Daily Devo 7/17/10

Hebrews 11
1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction [evidence] of things not seen. 2For by it the men of old gained approval.
6And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Pleasing Faith
Faith is a common buzz word in today’s culture. It is used heavily to describe anything from a spiritual person, to someone who promotes cause and even someone who pushes thru a trial in their life. Phrases like, “Keep the faith”, “Just have faith”, “My faith got me thru”, “He’s a man of faith” and my personal favorite, “He had faith in himself”, are overused as examples of what faith is.
But is that really what faith is?
According to this verse, faith is being assured of something without seeing the evidence. Basically, it is believing without seeing, trusting in the word of another without tangible proof. Now without getting mystical, our faith in God is not without reason or proof. There is more evidence in this universe that speaks to the person of God than there is evidence that George Washington ever lived. Christian faith is not a weak, blind faith. It is grounded in truth and reality.
Where the “faith” part comes in is in relation to God’s promises of who He is and what He has and will do. The evidence for God is overwhelming, but the evidence for the future is not. We only have His word. We cannot see the future with our own eyes and so therefore, we must have faith in what we know of God and what He promises.
The second facet of this is that people have only ever gained approval from God when they have exercised the faith He has given them. Old Testament people were saved by faith, belief in God. New Testament people are saved by faith in God, specifically in what God did thru His Son on the cross. That faith evidences itself in obedient behavior to God.
But here’s the kicker: Faith is not in a what, but a who! Having faith is useless unless the object of your faith is something worth believing in. Notice the second part of verse 6. Not only can you not please God without faith, but you must believe who He is and what He does. Basically, you must have faith that He exists and His character is what He said it was and is.
Having faith without appropriating it on the correct object is like believing that if I faith in my ability to fly, I will be able to transcend gravity when I jump off of the roof of my house. I simply must believe strong enough.
Whoops! Faith must be grounded in truth. Truth is reality. God is truth (notice I did not say truth is God, because God is a person, not a mystical force or presence. God creates all truth because in Him there is no lie).
So what about faith in yourself? Why would you want any kind of belief in a fallen, frail, sinful and finite being when you could have faith in an infinite, holy, perfect and all-powerful God?
I think that “faith in ourselves” is better phrased “faith in what God can do thru me”. Then, my faith is still being directed to the correct person and my trust is in Him for strength and not myself!
Is your faith pleasing? Is it focused and directed to God?
It’s not mystical. It is simply taking Him at His Word and living as though everything He said has already come true, even if it still has yet to!

Daily Devo 7/16/10

Isaiah 43
10“You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me. 11“I, even I, am the LORD, and there is no savior besides Me. 12“It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, and there was no strange god among you; So you are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, and I am God.

Christian Responsibility
I think often as Christians, we have this notion of what we are responsible for that doesn’t fit with what God has asked of us. It is an unseen, unspoken burden that we unnecessarily place on ourselves. It is this idea that we must bring the lost people to church, get them saved and train or disciple them in the faith. We then feel extreme pressure when the work moves slowly or not at all and not many are saved. It becomes frustrating, which causes us to want to quit.
As we will see, this is an unnecessary burden. If we would simply quit trying to act in the place of God, we would find that this frustration will never occur.
Isaiah and Jeremiah were both prophets of God who spoke for God for many years with few tangible results. God never put the burden on them. In this passage we see not only what our job is, we also see the message and the reason.
First, let’s notice the job: We are God’s witnesses, chosen by Him.
What is a witness? One that tells or shares the information that they know.
In a legal court trial, is the witness responsible for convicting or acquitting the accused? Certainly not.
So where did we get the notion that salvation was our responsibility? We are supposed to know, believe and understand something and share what we KNOW, BELIEVE and UNDERSTAND with those we come into contact with!
Second, notice the message: What we are supposed to know, believe and understand is that the God of Israel is the only God, Creator, Master and He is the only one that provides salvation. There is NO SAVIOR besides Him.
Third, notice the reason: It is God who declared and saved so that He would have witnesses.
This thought is totally freeing. God has made us witnesses to simply share what He has taught us about Him so that He could save more people to become witnesses. But our job is only to TELL what we know, believe and understand and then leave the results in God’s hands. He is the one that declares and saves.
So the question arises, can you let God be the one who does the work or do you think that somehow you can do the telling and the convincing and even the saving?
Show the ultimate trust in God: Tell someone what you know, believe and understand about God and then let God handle the results!
What will happen? God will bless you for faithfulness even if He never saves the person you shared with. And after all, it is up to God who He saves anyway, not you!

