Know Your Opponent
It was the early 70s and I was an undergraduate student at Penn State playing handball for my fraternity. In case you're not familiar with handball it’s played in a solid rectangular shaped room with a small blue ball. It's not as soft as a tennis ball and not as hard as a golf ball. It's a small hollow rubber ball and on your hands you wear tight leather gloves which have the slightest bit of padding. The first couple times you play your hands swell up something fierce, until they get used to the pounding. I was pretty good at handball probably because I was small and quick with good hand-eye coordination. That was the thing I could do to contribute to the intramural standings of our fraternity.
So I was in a single elimination tournament, best out of three, and I was working my way up. About halfway up the chart I met a worthy opponent. He was a slender, wiry fellow with long blond hair with quite a bit of facial hair, certainly more than I could grow at that time. He was pretty good. The best shot I had was my serve. It took a high arch along the far wall nearly grazing the side and ricocheting out of the corner with a weak dribble. You literally had to dig it out with your left hand. This was pretty hard for most people to do- but not for this guy.
I made some beautiful serves right into that tight corner and he dug out one after the other. I was pretty amazed actually. I thought, "Who is this guy?" I was beaten handily the first game. The second game I was holding my own but could not break him down in the left corner.
In those days there was just one little window so it wasn't like you could have a large gallery of people watching. I had one friend from the fraternity there. About halfway through the second game he whispers to me "Zeke, he's left-handed." Now things started to turn around, but unfortunately it was "too little too late". That guy went on to take 2nd in the university tournament. I honestly don't know if I could've beaten him if I knew he was left-handed but I know I could not beat him thinking that he was right.
It's amazing how etched in my memory this is. I have trouble explaining the feelings associated with it. When re-living it I feel like a fool, I wonder why I didn't recognize it sooner. I was playing as hard as I could, but with faulty information and a poor strategy. I was so focused on putting that little ball tightly in the left corner, and doing so very well, but it wasn't good enough. I get frustrated just writing about it.
But there is another reason why this is so frustrating. There's something that happens in life that is so similar to this- and it happens in the realm of spiritual battle.
See if I can explain what I'm getting at. Sometimes the evil one seems to know you so very well, aware of your strengths and weakness, but mainly your weaknesses. He seems to know exactly where to put the ball so that you will repeatedly fail, and you have no idea how to respond. You can't seem to get it right because it's placed where it's always beyond your grasp.
Can you relate?
This is not the end of the game, however, and it might be a good place to be- to recognize that you can't do it on your own power, no matter how hard you try. But you don't have to give up either. There is strength in Christ, and victory in Him.
"Man's extremities are God's opportunities"- Father Divine
Eph 6:10-11
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
We should expect extreme opposition at times- opposition that is impossible for us to withstand, in our own power. At the same time we should expect strength and victory in Christ, as we depend and lean on Him in faith when the attack comes.
Ephesians chapter 6 is an optimistic and encouraging perspective on spiritual battle- one that instructs us in the ways of the spiritual armor. Every piece of our protection comes from God himself and is found and experienced as we believe what He says about us in Scripture- the new man he has made us to be and the power we have in Christ. This is not fantasy or illusion, or wishful thinking it is a definite and tangible reality for each one of God's children. Martin Luther said it best in his famous hymn, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God". Here are the first two stanzas…
A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
doth seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right man on our side,
the man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabbaoth, his name,
from age to age the same,
and he must win the battle.
So I was in a single elimination tournament, best out of three, and I was working my way up. About halfway up the chart I met a worthy opponent. He was a slender, wiry fellow with long blond hair with quite a bit of facial hair, certainly more than I could grow at that time. He was pretty good. The best shot I had was my serve. It took a high arch along the far wall nearly grazing the side and ricocheting out of the corner with a weak dribble. You literally had to dig it out with your left hand. This was pretty hard for most people to do- but not for this guy.
I made some beautiful serves right into that tight corner and he dug out one after the other. I was pretty amazed actually. I thought, "Who is this guy?" I was beaten handily the first game. The second game I was holding my own but could not break him down in the left corner.
In those days there was just one little window so it wasn't like you could have a large gallery of people watching. I had one friend from the fraternity there. About halfway through the second game he whispers to me "Zeke, he's left-handed." Now things started to turn around, but unfortunately it was "too little too late". That guy went on to take 2nd in the university tournament. I honestly don't know if I could've beaten him if I knew he was left-handed but I know I could not beat him thinking that he was right.
It's amazing how etched in my memory this is. I have trouble explaining the feelings associated with it. When re-living it I feel like a fool, I wonder why I didn't recognize it sooner. I was playing as hard as I could, but with faulty information and a poor strategy. I was so focused on putting that little ball tightly in the left corner, and doing so very well, but it wasn't good enough. I get frustrated just writing about it.
But there is another reason why this is so frustrating. There's something that happens in life that is so similar to this- and it happens in the realm of spiritual battle.
See if I can explain what I'm getting at. Sometimes the evil one seems to know you so very well, aware of your strengths and weakness, but mainly your weaknesses. He seems to know exactly where to put the ball so that you will repeatedly fail, and you have no idea how to respond. You can't seem to get it right because it's placed where it's always beyond your grasp.
Can you relate?
This is not the end of the game, however, and it might be a good place to be- to recognize that you can't do it on your own power, no matter how hard you try. But you don't have to give up either. There is strength in Christ, and victory in Him.
"Man's extremities are God's opportunities"- Father Divine
Eph 6:10-11
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
We should expect extreme opposition at times- opposition that is impossible for us to withstand, in our own power. At the same time we should expect strength and victory in Christ, as we depend and lean on Him in faith when the attack comes.
Ephesians chapter 6 is an optimistic and encouraging perspective on spiritual battle- one that instructs us in the ways of the spiritual armor. Every piece of our protection comes from God himself and is found and experienced as we believe what He says about us in Scripture- the new man he has made us to be and the power we have in Christ. This is not fantasy or illusion, or wishful thinking it is a definite and tangible reality for each one of God's children. Martin Luther said it best in his famous hymn, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God". Here are the first two stanzas…
A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
doth seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right man on our side,
the man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabbaoth, his name,
from age to age the same,
and he must win the battle.
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