Know Your Opponent

When I played college basketball, my coaches put a huge emphasis on knowing the scout.

Before each game, we were given a packet of information on the other team. Their offense, defense and personnel were all broken down and given to us in detail. It didn’t matter if we were playing the best team in the conference or the worst. Our coaches wanted us to know our opponent.

As coaches, you understand this. You probably spend countless hours watching film and preparing for your next opponent. You know how important it is to be prepared and ready, but so many of us forget that we actually face an opponent every single day.

Like 1 Peter 5:8 says, we are called to be alert because the devil is prowling around looking for someone to devour. The enemy wants to catch you napping. As Christians, it’s important for us to be aware of this spiritual battle going on around us.

Many of us have heard or quoted the saying by John Wooden, “Respect every opponent, but fear none.” This is exactly how we should treat the enemy. We must know the enemy is prowling around seeking to destroy us. We must be aware, vigilant and prepared, but we don’t need to live in fear.

The battle has already been won because of Christ’s victory on the cross. We fight from victory not for victory, but just because the devil can’t take you to hell doesn’t mean he won’t try to keep you from living for Heaven.

As a coach, you know even the best of teams can lose on any given night if they don’t come prepared and ready to face their opponent.

The enemy is scouting you, so the question is, are you also preparing yourself to face him?