Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!

At this point in football season, it seems the hopes of my favorite teams hinge on whether or not the players can maintain focus. Not sure if my favorite High School, College AND Pro teams lost focus or not during Thanksgiving week (I'm not qualified or free to say), BUT...they all lost! Making last week the worst football week I've experienced in a long time. To say the least, I was a little disillusioned with the whole football thing!

I've also allowed issues that ARE important in our country to cause ME to lose focus over the last few weeks, perhaps we all have. I've allowed our nation's obsession with the Ferguson issue, acceptance of homosexuality, and even very non-eternal matters like the College football playoffs to cloud my vision of what is really important. Just as opposing teams love to play against a distracted team, I was reminded today by the Holy Spirit that Satan loves distracted Christians...especially when he can divert our attention off of Jesus and what He's called each of us to.

For non-Christians who may read this, first of all, I apologize for MY misdirected focus and I feel convinced that some of us who passionately seek to truly be Christ's "ambassadors" desire to apologize also. The issues of anger, selfishness, racism, vengeance, immorality that I and other Christians have railed against are merely symptoms of a sick society held hostage by the father of lies who has many in our nation imprisoned, blinded and under the power and influence of evil (Eph. 2:1-3). MY responsibility, as well as the church, is to point/love Satan's captives to Jesus and not shout at who we identify as the "bad guys" in our culture as we do on the football field toward the opposing teams and even those who officiate the games.

I'm praying I/we will refocus on the Gospel and what Christ wants to do through those of us who've been freed by the Gospel and commissioned to lovingly and consistently express it to the world. To quote a motivational line from a favorite television football show, maybe as Christians we should fulfill the Great Commission with this mentality, "Clear eyes, full hearts, CAN'T (WON'T) lose!"