Though shall have no other gods before me.
The Nazarite Vow and Sports – Rejecting the World’s Wine
disclaimer: I got this message several weeks ago before I was even thinking about the Superbowl, so don’t necessarily take this as an attack on your Superbowl plans. But it just is what it is. If the shoe fits, take it off!
What is Sports?
Sports are Exercise, Fun, and Games of Physical Strength and Skill. They are harmless, right? Actually they are good for the human body. Bodily exercise profits little, but Godliness is eternal (1 Timothy 4). But we also have to glorify God in our body (1 Corinthians 6).
But, taken too far, what is Sports?
It’s a celebration of human strength. Taken too far, it’s the worship of the human body. Say you’re in a stadium, or a field, what are you watching? You’re watching a bunch of 20 somethings, men at the peak of their strength, playing a physical game of strength and speed and physical skill. Then you have the cheerleaders, dancing, being beautiful and feeding physical lust. Beauty is God given, when taken too far – it becomes lust and adultery.
What is harmless can become idol worship. So you are in a stadium, watching the strength of men and the beauty of women (even in the commercials). So, what is harmless has become the idol worship of the human body, worshipping the strength of men and lusting after the beauty of women – IF taken too far.
Who takes it too far?
Who sponsors most of the commercials and cashflow for these sports games? Alcohol companies. What’s the quickest way to take anything too far. What’s the quickest way to lower your inhibitions, lose control of your emotions, speak easier and give your soul out more? – Drinking Alcohol.
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. Proverbs 20:1
Drinking alcohol, becoming inebriated, and being filled with wine or strong drink is the quickest way to go too far. Drinking is not a sin, but it is the quickest way to turn something harmless into sin and idol worship by taking it too far.
Be filled with God’s Wine by Singing
Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,
This is why the Nazarite vow involves not drinking wine. Not because wine is a sin, but because wine symbolizes worldly pleasures. Not only does wine symbolize worldly pleasures, but wine and strong drink lowers your inhibitions, and is the quickest way to turn something harmless like sports and beauty into the idol worship of the human body – worshipping the strength of men and the lust of women.
When you decide to drink wine or strong drink, what is the next step? Where do you drink it, and for what purpose? At home to make you happy? At the bar? At the sports game? At the Club? What are you having pleasure in? What are you worshipping?
What is a Nazirite?
The Nazirite vow, literally – means not drinking wine, and letting your hair grow. (Numbers 6, Judges 13, Lamentations 4:7, Amos 2:7,11.) Rejecting the wine symbolizes shunning the world pleasure, letting your hair grow on your head symbolizes giving your strength and glory to God.
The holiness of the Nazarite is not just for ascetic reasons, or to be considered “holier than thou.” Nazarite Holiness leads to spiritual power that brings amazing results. Samson was a Nazarite, John the Baptist was a Nazarite, as was probably Elijah. All of the Nazarite men in the Bible did amazing feats of spiritual strength.
Funny (to me) Story: I was recording a verse to a song called “I’m a Nazirite” with my friend Kendra. I had my baby son and my 5 year old neice with me. So my niece was in the room while I was recording my verse, so I had her help with the chorus on the last hook.
So I was telling her what a Nazirite was. “A Nazarite means we don’t live for ourselves, we don’t live for the world, and we don’t live for the devil, we only live our lives for God.” My niece is saved and filled with HG and is very very intelligent – she actually gets things like this even at the age of 5.
She was excited about helping out with the song and couldn’t wait to get home and tell her aunt and her mom. When we were driving home, I asked her to tell me what a Nazarite was. “We don’t live for ourselves, we don’t live for the world, and we don’t live for the devil, we only live for God!”
Even though I’m used to her, I was surprised at how good her memory was. But then she continued. “You know what else Uncle?” “What Kyra?” I’m thinking I only told her 3 things, what else do she have to say. “We don’t live for JEZEBEL!” she said.
I laughed so hard. I hadn’t told her anything about Jezebel, but obviously she had heard me mention Jezebel in my verse, and she added that to the list of things that Nazirites don’t live for.
Nazarite Generation
There is a Nazarite Generation coming with the wisdom of my niece! They won’t live for themselves, they won’t live for the world’s pleasures, and they won’t live for the devil, OR Jezebel’s religious and physical idolatry and adultery! They will reject wine and strong drink – naturally and spiritually – and give all their strength and glory to GOD ALONE!
So can we play sports? Yes, if you do it for exercise and fun – not idol worship. And if you don’t drink the wine, put clothes on all the women (probably the men, too), and if you give God the glory like Tim Tebow:-)
I like basketball myself, I enjoy playing it and watching it. But I have to fast from it regularly so it never becomes idolatry. I call it the Fave Media Fast. Fasting from TV, websites, sports, video games, or any of your favorite media regulary. Fasting helps break addictions and idolatries, and prevents them too.
Quick Story about Tim Tebow – I heard on the radio that they mic’d his helmet during a game, and he was actually singing spiritual songs throughout the whole game. In the midst of all the pressure of the game – he’s filling himself with the Holy Ghost! Now that’s a Nazarite – drinking God’s wine at all times, rejecting the world’s wine, and glorifying God with all of his youthful strength.
Unfortunately Tim has recently been chased by Katy Perry, Kim Kardashian, a Pornography convention, and by Jockey underwear to do a shirtless ad as a sex symbol for his female fans. He has to learn to stay away from the spirit of Jezebel, and stay consistent. Avoid the sex symbol ad money and the strange women. Jezebel is very tricky and seductive – naturally and spiritually. And the trickiest jezebel spirits usually comes after spiritual Kings, not spiritual slackers. I talk very much more in depth about Jezebel 1.0 and Jezebel 2.0 in our book Killing Idols For REVIVAL.
But there is a generation coming like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; they will FAST in King’s Palace of Babylon, and they will refuse to dance to the party music of IDOLATRY, even when it’s played very loud. If you Read Daniel 1 and 2, you will see that they were all teenagers when they did this! This type of generation will have a spiritual power that we haven’t seen yet, and they will prepare the earth for the second coming of Jesus Christ.
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