There are times when I lose my cool behind the bench, especially after a bad call that the ref makes (or does not make) or if we make a poor play leading to a goal against. Sometimes I feel like ripping off my suit jacket sleeves and throwing dust on my head! Maybe some of you can relate to that? When I coach out of pride, and I am driven for external results, frustration and impatience creep in much more quickly. It may be the greatest cliché in all of sports, but the saying “focus on the process” is a pillar that perhaps every coach has said at least once in their career. However, sometimes it is easy for me to focus too much on the bigger external results, because after all, as followers of Christ, if we can win a national championship won’t we be able to reach more people with the good news of the gospel? Reminding myself of the above core pillar is important, but let’s take a deeper look at how God has called His warriors of old to be competitors.  
 
In the book of Joshua, just after Israel defeats mighty Jericho, they lose to a much lesser enemy in Ai... but how? God commands Israel to destroy all the plunder and riches of Jericho once Jericho is defeated. Upon defeating Jericho, Israel proceeds to attack Ai but suffers an unforeseen defeat. “Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads...” (Joshua 7:6).  
 
Unbeknownst to Joshua, a member of Israel, Achan, had disobeyed the Lord and took treasures from Jericho. This caused Israel to fall out of the Lord’s protection, resulting in many deaths and having to retreat in battle against Ai. Israel had complete faith in facing a giant of an opponent, but they took things into their own hands once victory had been achieved, not obeying the Lord.  

Joshua 7:13 reads, “Get up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the LORD, God of Israel, ‘There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.’”  
 
If this battle were to be compared to a sporting event, God just made a great decision to call a timeout and remind Israel of the game plan. God cared more about Israel’s obedience in the process than their ability to produce results. It was not until Achan was judged did the Lord’s anger subside and He blessed Israel’s efforts in defeating Ai. The Promised Land was temporarily put into jeopardy because of Achan’s sin, but Israel was now one step closer to ruling over the land.  

Praise God for His merciful grace and for the blood of Jesus, that when we fail to obey him and devote each aspect of our life to Him, He does not strike us down right in the moment! 

Is our desire to be on the power play, score goals, win hockey games, receive a D1 Scholarship, sign a pro contract to build our own name, or have we surrendered earthly treasures to the Lord? “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21 ESV).” These are all great things, but God cares how and why we pursue them.  
 
As competitors for Christ, do we have devoted things buried away in a hole no one can see? Perhaps you’re a coach and you care more about your team’s success for your own gain than you do about transforming the lives of your players. Or maybe you’re a player who deep down is devoted to a scoring title over your team’s system. In both circumstances, confess it and bring it to the throne of grace. God reigns above it all; invite Him to journey with you in every moment you face as a competitor, for this is the very consecration He commanded of Joshua. Instead of focusing on external results or a certain platform let’s seek His presence and use these pursuits of life to obey, worship, and glorify Him! Our motives (the why) and our actions (the how) matter to God. Consecrating our competitive spirit does not limit “the what” - it surrenders “the how” and amplifies “the why,” bringing us closer to our Holy Creator.  

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