Poise in the Pocket

Quarterbacks are cool. They get twice as much glory for half the amount of pain.

My opinion however is skewed, because I had the opportunity to play quarterback in high school. And though I was a lot better on the art of the handoff, I consistently heard the phrase “poise in the pocket” from coaches and other quarterbacks. Every time a passing play was coming up, I would say the phrase over and over in my head. I started noticing how NFL quarterbacks have serious poise in the pocket, almost as if it was second nature to be “in the pocket.” Now, for the non-football folks, let me explain what “the pocket” is a little bit. Here’s a picture:

The quarterback (#3), drops back for a pass. The defense tries to get to the quarterback before he can throw. The blockers’ job is to protect the quarterback, and their strategy in doing so is to push all the defensive players towards the outsides, creating a nice little “pocket” for the quarterback to have time to make a decision. This can still be an incredible pressure on the quarterback. The pocket starts to collapse after a few seconds, and if the quarterback hasn’t made a decision by then, he’s most likely going to eat turf.

Example 1:

 
Now, football is a measly illustration compared to the glory of what Christ has done for us. We are all faced with pressure in our lives. Outside circumstances come at us like a freight train. Sinful desires fiercely attack us. It feels like the walls are caving in, and there’s nowhere to go. This is how David felt in Psalm 38: “My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes. My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds, my neighbors stay far away. Those who want to kill me set their traps, those who would harm me talk of my ruin; all day long they scheme and lie.”

How do we overcome these things?

I can tell you one thing, it’s not about being tough. If the 400 pound defensive lineman gets a hand on you, you will lose. It’s not about toughness, but about embracing the fact that pain is eminent and then using the time you have now to make a decision. I’m talking about making decisions based on the facts, not based on the outside pressure you feel. Here’s the facts:

Romans 8:35-39- “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Psalm 27:1-3- “The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.

Romans 8:28-“ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Those are the facts. The pressure of our lives will never ever separate us from the love of Christ. What a sweet word. Take these truths in and let them soak in your spirit. Meditate on the wide transformation that these truths can take in your life. No longer would car payments or deadlines have control. No longer would hard seasons be completely overwhelming. Though these things come, and come with all of their effects, they don’t have to penetrate our minds, because we know the truth. Though, sometimes the truth may take a while to come to fruition.

Sometimes, we have to wait.

Though a 400 pound lineman seeks our lives, we can wait. Though “the pocket” is collapsing, we can wait. Because we know that the play is going to work. The Coach set the play up, of course it’s going to work. Those verses above, those are the plays. And Jesus, (the Coach) promised those verses to us. These promises will produce in us poise in the pocket when we trust in them. We can stay calm, ready to make a wise and level-headed decision in the face of adversity. We can take a slap in the face and with poise, turn the other cheek. We can receive accusation and respond in love. We can approach “awkward” situations with a calm confidence.

So I encourage you, have poise in the pocket. Believe in the Lord’s promises over your life. You were not made to worry about civilian affairs. You were made with a destiny, and that destiny far exceeds the trials of today. Follow your Coach, your Commander, and your Lord. Meditate on His words, study His game plans, listen to his voice in the face of trial. He loves you, and He promises that nothing can separate you from Him.




For any questions, rebuttles, prayer, or clarification, please contact me via facebook (Tobin James Kriwiel), or comment on a post. Thanks for reading, I pray that you are blessed.
 

Fureeedom

On this Fourth of July, I thought it appropriate to talk about freedom. Ahhh, what a big topic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEOOZDbMrgE


Of course, we can’t talk about freedom, or fureedom (supposed to resemble a Scottish accent), without at least mentioning the classic movie Braveheart. It’s purely epic. If I had a kilt, I would be wearing right now. This movie quote resonates so strongly with me, and all mankind, because we are all called to freedom. And this freedom is not simply political freedom, or a freedom to do what we want, but rather a freedom that transcends our very lives. A freedom, worth dying for.