Daily Devo 7/15/10

Galatians 1
6I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ

Defectors?
If you’re like me, your attention can be swayed by something fairly easily. I am normally focused, but can be drawn away by things that intrigue me or puzzle me. There is a problem with that. Often times the things that distract me are not things that would be good distractions.
For example, if my wife or one of my children was talking to me and my attention drifted to a football game or sporting event that would be less beneficial. Not that sporting events are wrong, but they certainly should not rank in priority above the attention of another human being, especially one of your family members.
In a much greater sense, Paul here is amazed that the believers in the churches of Galatia could so quickly become distracted with what he had previously taught them. He came and taught them of salvation thru grace, God’s unmerited, undeserved favor. After he left to continue starting churches around the ancient world, these believers quickly fell into the trap of wanting to work for their salvation, figuring that by working God would somehow owe them eternal life. It only took a few false teachers to come in and stir the pot by introducing some erroneous teaching for them to become distracted.
What about us?
In America, we tend to have many options of things to do and believe in. In today’s culture it is common practice to meld many ideas together, even if they are in complete and total opposition to one another, and call it a consistent philosophy. I have encountered “Christians” who have an unhealthy interest and participation in Wicca. I hear of many so called believers who see no problem with casual sex or even homosexuality, but at the same time want to profess God. Two opposing ideas cannot be simply put together and touted as new truth.
This is what Paul was dealing with. People, who had been saved by faith thru grace simply by trusting Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for the payment of their sin and repenting of their sin by claiming that He would now and forever be their Master, were now trying to add certain works into the equation. In effect, they were defecting from the simplicity of salvation. Instead of salvation by grace, now it was salvation by grace and some observances, rituals and good deeds. The problem is God will never owe us anything because of the observances, rituals and good deeds we perform because we will NEVER be anything even remotely close to His character. If He owed us something, then it wouldn’t be free, which grace obviously is!
So what compromises have you made?
What distractions have you let in that cause you to defect?
It may be simply looking for prosperity, or rationalizing away some flaw in your character. Or it could be a full-fledged defection in which you are living a sinful, disobedient lifestyle that is not the same Gospel you were called to.
Don’t defect, or be distracted or be anything but truly focused on God’s grace to supply!

Attacking Coverage (Part 2: Man Coverages)

In part 1, I touched on the idea that coaches need to understand the strategies that defenses employ in order to combat them and win. Unfortunately, many coaches think they can re-invent the wheel by running the same concepts against all coverages. But the reality is that it just won’t work unless your talent is infinitely greater than your opponent’s.
Let’s review:
There are 4 types of coverage: Man coverage, Zone coverage, Combination coverage and Split coverage. From there, we can divide the coverage into 3 categories: No deep defenders, Middle of the Field Closed (MOFC = 1 deep defender in the middle) and Middle of the Field Open (MOFO = 2 deep defenders or more, but each outside the hash)
So, now the Man Coverages:

