What I Learned About Spiritual Warfare From a Game of Dodgeball

The balls are placed along the center line.  The teams take their places, one foot or hand touching the wall, bodies prepared to sprint at the sound of the whistle. Sizing up the teams, neither appears to have an extreme advantage in size or weight. But when the whistle blows, and the players race to take control of the balls, it quickly becomes obvious which team will win.  One works as a team, taking aim as soon as they have a ball, rolling others backward, effectively arming the teammates behind them.  All advancing.
The other team has obviously been caught off guard. With their most aggressive players taken out in that first scramble, the others are on the retreat.  Most still grab for balls, throwing at a distance, dodging as best they can. Still, they're mainly on the defense.  The other team, united as close to the center line as they can get, slam balls against the wall so hard that even their misses work to intimidate. The noise makes the onlookers wince and the losing team cringe or cower. They have no time to strategize, and one by one they get hit and take their place along the sidelines. Finally, there's only one standing. Her strategy has been to avoid the balls completely, not once has she even picked up a ball to throw at the other team.  No matter, their balls have so much momentum that they bounce right back to them, giving them ample ammunition. It's only a matter of time.

1. Take the Battle Seriously.

The biggest difference between the two teams were their attitudes toward the game.  One team went in thinking this was just a friendly game of dodge ball.  The other went in as though it were a battle, determined to come out on top.  They were ruthless. Their throws unrelenting. The first team had no idea their very lives were at stake! Okay, okay, so dodge ball isn't exactly deadly. In all seriousness though, how many of us as Christians realize the true extent of the dangerous battle we are involved in?  We act like its a friendly game and are shocked when the hits come harder than expected. Sure, we want to win. We're happy we have a team surrounding us.  Makes our odds of survival better, right? But when it comes to Satan's attacks, we're so busy dodging our own problems that we too often let our teammates fall around us.

2. You Won't Win Stuck In Defensive Mode.

Satan's strategy is to have you cowering in fear, backed up against the wall.  His lies ping back and forth all around you, like the dodge balls drilling into the wall or the fiery darts mentioned in Ephesians 6.  Everything about the attack is designed to have you cowering in fear, unable to retaliate.  With your back pressed up against the wall, any offense you do take is too weak to do much damage.  The momentum has slowed enough by the time it crosses into enemy territory, that the enemy has already seen it coming and had time to throw it right back in your face. You are so busy dodging the attacks aimed your way, that you don't think to unite your team and push back. You automatically react by jumping out of the way, even though catching a ball would allow one of your sidelined teammates to re-enter the game. You see the few who are bold enough to go on the offense sidelined first, and with every team mate that goes out, you are left with the feeling that you'll certainly be next. Its a losing battle when you're stuck in defense.

3. Your Team Is Essential. 

The factors that most influenced the outcome were unity and experience. Not once did the game come down to a single player. Knowing one's teammates and how to work together made all the difference. Choose people to be on your team in life whose spiritual walk gives you reason to respect them. People who you know will have your back.  Those who are able to think about someone other than themselves in the heat of the battle. The people who make it possible for you to return from the sidelines after you've been hit. These are the ones you want on your side.
By the way, this team you surround yourself with doesn't have to be made up of only people from your church.  In our dodge ball tournament last night, we saw teens from several youth groups come together, intermingle, and form alliances.  When Satan is able to separate one church from another, he effectively limits Christ's body from functioning the way it's designed to as described in the twelfth chapter of both Romans and 1 Corinthians. Unity is paramount when mounting an offense. Without it, those on the front lines are taken out with no one coming to their defense.

4. You Are Essential.

Most of us are all too familiar with our weaknesses. We know we're not the strongest, fastest, or most prepared player on the team. But that doesn't mean you're not essential!  You've been chosen.  You're part of the team - or in this case, family.  Your brothers and sisters in Christ need you to give it everything you've got.  One player who stood out at the dodge ball games yesterday was a 7th grade girl who was about the size of my kindergartner.  This beautiful young lady had spunk and passion off the court that drew her lots of attention.  Unfortunately, when her team took their places, and the balls started to fly, she became more aware of her small stature than of the advantage that it afforded her.  Feeling self conscious and afraid of the ball kept her from realizing that what she perceived as a weakness was actually an advantage; her size made her an extremely difficult target. Had she gotten in the game with the confidence she demonstrated off the court, she would have been a formidable opponent! Similarly, in the midst of spiritual battle, we as Christians often focus on our insufficiency and shut down, when we should instead recall the omnipotence of our Creator and rise up!

5. Get Off The Sidelines!

When the hits keep coming (And they will. Remember, we're in a spiritual war!), its inevitable that we'll be taken out at some point.  But that doesn't mean you're out for good.  No, in dodge ball, if a teammate catches the ball, one of their players gets to rejoin the game.  As Christians, we have a player who is invincible!  Jesus Christ, Who has earned the name above all names (Ephesians 2:9), can field anything the enemy throws at Him. So instead of sitting on the sidelines nursing old wounds, use that time to strategize, to grow in your faith, to rejuvenate your spiritual strength, to mentor those with less experience, and to encourage your teammates who are still in the thick of the battle.  Most importantly, be ready, because if you're still breathing, you're still able to be called back in.  You're still needed. You're still chosen. "For God's gifts and his call are irrevocable"(Romans 11:29). Take heart; you're not sidelined for good!

Let's go back to the game I described at the beginning. Remember the girl whose strategy was to simply avoid the balls coming her way?  When asked why she never threw the balls at the opposing team, she answered, "Hey, I'm just here for moral support." You may be thinking, "Well, her strategy worked.  She was the last on her team left standing."  Wrong. Her strategy didn't end in victory; it just prolonged her defeat. At the end of this game, with the girl dodging first one ball, then another, her opponents realized that they could mount an attack with all their resources aimed directly at her.  On their count of three, she had not one, but nearly ten balls slamming in her direction.
Sometimes its tempting to think, if I just don't do anything to make the enemy mad, if I just stay out of his way, then maybe he won't notice me.  But his objective is to win.  His objective is to take you out.  Trying to ignore this fact will only prolong the inevitable, and perhaps result in greater injury. Do not shrink back. Instead, join the fight.  Unite! Mount an attack. Go on the offensive. Be a team player, knowing that with Christ as the head of the team, you can do all things through Him! This is the strategy that ensures your victory over the enemy.

They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

Revelations 12: 11