We’re at the midway point in the NFL season, and even though there is plenty of football left to play, we have a good understanding of what to believe about many of the teams.
We know the Eagles and Patriots are playing well and Super Bowl contenders, and that the Steelers are the team to beat in the AFC North...the Chiefs in the AFC West...and the Vikings in the NFC North.
Also, the Rams and Jets are playing much better than most people expected, while the Broncos and Giants are struggling to turn things around.
If we look back at what we believed before the season, many of those truths have turned into lies. Most people believed the Packers would be one of the best teams in the NFC, and the Raiders would be a top team in the AFC. We thought there was truth to the Falcons' top offense being hard to beat, and that we should keep an eye on the up and coming Bucs.
Most of us bought the lie that the Saints' defense was terrible. We considered the Rams a joke for hiring a 30-something-year-old as their head coach, and never thought they’d be 6-2 while having one of the most potent offenses in the league.
The reality is, however, the teams we believe in today and the facts about them we think are true, can turn out to be a lie. It’s difficult to know which teams to trust, and which of our thoughts about them are worthy to believe.
As we search for truth in the NFL, and try to wrap our minds around what is happening in the league, I hope we’ll be encouraged to know there is actually reliable truth available to us.
In our faith journey, we are always in a battle between the truth and lies, but if we continually seek God and His Word, He will give us great understanding and clarity.
Unfortunately, the enemy wants us to buy into the lies that we are worthless, unlovable, a failure, and not capable of greatness. Culture wants us to think God is irrelevant and the Bible is outdated. The media pushes their agenda, while trying to make us question the truth we know in our hearts.
The challenge for each of us is to know the difference between what is real and what is a lie. The longer we follow Jesus, and deeply come to know God's Word, the more we’ll be able to cling to the truth and disregard the lies.
The truth in football seems to change week to week, and what we believe about teams is very circumstantial. Thankfully, God’s Word doesn’t change, and His truth remains. We can live each day rooted in the reliable belief that God is who He says He is, and He sent Jesus to be our Savior.
The Bible assures us of this in 1 John 5:20 (ESV): "And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life."
Today, let’s remember what is true...and trust God to help us forget the lies. I’m Bryce Johnson and you can unpack that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I know your Word is true and that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. I place my life under the truth of the gospel, and I pray You’d help me avoid believing any of the lies that so easily creep in. Thank you for allowing me to understand the truth. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
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