more than the spectacular move of God.

In our walk with Christ we need to make the routine play, the things that happen all the time more so than preparing for the spectacular, the highlight play. Pray for obedience and humility, pray for our leaders and for your family. Make the routine play. Do what you know the Word says for you to do. If you don’t, it’s like an error, or a turnover. Don’t mine the word for some new deep revelation if you aren’t even trying to walk in holiness or forgiveness. Make the routine play.

Highlights come from mastering the basics and rising (sometimes literally) to some extraordinary occasion. But if you lose the game, what is the ultimate value of the spectacular event? Make the routine play, eliminate errors and turnovers, master the mundane and see if your greatest highlight isn’t victory in the end, when it matters.

When God replays the highlights of your life, will the final frame be you lifting the ultimate prize, bowing to receive the gold medal (your crown of glory)? Or will you live a spectacular but error filled life, full of mishaps and missteps that leave you defeated and downcast (cast down?)? A Gatorade shower will not extinguish the flames of hell. Play to win the game.

 

“Huddle…” (by Mel McGuire)

During the Holidays I am prone to watch a lot of football. A popular trend these days is the “no-huddle” offense. This offense relies on signs, visual cues, and limited verbal communication to call the next play. It has the potential to keep a defense from making adjustments based on “down and distance”. It can be hard to run in a hostile environment if there is a lot of crowd noise.

In order to maximize the impact of the no-huddle, the overall game plan and situational awareness must be established before the game is played. This requires preparation and dedication by the coaches and players alike.

The team will still huddle prior to certain plays, or if they need to “milk the clock”. The point of the huddle is to update each other on the current situation, and to provide information as to what is coming next.

That is where God got me. First, He noted, the huddle in between plays is NOT the time or place to talk about what just happened! It is to prepare for and call the next play.

Secondly, everyone has a pre-determined place in the huddle, so if specific instructions are necessary for a particular position (not just player), the quarterback knows exactly where to look.

For example, when a team is trying to preserve a lead, players know to stay inbounds and wrap two hands around the ball, for possession is more important than individual stats.

Once I was reminded of the purpose and function of a good ol’ fashioned huddle, God told me I was running a “no-huddle” offense while He was waiting at the end of each play to “huddle up”. Usually, He noted, it is the center, that establishes a location, raises his hand and yells, “Huddle Up!” Well, God told me that my prayer life was like a no-huddle, and I was missing out on stuff because I would not check with Him for the next play.

He told me that as He made adjustments in my daily life, I was missing the signs, visual cues and verbal communication He was using to call the next play. He said I needed to take the time to huddle. My response was “I don’t have time to pray like that all day”, and I believe He heard me. He asked me how long does a team actually huddle between plays? Don’t they in fact incur a penalty if they take too long in the huddle? Don’t they suffer a similar fate if they have too many men in the huddle?

His point to me was that He wanted me to be checking with HIM between plays and it didn’t have to take long. “It’s not the length of the prayer, but the strength of the prayer”. By keeping unnecessary folks out of our huddle, we can avoid penalties and confusing communications. By taking my proper position in the huddle, I can receive the specific instructions for me based on my life’s current “down and distance”.

The message from Sunday, my daily devotion, those are like the overall game plan and situations I prepare for ahead of time. Once my day begins, adjustments have to be made to counter what my opposition is trying to do to stop me. The huddle allows me to hear clearly in spite of crowd noise or excessive movement by the enemy.

Okay, the play is over… Huddle Up!

“Audible…” (by Mel McGuire)

As football season winds down, I was struck by how often successful teams are willing and able to call an audible.

An audible is called when the offense sees the defense is positioned to stop the play they are planning to run. Based on positioning and tendencies, they will then switch to a different play that is designed to work against the defense they are facing. There are several factors involved in whether an audible is called, and if it is successful.

Most defenses study their opponent’s tendencies and prepare for them based on what they have done in the past.

A smart offensive coordinator will study their own past performance and be familiar with their own habits and patterns. They can then put themselves in a familiar position, anticipate the opposing strategy, and have a plan to audible to a better play. A successful audible requires preparation.

Another important factor in running an audible is time and timing. If you take too long to get in the right position, you may not have enough time to call an audible. The best audible is called with enough time for only the offense to adjust. A successful audible requires timing.

The most important aspect of an audible is execution. It is a fundamental truth that the best designed play is only as good as the execution of the play. How many wide open receivers are missed, passes dropped, blocks missed, or penalties incurred due to poor execution?

It takes more than just calling the right play, but running the right play right, to be successful. Audibles rely on good execution.

When the Lord gives us instructions ( calls a play), understand that He has studied your tendencies and past performance. So too has your opponent, and so it is to our advantage to obey quickly, so that if God needs to change your position or assignment, you have time to recognize and adjust.

Faith is hearing the play call, getting lined up and surveying the defense immediately. Faith then listens for an audible, and then executes whatever play is called to the best of its ability.

Certain teams or players prefer to run, others prefer to pass, but the goal is the same…move the ball down the field. We too have our preferences, but God is interested in progress.

There are times when He will have you do the things you prefer and feel comfortable doing. There are other times when progress will be made only when you are executing outside of your comfort zone. Another truth is that growth is equivalent to change, and both come when you balance going to your strengths and improving your weaknesses.

Every situation you face can be overcome if you operate and execute God’s plan. You may want to pray about someone, but God will call an audible and tell you to speak a word to them, or bless them financially.

He may switch out your fellowship time with private devotion with Him. If you are interested in advancing the kingdom, you will not hesitate at the method He chooses. Audibles require obedience.

So let’s get in our rightful positions quickly, prepared to execute our individual assignments to the best of our ability, having faith that whatever play is called, God has a strategy that will advance His purpose in the earth and in our lives.

His plan calls for audibles and our lives are full of them, designed to overcome the opposition we face right now. Expect them, trust them, and execute them to continue moving forward with Him. A spirit led life is a life full of audibles, and it requires preparation, timing, and execution.