Cover 0
Type: Man
Classification: NO Deep
Key Words: Middle, Deep, Mismatch, Quick Rub or Crossing routes
QB Needs: Good-to-Great Accuracy, Touch on deep throws and time to steady feet
QB Don’ts: Throw late, Panic
The first coverage is Cover 0. It is primarily a high pressure coverage designed to get to the QB before he can throw, to change his rhythm so much that the pass cannot be completed or to bring as many defenders up to stop the run as possible.
Identifying Cover 0 is usually fairly easy. Besides the No deep defender look,
1. The cover men will creep close enough to keep all receivers from getting too easy a release.
2. The eyes of each cover man will be locked onto the receiver.
3. Most or all cover men will have inside leverage on each receiver
Once it is identified, the strategy is now on.
Ask yourself, what is the DC giving me and what is he trying to take away?
The defense is probably banking on their pressure to get to the QB before he can set and throw a deep pass. They are also giving up quick out patterns if the use inside leverage.
So how do you attack it?
First, let’s think of personnel:
Do you have a solid pass blocking O-Line and 6th Blocker (RB, TE, etc…)? (Always think of protection first)
If you do, then consider simply protecting with 6 to give the QB time to setup and throw. Time is not on the side of the defense running cover 0. The longer it takes to get to the QB, the better the odds are that a receiver will be open.
Are the blitz schemes difficult enough or is your O-Line average or below average pass blockers, or do you have good receivers who can get open quickly?
In that case, remember some key words to speed up your decision process:
1. Middle – in cover 0, the middle of the field will be open if a receiver can “break the leverage” of the defender. Slants, Shallow Crosses and In routes (5 yard) are nearly impossible to cover man to man. Breaking the leverage is a matter of footwork and hand violence.
One of the most effective routes to run versus Cover 0 is an Angle route from the RB. You must have a RB who can catch out of the backfield and you must be quick enough to throw “hot” that is with an unblocked rusher (unless you have 2 RB or a TE to stay home).
2. Deep – because the cover men are so close to the LOS, their ability to cover deep throws is limited. A good route runner can create enough space that even without a speed advantage, he should be able to get behind a close defender. As long as the throw isn’t late, the receiver has a chance.
The other tactic here is to throw a back shoulder fade. In that move, the receiver gets behind the defender but because the defender’s back is to the QB, he cannot play the ball until the receiver shows. The QB simply identifies that the defender has his back to him and slightly underthrows the ball to the outside. The receiver then plays the ball, slowing up and making a play while the defender tries to recover and find the ball. It takes practice, but can be a very effective play against man coverage.
3. Mismatch – when all else fails, attack the coverage by attacking a defender who is at a disadvantage covering one of your receivers. Because Cover 0 is a man coverage, the QB can “stare down” the receiver until he comes open if necessary, although it wouldn’t be the best habit to get into.
4. Quick Rub – having two receivers run routes that nearly intersect can be difficult for man coverage, especially if they lock down and do not switch. The QB simply has to see which receiver comes open first and deliver the ball quickly.
Of course, any double move routes are devastating to Cover 0. Blade routes, Hitch & Go, Slant Corner (or Sluggo) and out & Up are nearly impossible to defend.

When you are likely to see Cover 0:
Most likely, defenses will bring heavy heat and play Cover 0 on 2nd and 3rd and short. Gambling to stop the run and expecting to get the QB before the throw fit the situation of short yardage. Goalline scenarios from inside the 10 are also spots where defenses will play straight up man with no help.

Some Video versus Cover 0

Cover 1
Type: Man
Classification: MOFC (1 Deep)
Key Words: Under, Away, Mismatch, Quick Rub or Crossing routes
QB Needs: Good-to-Great Accuracy, Touch on deep throws and time to steady feet
QB Don’ts: Throw late, Throw near the safety in the middle, Panic
The second coverage is Cover 1. It is so named because there is one deep defender in the middle of the field. It is primarily a 5 man pressure coverage designed to disrupt the QB before he can establish rhythm, to give deep help in the middle and to have a deep run defender.
However, a version of Cover 1 actually only rushes four while leaving a deep defender in the middle and a short defender both playing a zone of sorts while the other 5 defenders play man to man. This version can be called Robber, Rat or Hole coverage. This version is a type of combination coverage.
Identifying Cover 1 is also fairly easy. Besides the 1 deep defender look,
1. The cover men will creep close enough to keep all receivers from getting too easy a release.
2. The eyes of each cover man will be locked onto the receiver.
3. Certain cover men will have outside leverage on each receiver to funnel them to the help in the middle, while the outside most receivers will be covered using inside leverage to help funnel them to the sideline.
Once it is identified, the strategy is now on.
Again, ask yourself, what is the DC giving me and what is he trying to take away?
The defense is probably banking on their pressure to get to the QB before he can set and throw a deep pass. They are also giving up quick out patterns if the use inside leverage. Remember that with only one deep defender, the defense is trying to match or outnumber the blockers/potential ball carriers in the box. This means matchups downfield and one-on-one coverage matchups.
So how do you attack it?
First, let’s think of personnel:
Again, do you have a solid pass blocking O-Line and 6th Blocker (RB, TE, etc…)?
Versus Cover 1, the most a defense can rush without leaving a defender uncovered is 5. If you decide to, consider simply protecting with 5 to put pressure on the defense to cover all five eligible receivers. Usually versus a Cover 1, you will find at least one defender who is NOT a solid man cover guy. This matchup can be exploited because the poorer the skills of a cover guy, the more of an advantage for the receiver, even if he himself is not a particularly strong receiver.
The QB needs time to setup and throw accurately. The longer it takes to get to the QB, the better the odds are that a receiver will be open.
Are the blitz schemes difficult enough or is your O-Line average or below average pass blockers, or do you have good receivers who can get open quickly?
In that case, remember some key words to speed up your decision process:
1. Under – in cover 1, the short middle of the field will be open if a receiver can release quickly over the middle while running across the field horizontally.
*One Warning here: There are coaches that will only rush 4 and leave the Robber, Rat, Hole defender sitting right where the Under Routes go. From the QB perspective, he must identify if this version of cover 1 is used so he can throw the underneath routes when the receiver clears or passes the “Hole” defender.
Shallow Crosses, Delays and In routes (5 yard) are nearly impossible to cover man to man, and can’t be stopped without a Hole defender to jump the route.
Again, one of the most effective routes to run versus Cover 1 is an Angle route from the RB. You must have a RB who can catch out of the backfield and you must be quick enough to throw “hot” that is with an unblocked rusher (unless you have 2 RB or a TE to stay home). His matchup on a usually lesser pass defender can be a critical advantage to beating Man coverage.
2. Away – because the cover men are so close to the LOS with some using inside leverage, their ability to cover out routes is limited. A good route runner can create enough space that even without a speed advantage, he should be able to get outside an inside leverage defender. As long as the throw isn’t late, the receiver should be open.
3. Mismatch – when all else fails, attack the coverage by attacking a defender who is at a disadvantage covering one of your receivers. Because Cover 1 is a man coverage, the QB can “stare down” the receiver until he comes open if necessary, although any throws near the middle of the field will have help from a defender who is reading the QB’s eyes.
4. Quick Rub – having two receivers run routes that nearly intersect can be difficult for man coverage, especially if they lock down and do not switch. The QB simply has to see which receiver comes open first and deliver the ball quickly.
Of course, any double move routes are devastating to Cover 1, particularly ones moving away from the middle of the field. Blade routes, Hitch & Go, Slant Corner and out & Up are nearly impossible to defend.


