Is your opponent your real adversary? After all, he or she is simply doing what they are trained to do; they want to score, they want to win, and they stand between you and winning.
Might your real adversary be yourself? Much is written about the mind game and how what you think may affect your game more than what you do. Do you play to win or to avoid defeat? Have you made a game plan? Are you fearless or fearful? Do your strokes hesitate or flow fully through the intended path? What about preparation and training? That’s entirely up to you.
Now, what about adversaries off the court in everyday life? Can you recognize them?
I believe we have two adversaries: ourselves and the powers of darkness that seek to destroy us by destroying our relationship with God. As in tennis, the mind game is critical and all that we do to win at tennis is applicable to winning at life. Beyond tennis, there are unseen forces that compete to defeat us. These are what Paul calls the rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12). Imagine, for a moment, looking across the net and seeing an array of demons—on the ground and floating above—just waiting to slam your ball back and win the point!
Prayer is one of these “balls.” We “serve” these balls up to God and demons attempt to swat them back with expressions like, “God doesn’t answer your prayers.”
We can’t call in a substitute to elevate our tennis game, nor can we add an extra player to cover more court. How do we play the game of life alone?
We don’t.
We call upon the Spirit of God to sustain and support us. We yoke ourselves to His angels. And we rely on the unseen but invincible power of hope.
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Reflect on this passage to broaden your perspective on the unseen forces that God has for us:
“When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. ‘Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?’ the servant asked. ‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”
2 Kings 6:15-17