I’m American. I’m assuming you’re American. Happy Independence Day to you. Today, we celebrate our American civil rights and liberties, like the right to vote, own land, bear arms, and many others. I’ve been very blessed to have this freedom, as I have had a very worry-free life compared to many other people around the globe. From a young age, people have been telling me that I am free. “I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free.” I remember singing that song all the time as a kid. Yet now as I’ve grown up, and gotten to know Jesus more personally, I understand freedom so much more. I am free from so much more than political tyranny, or excessive taxation, or even religious persecution. If those things were to come my way, yet I would still be free. Romans 8:35,37-39 - “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Freedom is such a huge topic to cover. I know, many of you are on your day off, ready to party it up with friends and let go of some weekday-worries. I am going to make a list of points about freedom, because:

1.    Everyone loves lists.

2.    Lists make us feel like we are saving time.

3.    Everyone wants to save time.

That’s just a sample. I’m going to list just a couple of major points about freedom, and I would encourage you take some of them in deeply. Let it change your definition of freedom. Let it enhance your celebration of freedom today, and go deep into the core of your freed spirit.

1.    Freedom is in a person! 2 Corinthians 3:17- “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” For us to know freedom, we have to know the one who has it. Jesus, our Savior, Redeemer, and Lord is our freedom.

2.    Here is a true definition of Freedom I’ve heard from my pastor: “Freedom is the ability to act and react in the way God created us to.” Many times we are subject to our bad definitions. Let this definition shape your view of freedom. Many of us have viewed freedom as something given to us in the past, when truly, it is something given in the past and being worked out in the present. Everything we do, can be done out of freedom, or done out of “the ability to do what God has created us to do.” See post #2 “More than a Job Description” for more details on what God created us to do.

3.    Galatians 5:10- “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Jesus has given us freedom so that we can live freely. Why would we submit to slavery after receiving freedom?

4.    Our Freedom was given to us as a means, not an end. Just as the 10 lepers healed by Jesus in Luke 17:11-19, we were given freedom from our leprosy, or from our sins, through Christ. We once were required to stand far off from Jesus, because he was clean and I was unclean, yet through the Word of God I was made clean. However, we don’t want to be like the 9 lepers, who kept walking along in their lives, though Jesus had just made them clean. We can be like that one Samaritan man, who realized the work Jesus did in Him, and ran to Jesus, got close to Him, and thanked him for this freedom from leprosy, or sin. The freedom God has given us is more than just freedom from sin, but freedom to draw near to Him, and have relationship with Him.

… If I had a nickel for every time I’m gonna hear the word “freedom” today. Though most of those nickels will come in reference to our American freedom, I know that my freedom is so much more. I encourage you too, to recognize your freedom. Freedom in and through Christ is so different than our American freedom. So, be free today on Independence Day. From the core of your being, let freedom scream out of your soul like William Wallace. Let your freedom lead you to the one who died for your very freedom. Understand that Jesus, when he submitted to the cross, took our punishment, and set us free, He was giving us “the ability to act and react as God created us to be,” and He was calling us closer to a relationship with Himself.
Praise the Lord, for He has set us free!


For any questions, rebuttles, prayer, or clarification, please contact me via facebook (Tobin James Kriwiel), or comment on a post. Thanks for reading, I pray that you are blessed.

Following The Leader

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouFCE3VjNQs

(Don’t feel the need to watch past 30 seconds)

From a young age we are taught about “following the leader.” People talk about leadership all the time. Hundreds of books, speakers, sermons, classes, and whole institutions seek to instill “leadership qualities” into people. Why are we obsessed with leadership?

There are probably many answers for that question. I think one of the fundamental reasons that we are all looking for leadership is because we were made to follow The Leader. We were created to report to a higher authority. Our society seeks to raise up strong leaders, because we want someone that we can follow.

Obviously I’m not saying we don’t need human leaders, or that grooming leaders to be leaders is wrong. But it shows us something about ourselves. We need someone to follow! We need a commanding officer.

I think one of the best biblical examples of leadership is Joshua.

