The 2024 NFL season begins in September, and of course, we wonder which teams will be the best this year and who will ultimately win the Super Bowl.

Could this be the year the 49ers finally get it done with their talented rosters?

Will the Jets be healthy enough to live up to the hype?

Can the Packers be even better?

Will the Eagles get on the same page and put it all together?

As good as those teams should be, two other teams head into the season with Super Bowl aspirations, high expectations, and all eyes on them.

The Chiefs are the reigning champs and return the core of their team, expecting to continue their dominance.

The Houston Texans burst onto the scene last year, winning a playoff game, and now have people counting on them to take another step this season.

Neither team will sneak up on anybody, as they will get every opponent’s best each week. In other words, both teams have a target on their back heading into a new season.

Houston Texans star quarterback CJ Stroud had an incredible rookie season and understands and embraces the situation he and the team are in.

He told the media, “It’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be harder. We have a target on our back this year. That’s how you should want it, and that’s what I’m used to playing at Ohio State.”

The Texans are on everyone’s radar thanks to their success last year and the new offensive weapons they added.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs are used to being the hunted, and everyone knows the greatness they represent as the reigning Super Bowl winner in three out of the last five years.

Opposing teams know what the Chiefs and Texans are capable of, and they’ll want to take them down and circle that matchup on the schedule.

The Texans and Chiefs can’t let their guard down, take any teams lightly, overlook any opponent, or think this season will be easy. Everyone is coming to get them and watching them to see how they handle having a target on their backs.

As followers of Jesus, we find ourselves in a similar situation because we also have opponents chasing after us and an enemy trying to take us down.

2 Timothy 3:12 (AMP) tells us, “Indeed, all who delight in pursuing righteousness and are determined to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be hunted and persecuted [because of their faith].”

In John 10:10 (Part 1; ESV), Jesus tells us, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…”

When we walk in the light and choose Holy, victorious lives committed to representing God’s greatness, we’ll have a target on our back, be hunted, and experience attacks. Our opponent knows what we’re capable of with God’s power and is out to get us while attempting to shut us down.

It isn’t easy regarding the battles we face against the devil. That’s why we can’t let our guard down, take evil lightly, or overlook the opposition we’re up against.

1 Peter 5:8-9 (AMP) encourages us to “Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour. But resist him, be firm in your faith [against his attack—rooted, established, immovable], knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being experienced by your brothers and sisters throughout the world. [You do not suffer alone.]”

Even though, as followers of Jesus, we live this life with a “target on our back” and challenges and temptations all around us, we can persevere when we look to God for strength. We don’t have to allow the enemy to take us down.

Thankfully, 1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV) reminds us, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

We are the hunted and in the spotlight. While people watch us to see how we’ll handle being followers of Jesus in today’s world, let’s be encouraged that He’s the One who makes us victorious over sin and death.

Today and every day, let’s walk in victory and make sure we put on the whole armor of God so we can stand against the schemes of the devil!

I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I acknowledge a target on my back because of my commitment to You, but I trust in Your strength and faithfulness to help me endure the attacks from the enemy. Please help me stand firm in my faith and stand against the devil’s schemes. I praise You for the victorious life I have in Jesus. In His name, I pray, Amen.