One of the more exciting plays during a football game is when a team decides to go for it on fourth down. It means the coach isn't giving up on the offense by punting, but instead, demonstrating confidence in his players by going for it.
An article written on Si.com about NFL coaches and their fourth-down decisions explains, “Six weeks into the NFL season, we’re propelling toward another record-breaking year in terms of fourth-down conversion attempts. This is nothing necessarily new, as numbers have been on the rise every year since 2014. Adding an extra week to the season will shatter many records, but this is true on a per-game basis as well.”
One of the teams leaning into a consistent strategy of going for it on fourth downs is the Los Angels Chargers and new head coach, Brandon Staley.
Their general manager, Tom Telesco, made this comment in an interview with Pat McAfee: "I mean, everybody's talking about these fourth downs we're going for. It's been aggressive, but not reckless. But a lot of that is the trust between Brandon, the coaches, and the players."
Coaches show they trust their offense when they decide to take these calculated risks, and the aggressive approach invigorates the whole team. It doesn’t mean it always works out perfectly, but the bold mentality gives teams more opportunities to score.
Some coaches may view going for it on fourth down as too risky and not worth the gamble, but oftentimes their unwillingness is because they're afraid and lack the necessary faith in their team.
As followers of Jesus, we find our boldness and confidence in Him as we trust Him with every decision we make. Ultimately, faith is at the core of everything we believe.
Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) tells us, “And without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.”
1 Corinthians 2:5 (ESV) says, “So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
As we walk closely with God, there are key moments in our lives when we must exercise our bold faith and make “fourth-down” choices that outsiders may view as “risky,” “not normal,” or “taking a gamble.”
In these moments, we demonstrate our faith in our Almighty God by obeying what He's clearly leading us to do. We don’t act “reckless,” or irrational, or unwise, but in faith, we boldly and confidently go for it.
One of the most important things we boldly do as followers of Jesus is proclaiming the Gospel and declaring where we place our trust. 2 Corinthians 3:12 (ESV) reminds us, “since we have such a hope, we are very bold…”
The apostle Paul is a great example of boldness and faith as he went “preaching and proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness and boldness, unhindered and unrestrained” (Acts 28:31; AMP).
When we step out in faith, we reveal that our trust and confidence are in an all-knowing, loving, and powerful God.
Instead of playing it safe and punting away our opportunities, we need to take a faithful risk forward, as we trust God with unhindered and unrestrained faith.
Today, let’s choose to see what amazing things God does when we decide to really “go for it on fourth down!”
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I ask that You give me a big faith. Help me have the boldness and confidence to go for it when I feel You leading me to go a certain direction. I pray I wouldn’t let fear or normalcy get in the way of taking faith-filled risks. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Discussion Questions for PACKS:
What are some fourth-down decisions you're facing right now or have recently had to decide what to do?
What holds you back from executing a bold faith and really going for it when God says go?
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