Most people in the South can say they love sports, primarily college football. College football is definitely the popular sport in the state of Alabama. Have you ever stopped to consider that playing sports, though, can actually teach us more than just X's and O's?

When I was younger, I played football for several years and ran track. I never really thought of the connection until much later on. Once I was in college, to be exact, is when I made this connection.

Think about it. Sports teach us competition, how to work as a team, and how to face adversity. We all face each of these in our spiritual lives as well.

First, let's look at spiritual competition. This isn't competing against fellow Christians to see who can be the "best Christian." This is actually the competition we face with our adversary, our rival, Satan. As Case Keenum, currently of the Washington Redskins, says in a thirty-day devotional he wrote, "The Bible is our ultimate game plan given to us by God, our coach in this life." What this means is God is calling the plays in our lives. It is up to us to execute them. Are we going to mess up and botch a play? Absolutely, because we are human, and all of us sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). However, when we choose to accept Jesus as Savior of our lives, we are a part of His team, forgiven of our sins when we ask. This means when we are on God's team, we cannot lose.

Next, we see that we learn how to work as a team of Christians. As we watch football, we see that all players on a team have to work together. Tua can't throw a pass to himself and score if it's just him against eleven defenders. The same is true in our spiritual lives. Galatians 6:2 says, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ (ESV)." What this means is that we should strive to carry one another when we are burdened. We all have struggles we face and situations that cause us to worry and be anxious, and we have to be vigilant in sharing those burdens with one another so that we can guide one another through this walk in life. The best way to do this is to get plugged into a small group. By sharing life with others, we see that we are not alone and can walk together in Christ.

Adding on to this point, players on a team hold one another accountable. The same should be true in our walk in Christ. When a player gets caught doing something wrong, such as violating team rules or even as far as committing some form of crime, that player is held accountable for his actions. In the same sense, God holds us accountable for our actions as well. He tells us to hold one another accountable. Paul also tells us in Romans 3:19-22, "Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-- the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe (ESV)." These verses tell us that although we will be held accountable to God, we receive His righteousness through faith in Christ.

Now, let's look at how we face adversity. Football teams face adversity when they are involved in close games, commit turnovers in games, or even when they lose games. We face adversity in our lives when our situations bring us anxiety. James 1:2-3 says, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness (ESV)." Our trials make us stronger by testing our faith, pushing us to turn to Jesus, just like mistakes in a football game or a loss makes the team stronger.

But how can we have joy in the midst of trials? The answer is simple. We find the answer in Matthew 6:33, which says, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (ESV)." This tells us that we find joy in the midst of trials by seeking God, trusting in Him. Building on this point, Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (ESV)." What Paul is telling us here is that we shouldn't be worried in the midst of our trials; rather, we should give those situations over to God, and in doing so, the peace of God will wash over us, allowing us to have joy.

Lastly, just as football players have a uniform to wear each game, we have a uniform to wear in the spiritual battle we face daily. Like a football player could be seriously injured without his gear, we can be seriously injured spiritually without ours, succumbing to the world. My challenge for all who read this is to read Ephesians 6:10-20 to see what our uniform as Christians looks like.