Ready:
"Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil… Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the word of God." —Ephesians 6:10-11 and Ephesians 6:14-17.
Set:
In the game of basketball some of the basic requirements, whether you’re a beginner or a pro, are the very same. A player works on fundamental skills all the time to become a master of the game. The main fundamental skills are dribbling, shooting, layups, passing, rebounding, playing defense and offense. As an example of shooting, Steph Curry of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, takes hundreds of shots in most practices. He works to build muscle memory for consistency in shooting. He is methodical in shooting drills: starting close to the basket and then gradually moving further out from the basket. He is considered one of the greatest shooters in NBA history.
In a Christian’s life there are specific spiritual skills that require daily repeated action and practice. These spiritual skills prepare you to succeed as a Christian. The Scripture verses from Ephesians 6 are very clear on these skills. They are the fundamentals of truth, righteousness, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As well as faith and having the Word of God in your heart and in your hand. These skills are to be studied, practiced, and with repeated action, they will become like muscle memory. These spiritual skills help you to battle the spiritual life against our enemy the Devil who works hard to defeat you and destroy you.
When we look at these verses we see two key aspects to building spiritual fundamentals. First is strength which comes from the Lord. We can’t manufacture or create the strength on our own. It comes directly from Him. Second, the very spiritual skills necessary are provided by God. They are spoken of as armor providing the full protection we need. We are instructed to put on the full armor of God so that we can stand. To stand means to be unmovable, standing our ground and not succumbing to the enemy’s attacks.
Go:
What skills are fundamental to your sport? How often do you work on fundamental skills?
Do you know how to grow the skills required to live the Christian life?
Which one of the skills do you need to work on most?
Workout:
Overtime:
"Lord Jesus, I know You want me to strong so that I can be victorious over the evil one. I want to be diligent and committed to the fundamentals, and I need Your help. Help me to practice and apply each piece of the armor so that I can stand and be strong. I look to You as my Lord and my strength. Increase my strength for each day. In Your name I pray, amen."