Joshua was anointed by God to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land. God gave him a “job description”, and then empowered him to fulfill it.

God said to Joshua in verse 1:8-9

“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Wow, what an interaction. Imagine, God calling you to lead a nation. Could you do it?

God called Joshua to lead a nation, but Joshua was not alone. Joshua was under the authority of God. Look at this interaction in Joshua 5:13-6:2

“Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”  The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

 Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.”

Joshua was a great leader, because he recognized that he was a servant to “The Commander of the Lord’s Army.” He asked for the Lord’s leadership, and followed it to a T. And guess what happened?

This great video will sum it up for you!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paW46_GsRJ4

(what’s up with the childhood flashbacks?!)

Joshua, who was not actually a cucumber (unfortunately),walked in faith, under the authority of the true Leader. When we look back on the Old Testament nowadays, we can see that “The Commander of the Lord’s Army” was Jesus. What a job title. Jesus is our commander!

I want to emphasize that the best way to fulfill our job description, laid out in Genesis 1:28 and last week’s blog post, is to know our Commander.

Once again, remember the theme verse:

No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him."

2 Timothy 2:4

If we don’t know our Commander, the one who enlisted us, then how can we follow his leadership? How can we please him?

Joshua recognized his Commander, and he “fell facedown to the ground in reverence.” Joshua turned out to be a very successful leader, and he won many battles. He was so successful because he knew and revered the Lord, and he followed the commands of the “Commander of the Lord’s Army.”

We have to trust Jesus in his directions. Everything He calls us to, He also empowers us to do it.  And we trust that He is truly doing the best thing for us. That is the mindset of a soldier. A soldier will “not be afraid” and “not be discouraged,” because they can trust that “the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

We are no longer civilians, because we can have a relationship with our Commander. We seek to please Him. And remember, “He is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him” (John Piper quote, used in last week’s blog.) I encourage you to know Jesus, your commander. I encourage you to follow Him, because you were made to follow Him. We are all made to follow a leader, and Jesus Christ is the perfect Leader. Lay down your life, and stop worrying about civilian affairs. Your commander has called you to a battle. Meditate on His words, His instructions, His battle plans, day and night. Follow Jesus, your commander, for He knows what is best for you!

 

As always, if you ever have any questions, rebuttles, or you need prayer, or any clarification, please contact me via facebook (Tobin James Kriwiel), or comment on a post. Thanks for reading, I pray that you are blessed.

More Than a Job Description

Get ready, cause we’re about to go deep. Get your scuba gear on, straighten up your goggles, pop your ears, and let’s dive in.

So, we’re not made to be civilians. I hope we’ve all established that by now.

First of all, how are we made to be more than civilians?

Time to whip out some Bible. “I whip my Bible back and forth,” figuratively.

Genesis 1:27-28- “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

²⁸ And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

There it is, the job description. He made us, blessed us, and then commissioned us. He created the human race, something completely unique, for a unique purpose. Angels, spirits, and animals, could not perform this task. We are called to fill the earth and subdue it. Ahh, what a MASSIVE calling. The Human Race, called to administer God’s administration. Remember the theme verse…

No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him."

2 Timothy 2:4

Our commanding officer, has imparted himself to us, and delegated a task to us. We have a duty.

Ope, I said the word duty.

I don’t even like that word. Not only can it be easily mistaken with “doody,” but its connotations make my face cringe. I’ve had duties before. My mom used to give me a chore chart every day when I was a kid. I hated the chore chart. Every morning I had to look at that list of fun-killing chores, and I couldn’t do anything I wanted to do until they were done. I fought my mom every day on that list. I rebelled against the chore chart, because I just wanted to have fun. But oh how “duty” doodied all over my fun.

Apparently it’s way to late to be writing a blog post.


I don’t think God was just giving us a chore list though.

We were made in God’s very image, in his like-ness. And I’m pretty sure God loves to do what God wants to do. God doesn’t drag his feet. He loves doing His work on the planet, and loves doing it through us. I truly believe, we also love what God wants us to do.

