Coach's Corner
Warm-Up
Has a teammate or friend ever lied to you? When we find out someone tells us a lie, what happens to our relationship with them? Does is effect how you play as a team together? Discuss as a group.
When someone tells you the truth and you know it is true, how do you feel about that person? Does it make your relationship and team stronger?
Workout
Raise your hand if you have had someone tell you a lie.
Now, raise your hand if you have ever told a lie.
Both have consequences, right?
When someone lies, our trust in them weakens. We may even have doubts in the future of, “Is that really the truth?” And when we tell a lie, people’s trust in us weakens. They may also have doubts in the future of questioning if we are speaking truth or not.
Now raise your hand if God has ever lied to you. No hands should go up.
Do we see the difference between us and God?
- People are messy and imperfect.
- God is whole and perfect.
Today, the main point is that you can trust God and His Word.
God’s fourth X and O in His game plan is truth. Truth is believing that what God says is true and that we believe it. But where do we find this truth?
The truth is found in the Bible, and the Bible is God’s Word. So, God’s Word is true. Listen to what Psalms 33:4 says:
“For the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he does.”
Truth is the armor that we put on to help strengthen our faith and protect us. Proverbs 30:5 tell us that “Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.”
The Bible explains who God is and His relationship with us. This is the written promise of God and how His Word will be the protective shield for us.
When we step on our field of play, we often must wear gear to help protect us from the rigorous nature of our sport—a tough field, a hard ball, etc. It’s almost like the gear we wear is armor. But with God, His Word and His promises are our armor. Each time we read Scripture, we are putting on another layer of protection from the bad things in this world.
But guess what else God’s Word is for us? A weapon. In Hebrews 4:12, God tell us,
“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between join and marrow.”
We have learned that the Bible is a shield of protection and a sword of truth to cut to our souls, but there is one more thing the Bible is to us– a light! Psalms 119:105 says,
“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”
The Bible helps us stay protected, is a way for us to expose truth, and is a light unto our path to help us know how to live for God!
Would you win your next game if you went into it with no protection (or gear), no weapon (your skills), and were blindfolded?
Wrap-Up
Let’s close in prayer together:
“Dear God, thank You for Your Word and the protection and truth it gives me. Let me be convicted by it each day. Let me follow its light that will lead me to truth. Amen.”