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“With Jesus as the plate, you can't strike out!”

Ramesh C. Reddy
Publisher

Editors Note: This column was originally published in the Pitt News at the University of Pittsburgh and is being republished here with slight revisions.

"The beginning of the gospel of about Jesus Christ, the Son of God." (Mark 1:1)

The big inning did not begin when Edwin Encarnacion of the American League or Justin Upton of the National League hit another home run to send excitement through the crowds, but the "big inning" began with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

A big inning in baseball is when a lot of cool things happen: hitting a grand slam, stealing base after base, or going to the bat consistently without outs. However, the big inning will come to an end sooner or later.

It is not so when it comes to the "beginning" of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A lot of cool things can happen with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which we can learn as we look at our playbook, the Bible. This is the 'big inning," and it will not come to an end if we have the right people at bat.

We are all players from "the beginning." Whether we have a "big inning" or a "small inning" depends on our own personal training. Do we spend time in training daily? It starts with listening to our coach, Jesus Christ, looking at His playbook (the Word of God), talking to Him through prayer, and being part of a fellowship of believers. This is how we condition ourselves to face our fiercest opponent----the devil---when we are at bat.

When we come up to the plate and the devil pitches temptations at us, can we resist those temptations and send them out of our system? Or do we strike out at bat? Temptations include giving into the trials and tribulations we face without putting our trust in Christ.

If we cannot hit those temptations, we will strike out. Strike one, strike two, strike three, and you are outta there! By striking out, we will also hurt our team (body of believers) because the life of a Christian is not a lone-ranger job but team work.

The more strikeouts you get, the harder it will be to convince your coach, Jesus Christ, that you are faithful, available, and teachable about coming to bat. If Jesus does not see that you are serious about living the Truth and proclaiming the Truth, He could change the lineup and send someone else to bat who will bring Him honor and glory.

You will still be on His team because He will never disown you, release you or trade you from His team because once you have made Him your coach, He will be your coach for life. This however does not mean, He will use you if you continue to go your own way striking out to temptations of the devil. You have to live the Truth and proclaim the Truth without giving in. To be used by our coach, we have to be faithful, available, and teachable.

While we are at base, we have an opportunity to steal  bases from the devil while he is trying to strike out our brothers or sisters at bat. What you have to do is focus and anticipate what temptation he will throw at you so you can avoid it before it hits you. If you do that you will have an opportunity to steal bases. When you "Walk in the Spirit, you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh!" There are times you can even hit a single, double or triple when you anticipate the devil's temptations, but it is not the same as defeating the temptation completely with a home run.

The pitches the devil sends your way have to be sent out of your system. It is not enough to repress those temptations or just push them close to being out of your system. When that happens, all you have done is created a "pop ball." The devil's demons can catch that temptation, send it back to you, and you are outta there!

As a batter, you should also bring excitement to those around you. Hitting temptations out of your system and living your life in a loving manner as you proclaim the Gospel of Christ can bring joy to the crowds and your team. A grand slam occurs when each of us hit the temptations the devil pitches our way out of our system without giving into them. When we do that, we will make our coach, Jesus Christ, feel proud and honored. Not only that but the body of Christ will also be blessed.

It will not be easy going against the devil; he has won universal acclaim for striking out people time after time because they were not ready for his pitches of temptations. He prides himself on allowing no-hitters. It will not be easy when you come up to bat, but you can do it.

Your coach, Jesus Christ, went up against the devil and defeated him by resisting his pitches of temptations using the Word of God and also conquering sin and death. You too can resist his temptations.

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:13)

"Submit yourselves, then to God [your coach]. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you!" (James 4:7)

I have learned not about aluminum or wooden bats but about living with the Armor of God you can use to overcome evil. It is invisible but powerful.

This past Friday night at our Transformers small group of Oakland International Fellowship, we all [Calvin, Cecilia, Bobby, Jeff, Johannes, Vicki, Chandra, Stacy, and I] had a good discussion about Living with the Armor of God to fight the devil.

With Jesus as the plate, we can't strike out when we follow what the playbook says in Ephesians 6:10-18: "A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.  

"Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."

When we do that victory will be ours in the Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!

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