UNPACK This...March Madness and God's Matchless PowerSample

Foul Trouble

A determining factor in many NCAA Tournament games is teams that get into foul trouble. Picking up too many fouls can hinder a team’s ability to find success when it matters most down the stretch.

But what leads to players being called for fouls? Too often, players become lazy and play casual defense, or they’re unwilling to move their feet, which results in a cheap foul.

As fans, it’s frustrating to watch our favorite team struggling with foul trouble, especially when it feels like the fouls could have easily been avoided.

This provides a great parallel to avoiding a form of our own “foul trouble.” When it comes to sin and temptation, we need to be careful not to have a lazy or casual defense that gets us into “foul trouble.” Instead of standing still when temptation arises, we must be willing to “move our feet.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

At the first sign of temptation, we should immediately “move our feet” to respond appropriately. That could mean moving to remove ourselves from a bad environment…or running to the Lord in prayer and asking Him for strength to fight against temptation.

Much of our “foul trouble” can be avoided by being diligent ahead of time. The more we fill ourselves with God’s Word, the better equipped we’ll be to stand strong when temptation comes our way.

Struggling with “foul trouble” can be frustrating, but today let’s experience God’s grace and remember when we "play the right way" and "avoid fouling," we know we have a better opportunity to win!

I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I confess that I have sinned against You. Please help me to avoid future sins by running to You when I am dealing with temptation. Thank you for the forgiveness You offer, and the help You give in my times of need. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.