Exodus 20:3 (NKJV)
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
Let me first say this is NOT a condemnation of football. I enjoy football. I enjoy playing and I enjoy watching. But, the purpose of this article is for my fellow Christians who enjoy football to give themselves a self-examination…
2 Corinthians 13:5 (NKJV)
5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
I’m talking about going beyond enjoying football to loving it. I’m talking about going beyond loving it to allowing it to become your God.
How? At what point?
Football may have become your God when…
You put regularly going to or watching games before going to worship (whether you worship on Saturday (College) or SONday (Professional)…
Hebrews 10:25 (NKJV)
25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
You know all the players on the roster of your team – all their stats from high school, college and professional, but you can’t name the 12 disciples…
When you do more evangelism and witnessing for your team than you do for Christ…
When you talk more about the game on Saturday or SONday and say absolutely nothing about the sermon, worship or spiritual seed that was sown in you over the weekend.
When you become more offended when someone disrespects your team or favorite player than when they disrespect God…
When you lift up your hands and shout, cheer and celebrate your team but are ashamed to or claim ‘it doesn’t take all of that’ for God…
Psalm 134:2 (NKJV)
2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary,
And bless the Lord.
When you don’t mind sitting through triple overtime for a game but complain if the preacher preaches ‘too long’…
When you teach your children that football (games, practices and discipline) is more important than worship by allowing them to miss church for it…
When you allow a coach to use profanity and unholy language to get the ‘best’ out of your child when the bible forbids use of this type of language…
Ephesians 4:29 (NKJV)
29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers
When people can tell that you’re a fan but can’t tell you’re a disciple…
When you regularly put it before your family…
When you’re more proud of your team than you are your Savior…
You get more angry at your quarterback getting sacked than you do about Jesus being nailed to the cross…
When this cross…
Means more to you than this cross…
Be honest with yourself. Enjoy football, but God knows what comes first in your heart, and He refuses to come second.
BE BLESSTIFIED!
BE BLESSTIFIED! 
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