Original Date: June 12, 2007
7 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. 2 Chronicles 32:7
4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:4
Last week (Original Date: June 12, 2007) Colton’s team rounded off an undefeated football season. The final team they played had only been beaten once and that was by us. According to their coach they had changed their entire offense just to beat us. Did I tell you that these are only third and fourth graders! As I always do as a coach, I was watched them warm up during pregame game and noticed that they ran a play I hadn’t seen before (a flood pattern with the tight end in the flat for those of you who care). I simply told our end what to do in that situation and when they ran the play one of our boys picked it off! After we had won the game the coach was shocked that we could stop his tight end out pattern and when questioned my answer was simple, “I saw you running it before the game!”
As of 2007 I haven’t played or coached at the high school level for years, but I believe a key factor to a team’s success is the coach. In fact, it may be the only factor! May I be so bold as to say the head coach is the most important thing to a team’s success? As I follow local football teams in our area I notice some teams go from losing seasons to state championships and the difference is that has changed is the head coach. As Bill Hybels said, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”
We constantly see teams stuck in the basement rise to the top of their division by a simple coaching change. A great coach knows how to lead men. Men such as the late Bill Walsh, hall of Fame San Francisco 49er coach and inventor of the famous West Coast Offense once said that “Success is 15% of what you know and 85% how you deal with people.” Besides the obvious gift of leadership is the ability to go ahead of the players and scout opponents. Great coaches go ahead of their players and often know an opposing team nearly as good as they know themselves. A coach who scouts ahead for his team as well as having the ability to lead people is a recipe for success.
As we listen to the words of Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 3:1-2 and especially verse 8, we see two things surface that encourage men. First, Hezekiah was a leader recognized in history because he, “did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all his father David had done (2 Chronicles 29:2).” He was not only a leader, but a spiritual leader. He was a man the people could trust as “the people relied on (his words)” (vs. 8). Besides the confidence Hezekiah gave the people as a spiritual leader, Hezekiah knew first hand a second vital characteristic of God.
He knew that God (usually) will not send us into a battle that we cannot win, unless of course there is sin in the camp (Joshua 8:1-29). In other words, God’s will is for us to win. We lose when we contradict the will of God with our own will, selfish ambitions and dreams. But when God speaks and we move with Him, victory is ours. Not only is the Lord ‘with us’ in His will but he will “help us” and will “fight our battles.” Did you hear that? When God calls us to take new territory He not only blesses and helps us, but he goes before us to “fight our battles!”
I don’t know about you, but I want God to fight for me and not against me. I want God to scout out the territory He has called me to so that I do not have to go in alone.