When you are likely to see Cover 1:
Some teams base out of Cover 1, like Nick Saban’s LSU and Alabama teams. They could simply play versions of it depending on the situation. The threat of a deep middle defender who can help stuff the run is appealing to coaches who like to play man. Run correctly, it is a difficult defense to beat. Patience is the key as well as not forcing throws near the Zone help defenders.

Conclusion:
Remember the key buzz words when choosing how to attack the versions of man coverage a defense can use against you.
One side note: Most teams that play man coverage also play Bump and Run or Jam coverage. It is imperative to spend time every day working on how to release off the line quickly and effectively versus a Jam.
In part 3, we will discuss the more common defenses, the zone coverages.

Daily Devo 7/14/10

Proverbs 19
15Laziness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle man will suffer hunger.

Are you sleeping, are you sleeping….?
Laziness is a pandemic in this world. More now than ever, people feel entitled to be able to live their lives with a minimum of effort and a maximum of leisure. Then, when tough times come, instead of leaning on developed skills learned from a lifetime of toil, they look for a “bailout”.
I think I know where this comes from.
First, laziness is an offshoot of selfishness which says life is all about me and since I am the focal point things should be done for me by others. There is also a large element of pride (pride and selfishness are twin brothers). In that, the lazy person claims what they deserve is to live comfortably while others around them toil. The sluggard then wants to receive the reward that the hard worker labored for.
That is the attitude behind laziness.
In practicality, it develops from childhood. Parents can go overboard on either side of the boat in this fight. Some will praise endlessly the exploits of their children without requiring any real work on the child’s behalf. This praise can create very low expectations which the child then meets and is praised for without actually doing anything. The child then grows up with these low expectations while feeling like he has done something of value. It becomes equivalent to praising someone for breathing or for not killing themselves.
On the other side are parents who abuse their kids. I don’t mean physical abuse, but psychological and emotional abuse, never regarding anything as good enough, berating a child’s real work and effort as useless. This child grows up with the idea that no one is pleased with his toil and therefore why should he try?
The point is, that we were created for “good works” (Ephesians 2:10). Notice the word work. We were not supposed to be anesthetized by laziness, simply killing time by sleep or pleasure. We were made to enjoy the benefits of labor. God has called us to a lifetime of labor for Him so that we may enjoy the leisure of heaven for eternity.

Is it not very rewarding to undertake a project and see it to its completion?
So how do we train ourselves and others to avoid laziness?
I believe it comes down to relationships and expectations. For our children, are we developing close, nurturing relationships with them so that they know our care is genuine and our praise is meaningful? Are we placing on the responsibility and expectations that stretch them so that what they thought was impossible turns out to be possible with some effort and struggle?
How about you? Are you placing expectations on yourself that will require you to work or are you simply acting like the nursery rhyme character brother john?
Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping brother john?

