Theme: The Triple Threat

Quote: “Run it Up, Herman! Leave no Doubt!” (Coach Bill Yoast in “Remember the Titans”)

Coach Jack Lengyel, while lamenting about the challenges of rebuilding the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team after the tragic November 1970 crash, asks his staff, “What is the simplest offense you have ever run and actually won a football game?” His one holdover coach, Red Dawson, offered the Veer, which is a version of the triple option. This offensive scheme keeps defenses, that otherwise are overwhelming, guessing what is coming next giving the smaller (and probably slower) offenses a fighting chance.

Like the 1971 version of the Thundering Herd, in our spiritual life we face an opponent (Satan) that can be overwhelming. We need a version of the triple option to keep Satan from leveraging his advantages.

What is our Triple Threat? BE, PRAY, GIVE

Option #1 (Handoff to the Fullback): BE Joyful Always. Joy is different than happiness. Happiness can be obtained from external sources, buying new shoes, eating our favorite meal, or watching an entertaining movie. But JOY fills our heart so there is no extra room for external factors that Satan might throw at us to infiltrate. Have you even seen the Fullback after he actually gets to run the ball? Even if he gains only 3-4 yards, he has a grin that goes from ear to ear. That is what pure joy should look like in each one of us.

Option #2 (Quarterback runs the ball): PRAY continuously. Prayer is essentially communication with God. It’s not a wish list of requests or a report on our recent activity. Think of prayer as a time of discovery in which God has the opportunity to reveal things to you because you are paying attention and ready to receive. Just like a quarterback that can run the ball is dangerous to a football defense, prayer makes Satan very nervous. An army of prayer warriors can throw Satan off balance allowing us to gain a lot of yardage.

Option #3 (Toss it to the Tailback): GIVE thanks in all circumstances. This means using our exchanges with people to build them up, not tear them down. Our words (spoken and written) when used for healing is a great threat to Satan. Using positive words is like the quarterback bringing the ball down the line as the tailback shadows him. Eventually the defense runs out of players and the final option, the Tailback, often has a clear path for a huge gain (and many times a touchdown).

Try it! Use the triple option as your playbook to keep Satan off balance and run the score up on him.

Have a GREAT week!

Adapted from True Competitor by Dan Britton and Jimmy Page