Block, Bounce and Boogie
“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
- 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)
The 11-player basketball drill is a fun way of learning how to run a fast break. The point of the game is to box out, rebound, hit the outlet pass, and sprint to the offensive end. Three players start off with the ball and head down the court to take on two players. Once a shot goes up, all five players look for the rebound so they can hit the outlet player halfway up the court and stay in the game. It is the player who continues to get the rebound on both sides of the court that gets to stay in the game.
In 1 Corinthians 10:13 the Word of God tells us how to box out (block), rebound (bounce) and sprint (boogie) away from temptation. In order to box out your opponent effectively, you need to know your opponent and what their tendencies are. The Word tells us that no temptation has seized us except what is “common to man.” We know our opponent is Satan, and we also know that he is using the same strategy he has always used to tempt us to sin. In order to block out our opponent we need to avoid those things/places/people that he can use to tempt us.
So, what happens if we are doing a good job at blocking out those things and we find ourselves being tempted? Well, the next part of the verse says, “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.” This is where we can bounce our eyes or thoughts away from temptation. And as soon as we do that, we need to heed the rest of the verse and boogie on out of the situation (“…he will also provide a way out…”). God has given us the path to get out of there.
In order to stay in the game today and keep competing for Him, we need to stay out of sin. Do you want to stay in the game? Then get ready to block, bounce, and boogie.
1. Do you have a strategy for avoiding things that cause you to sin?
2. What is one thing you can do this weekend to block out the opponent?
3. Ask God to help you find the way out of a bad situation before you find yourself in one.
Matthew 6:13
Matthew 26:41
Luke 4:13