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.