Do You Need A Spiritual X-Ray?

Idolatry in the world of sports is prevalent and can take on many different forms. I have never met an athlete, coach, or fan who has never struggled with idolatry. According to author Ken Sande, in his book The Peacemaker “An idol is anything apart from God that we depend on to be happy, fulfilled, or secure. In biblical terms, it is something other than God that we set our heart on (Luke 12:29; 1 Cor. 10:19), that motivates us (1 Cor. 4:5), that masters and rules us (Ps. 119:133; Eph. 5:5), or that we trust, fear, or serve (Isa. 42:17; Matt. 6:24). In short, it is something we love and pursue more than God.” Sound familiar?

I love what Martin Luther wrote about idolatry in saying,

To whatever we look for any good thing and for refuge in every need, that is what is meant by ‘god.’ To have a god is nothing else than to trust and believe in him from the heart…To whatever you give your heart and entrust your being, that, I say, is really your god.

For the athlete, coach, and fan, it is important to understand what lies at the root of this idolatry. James 4:1-3 addresses this clearly:

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Unmet desires in our hearts (good or bad) results in a demand that controls us and becomes an idol. This is common in sports. Sports provide us with happiness, fulfillment, and security. They motivate, master, and rule us. We trust, fear, and serve the god of sports all too often! So, how do we deal with this idolatry? I would suggest we take Ken Sande’s approach of asking ourselves some key X-ray questions that can reveal the true condition of our hearts. Once we see the sin in our hearts, we can then repent and renew our focus and worship of Jesus Christ while competing.

Ask yourself the following X-ray questions (apply to your sport):

1. What am I preoccupied with? What is the first thing on my mind in the morning and the last thing on my mind at night?
2. How would I answer the question: “If only _______, then I would be happy, fulfilled, and secure”?
3. What do I want to preserve or to avoid at all costs?
4. Where do I put my trust?
5. What do I fear?
6. When a certain desire is not met, do I feel frustration, anxiety, resentment, bitterness, anger, or depression?
7. Is there something I desire so much that I am willing to disappoint or hurt others in order to have it?

Before you take the field, it might be important to give yourself a spiritual X-ray examination and then repent and pursue the Lord!


Josh Reynolds
Central-Northeast Nebraska FCA