By Staff Writer, Matt Osborne When the Kansas City Chiefs square off against the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, it will be the franchise’s third Super Bowl appearance in the past four seasons. The Chiefs split each of those previous two appearances, picking up a 31-20 victory over the 49ers in Super Bowl 54, before dropping the following year’s contest 31-9 to the Buccaneers. Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, has spoken at length with the media about the emotional highs and lows that resulted from being on opposite sides of the scoreboard in his past experiences competing for professional football’s greatest prize. Not surprisingly, Mahomes is attempting to channel the bad taste left in his mouth from Kansas City’s loss in Super Bowl 55 and use it as fuel for the contest against the Eagles. Speaking on his lone Super Bowl defeat, Mahomes told the media, “But that loss, that stings. That motivates you for years. What it's done for me is it's motivated me to be back in this game again. I want to make sure that I can have that winning feeling and not that losing one because that losing feeling is one you'll never forget." While Mahomes and the Chiefs have become somewhat of mainstays in Super Bowl contests in recent years, if they're to hoist another Lombardi Trophy this year, they know they can't take things for granted and assume another victory is inevitable. Mahomes even alluded to the fact that complacency and taking things for granted may have played a role in Kansas City’s loss in its last Super Bowl matchup: “In the loss, you learned that you can't take things for granted. You can't come to a game and not have every box checked. I thought we did, but obviously, we didn't and we lost that game and you had to use it as motivation to get back here." As followers of Jesus, we experience a variety of wins and losses in our everyday lives. We celebrate the victories that come as God sanctifies us and conforms us to His likeness, while also mourning the defeats that come when we fall into sin. But no matter how we feel we're currently doing in our competition against sin, we need to be sure we're not “taking things for granted” in our spiritual lives. The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (NIV), “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. 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 endure it.” We must always avoid the temptation to believe we've somehow progressed beyond the point of falling into sin. When we think we're incapable of succumbing to certain temptations, we tend to become unwise with the decisions we make and the situations into which we insert ourselves, which opens the door for us to take a serious “defeat.” The Bible is very clear that we have a responsibility to make sure we're being sober-minded and aggressive in our battle against temptation. There's no question we're to make intentional decisions that put us in the best position to emerge victorious against sin. But simultaneously, as people who live inside of a fallen world with a sinful flesh nature, we must humbly recognize that it's only by God’s grace that we'll ultimately be able to resist temptation and achieve victory over the sin in our lives. James 4:6 (NKJV) tells us, “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Today, let’s acknowledge the fact that we're more capable of ending up on the losing side of temptation than we like to admit. Let's take drastic measures to put ourselves in the best position to triumph over temptation while maintaining a humble attitude that's dependent upon God’s grace in the battle. I’m Matt Osborne and you can UNPACK that! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I acknowledge that it's only by Your grace that I can truly overcome sin in my life. Help me to have a humble attitude and to be dependent on You as I fight against my flesh. Please give me wisdom and a clear mind to recognize the temptation around me so I don't intentionally put myself in unsafe situations. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR PACKS:
1. What are some practical changes you could make in your life in order to best position yourself for victory over sin and temptation?
2. What are some actions that would demonstrate a humble dependence on God as you fight temptation?
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