It’s football season and here at UNPACKIN’ it, we’re excited about another year of Fantasy Football Fellowship!
Throughout the NFL season, UNPACKIN’ it Ministries makes available a unique resource that provides content for leagues and churches to use each week in a small group setting.
Visit fantasyfootballfellowshi
In addition, we run leagues that you can join and participate in weekly faith and Fantasy discussions with us.
Go to unpackinit.com/fantasy for more details.
Please forward this email to anyone else you think might be interested.
For the rest of the month on Fridays, our UNPACK this devotional will include a Fantasy theme. It’s Fantasy Football Fellowship Friday, so let’s UNPACK this…
Fantasy Football drafts are taking place over the coming weeks and Fantasy managers are filled with thoughts, opinions, beliefs, and perspectives on different players. Oftentimes, we as Fantasy managers, don’t want to draft a certain player because we have a bad feeling or impression of them. It’s not always based on truth though, but rather a wrong perception.
Our judgment of a player isn’t based on stats or numbers, but instead, we buy into a false narrative that’s out there or our lack of knowledge skews our understanding of reality. We overlook how valuable and productive a player truly is.
For example, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has a reputation that he can’t win the big game or beat the Packers. Because of that perception, he’s often undervalued when it comes to Fantasy managers targeting him in drafts. In many leagues right now he’s going as the 15th quarterback off the board.
However, the reality is, he’s always healthy, he has incredible weapons at wide receiver with Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, and KJ Osborn, and he has a new offensive-minded head coach in Kevin O’Connell. Cousins’ total Fantasy points last year were 11th among QBs and he was also 9th in total passing yards and 9th in passing touchdowns.
The reality is, that he’s been consistent over the years and is in an even better situation this year which makes him a great quarterback to draft in Fantasy. It’s clear he’s viewed the wrong way and the Fantasy community’s perception of him needs to change.
Unfortunately, in life, this also plays out as our perception doesn’t always line up with truth when it comes to how we view people, ourselves, and God.
All too often we judge someone wrongly based on a false narrative we believe about them. Our perception is they are doing something bad, or they aren’t someone we’d like to know, or our impression is they don’t like us. However, the truth of the matter is usually very different than our unfair perception.
The words of Jesus in John 7:24 (AMP) should help us with these kinds of situations as He says, “Do not judge by appearance [superficially and arrogantly], but judge fairly and righteously.”
The other struggle we encounter is with keeping the right perception of ourselves. Sometimes we view ourselves with too much pride and arrogance, but we must seek to understand the reality as Paul points out in Romans 12:3 (NLT):
“Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.”
At the same time, we have the temptation to believe lies that we are worthless or a failure. The truth is, as followers of Jesus, we are loved and forgiven by God as He calls us redeemed, friends, and adopted sons and daughters. With humility, we must realize we are valuable, not because of our own greatness, but because of who we are in Christ.
Lastly, too many people buy the wrong narratives about God or have the wrong perception of who He really is. They believe things that aren’t true and those misguided feelings about Him lead them to avoid Him and undervalue how amazing and loving He is.
To help others and ourselves think rightly and understand the truth, we can pray what Paul prays in Ephesians 1:17-19 (AMP):
“ [I always pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight] into the true knowledge of Him [for we know the Father through the Son]. And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people), and [so that you will begin to know] what the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength…”
Today, let’s move past the perceptions that aren’t grounded in reality when it comes to Fantasy Football, but more importantly with our beliefs and thoughts about others, ourselves, and God.
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I pray for a spirit of wisdom and discernment to understand the truth and have my eyes opened to the reality of who You are and who I am in Christ. I pray I wouldn’t judge others based on appearances, but fairly seek to understand what’s really going on. Thank you for redeeming me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
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In what ways do your wrong perceptions need to be aligned with reality?
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What is an example of when you misjudged someone based on appearance or a false narrative?