In Genesis, after God commissioned the Human Race, he followed it with creating the Garden of Eden. He set Adam and Eve up in a utopian garden, calling them to source from the Tree of Life. They lived off the Tree of Life.

The Bible points to the Tree of Life as Jesus Christ.

God set the Human Race with a job description, but also set them up with an abounding life source, the Tree of Life, who is Jesus Christ.

This is why Paul in Phillipians 3 can write:

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”

Paul, your nuts. You mean everything is rubbish to you? All the good food, fun games, pretty women, just trash to you? How is that so?

Paul was sourcing from the Tree of Life, Jesus Christ himself. Paul was a worker for the Lord, and he followed God’s original Genesis 1 commission closely. He filled the earth and subdued it, but it sourced out of “the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord!”

Sourcing from Jesus is the absolute best thing for us! We were wired to eat from the Tree of Life. This John Piper quote explains it well…

 “He is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

We will walk out the Human Race destiny in Genesis 1 when we are most satisfied in Christ. He has wired us to be overwhelmingly fulfilled by Himself! Our job is not just a duty anymore, it’s an outpouring of the glorious “Life” inside of us.

Ephesians 1:18- “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people”

The hope to which he has called us, and the riches of his glorious inheritance is Jesus Christ himself.

I pray this verse over every reader of this blog, over myself, and over the church of God.

 

I tell you, God has created you to be more than a civilian, and it is the absolute best thing for you.

Peace.

 

 
 

Let The Games Begin

 

Bang!

That’s all I’ve got. A four letter onomatopoeia. I’ve been thinking of a way to start off this blog “with a bang” for about a month now, and that’s allll I came up with. After contemplating, and re-contemplating, and double re-contemplating about the blog, this question came up: “Well, what is the most amazing beginning… of anything?”

In my futile mind, of course I thought of the first play of a Superbowl, a kickoff return for a touchdown by Devin Hester. Nothing gets a football fan’s blood pumping like when a kick returner breaks through the first seam, especially on the first play of a Superbowl. But unfortunately ladies and gentlemen, this is not the Superbowl, and I am not Devin Hester. And you are not just one of the fans taking a flash picture while the kickoff is soaring through the air.

After some praying about this blog, the Lord gave me a better answer for the earlier question: “What is the most amazing beginning of anything?” Surely it’s more than a kickoff return. I’m sure God, the One who is uncreated, who “is before all things, and in him all things hold together”, knows much more about beginnings than I ever will.

 

Here’s one of the greatest beginnings ever.…

Genesis 1:3-  “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”

Now that’s starting with a bang. No exclamation point needed. “Let there be Light.”

Genesis isn’t even talking about the creation of the sun here, because that wasn’t created till the 4^th day. We find out in John 1, that Jesus is the light that was sent on that first day of creation. Jesus is in the business of starting things with a bang. And He isn’t just starting things, because He’s also a finisher. He’s taking this badboy all the way to the end zone, no matter how many tackles He’s gonna break.

People, understand that we are in the middle of an amazing storyline! The Light has come into the world, and He is waging war against darkness! Are you on His side? Have you acknowledged the war you are living in, between Light and Darkness? Do you know your role in this war?

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we are not made to be civilians. We are made to be soldiers, Soldiers of the Light.  

“No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him” – 2 Timothy 2:4.

 

As for some of the logistics of “No Longer a Civilian.” This blog is not about me. I’m not inviting readers to “take a step into my brain,” and this is not me simply informing you on my life circumstances. This blog is going to consistently talk about the glorious storyline of the Light, our role in the Christ’s army, and the battle we are currently in. I pray this is a source of awakening and encouragement for every believing reader. I pray the Lord will reveal the vast glory of His storyline to you, and that you would know your specific role in that story.

I tell you, we are not made to be civilians.

I encourage you to listen to this song, in reference to the earlier explanation of the light in Genesis 1 being Jesus, not the creation of the sun, and also in reference, well, to the entire blog post.

Peace.