Have you ever watched a lacrosse game? They are highly entertaining, yet contradict everything you teach your child when he is young. When our son was young we told him: “Don’t run with a stick in your hand. Don’t throw things at people. Don’t hit.” Now the coach on the lacrosse team tells them to run with the stick in their hand, to throw the ball at others, and to hit their opponent with their stick. The funnier thing is the parents cheer on in agreement with the coach. It is quite the experience.
Sam is the goalie for his team, which means people are constantly throwing things at him. He takes great pride in the circular marks on his body after a game because they symbolize a goal he saved by stopping the ball. He’s good at what he does, but every now and then one gets by no matter how hard he tries.
We can all relate to Sam’s job, because we each serve as goalie of our minds. The enemy is constantly bombarding us with lies and negative thoughts. He is trying to score one for his team. It is our job to monitor all that comes to the mind and determine what we allow in and what we block. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” Do we really do that? If we are to advance the Kingdom, we must. We cannot give into the enemy, even for a minute.
Philippians 4:8 gives us instruction on how to protect our mind from the enemy. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable– if anything is excellent or praiseworthy– think about such things.” We cannot focus on the negative things or the “what ifs” that come our way or the enemy will score. He will have us so wrapped up in worry and feeling defeated we stop fighting. Just like Sam, we may get hit hard from time to time, but we must stand our ground and we will be victorious.
The coach will have the team review films and to see what they need to work on, but they also review other teams to see who they are and how they play. It helps to know your opponent so you can be prepared. Ephesians 6:10-18 tells us who we’re fighting and how to do it.
You’ve heard it said that the mind is a battlefield. You can win the battle. It may seem impossible sometimes when the worry tries to creep in, but it is possible with God [Luke 18:27]. What are you thinking right now? Is it positive? Is it lovely, admirable, pure? If not, it is time to block that shot from the enemy and cast it down. You’re the goalie of your mind and you get to determine what stays and what goes.