Week 7- The Truth About Submission
MONDAY — Read the passage with your team.
1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
4 You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
11 Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
James 4:1-4, 7-12
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 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. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:6-9
3 Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. 5 He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
Psalm 24:3-6
9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119:9-11
What does this passage have to say about accountability?
Why is that important?
TUESDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.
Life, even for a child of God, is not always easy. Even believers experience negativity in relationships, disappointment in pursuits, and struggles to maintain right perspective.
1) James 4:1-3 describes some common causes of discord and unhappiness in a person’s life. What are those? What are the “wrong motives” mentioned in verse 3? How are these motives the opposite of the purpose of accountability?
2) Many athletes believe that their relationship with God has nothing to do with playing a sport. Does God care about your athletic participation? Should you expect your experience to be a good one if you try to separate this part of your life from God (v. 2b)? In what ways are you wrongly motivated, as an athlete?
WEDNESDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.
James 4:8 provides the answer for the emptiness and discouragement that is the result of selfish thinking and misguided living. This answer is accountability — relationship with God: “Come near to God, and He will come near to you.”
3) What word (James 4:7) describes how you should go to God? Does this mean you should just “let go and let God,” or is there something more to it?
4) Submission to accountability is not a total abandonment of your own efforts, in hope that God will fix your life. Submission is a commitment to obedience. What commands are given (v. 7-12) to a person who desires to come near to God? Which of those areas is a struggle for you?
THURSDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.
In order to remain in right relationship with Him and “resist the devil” (James 4:7), God instructs us to “wash your hands...and purify your hearts” (v. 8).
5) Read Philippians 4:6-9, Psalm 24:3-6, and Psalm 119:9-11. What do these passages teach you about how to cleanse and guard your heart and to keep your way pure? [Coaches, you can help your players to identify some of these — do not worry, pray (Phil. 4:6), keep a God-honoring thought life (4:8), obey God and follow the example of Christ (4:9), resist idols and untruths (Ps. 24:4), faithfully read God’s Word (Ps. 119:11).]
6) Choose one of these areas as a major goal for the remainder of the season (and beyond). Share this with your teammates; ask them to pray for you and to gently hold you accountable in this area.
FRIDAY — Discuss sport applications of accountability, and pray together.
· Ask your athletes to briefly reflect on what they’ve learned about accountability this week, and to repeat some of those things. (Remind them of some of the Biblical truths about accountability you’ve discussed, if necessary.)
· Ask your team, “Based on what we learned about accountability this week...What does an accountable athlete do?” Do not settle for vague answers; challenge your athletes to go beyond general qualities of accountability, and to determine what those qualities look like in action.
· Add the results to your team’s list of descriptions of the “accountable athlete”, and be sure the list is displayed somewhere that is constantly visible, as a reminder to the team.
· Pray together as a team. Encourage your athletes to pray for your team’s growth in regard to the discipline of accountability — especially in relation to some of the issues and challenges that you discussed together this week. Challenge them to also ask for forgiveness, when applicable. Give time for athletes to request prayer (regarding accountability or anything else), and pray together.
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