Daily Devo 7/13/10

Titus 2
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus

What are you looking for?
If you’ve ever been in love (you know, the feeling of infatuation that causes you to obsess over someone), you know what it’s like to wait anxiously for your better half to appear for something. The seconds tick away like huge chunks of time and the minutes seem like hours. Every moment you have to wait is an eternity apart from your loved one.
Aside from the overly dramatic moments of young love, this is what God expects of us. We should be eagerly anticipating the return of our Loved One, our Savior. We should be watching and expecting that each moment will be the one in which He returns to take us to glory.
Notice, there are two parts to His coming: the blessed hope and the glorious appearing. These are two parts of the same coming. Two different occasions separated by seven years. Christ will come in the clouds (the blessed hope) to rapture His church and take her to heaven with Him. Then seven years later, He will return fully to earth, gloriously appearing before the whole world to judge the righteous and the wicked as The King.
So we know who is coming and the order and what will happen, but how are we to look?
How do we look for our loved one when we’re waiting?
We should live for them. You don’t watch and wait for your beloved by being distracted with others, or by paying attention to objects or toys. You patiently, expectantly wait with a focus that is laser-like.
God expects nothing different from us. We are instructed to deny ungodliness by keeping our thoughts, eyes and attention on Him only and not on false gods. We are instructed to deny worldly desires, those things that would cause us to break fellowship with Him, things He has warned us from to protect us. Those are the “What not to dos”.
We are supposed to live sensibly, making decisions that would please Him.
We are supposed to live righteously, reflecting His character in our day to day behavior.
We are supposed to live godly, striving to obey His example and mirror His Word.
How can we do all of that?
His grace enables, empowers and enthralls us. It is the only power that can allow us to wait for Him with anticipation.
So, what are you looking for?
Secondly, how are you looking?

Daily Devo 7/12/10

Ephesians 5
3 But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints ; 4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

What do you laugh at?
Humor is such a funny thing (ha,ha, pun intended). It is individual enough that what makes you laugh may not make me laugh and vice versa. Certain situations brought to light in a “humorous way” might not be funny to me because it is something personal and serious. But God has indeed established a common standard for what is funny: Would it be “funny” to Him?
Believers have much freedom in Christ. Freedom to obey God and not to serve sin. Freedom to eat whatever food they choose without fear that the food itself will be considered immoral. Freedom to observe days and feasts or not observe any day as special. Freedom to drive any color car, have any color house and the list of liberties goes on.
But there is no freedom to take part in things of the world, things that should not be part of a Christian’s life. This list is vague and general, but specific enough to guide our behavior. Immorality is any sexual behavior outside the boundary of marriage as is impurity. Between the two words, every sexual sin is covered so there is no gray area for a believer to “dabble”. Greed is the desire to obtain more as a means to an end of self-gratification. These are things that should never be characteristic or charged to a believer in Jesus Christ.
And a second list that deals more with the discussion of the first list than the actual behaviors themselves.
Filthiness refers to obscene acts or gestures, discussions about sexual things outside their place. The implication is that this is something said lightly and with a devious intent, not a frank discussion between husband and wife or patient and doctor. Silly talk and coarse jesting are the things we laugh at.
Do words that are foolish or about foolish things compel you to laugh?
Does the folly of an unbeliever discussing things of God tickle your funny bone?
Does talk of sinning said in a light manner bring a smile to your face?
Do we laugh at the “dirty joke” that makes light of God’s creation of sex and its place in marriage?
It is all too often in this culture that entertainment media (being the world’s main avenue for information and instruction) presents shows, movies and variety acts that strive to be funny. I sometimes love to hear or watch stand-up comedy. Who doesn’t love a good laugh at the exaggerations of the life we live?
My problem comes when I find myself laughing at something that when I stop and think about it is offensive to God. Unfortunately, the brand of humor that is most prevalent today is categorized under silly talk (foolishness) or coarse jesting. The problem is that in time, we become desensitized to what God’s opinion on the matter is and don’t stop to take a stand on what believers should not be part of. May we never be so calloused and part of the world that we cannot separate ourselves from the filthy things it seeks to entertain us with.
Ask yourself if what you laugh at would God laugh with you?