Are You Game to Step Into God's Call

Devotional

Day 1: Stepping Into the Batter’s Box of Faith

A baseball game begins with one batter stepping up. Faith requires movement, not perfect conditions. Like Abraham leaving Haran without a full itinerary or Peter abandoning fishing nets to follow Jesus, God often calls us to act before we see the whole field. Comfortable routines can become cages when they keep us from trusting God’s next play. What safety nets are you clinging to that might be keeping you out of the game? [43:52]

“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.’ […] So Abram went, as the Lord had told him.”
(Genesis 12:1,4, NIV)

Reflection: What “batter’s box” is God asking you to step into this week—a conversation, a commitment, or a risk? What makes you hesitate to swing?

Day 2: Leaving the Nets of Routine

Peter didn’t negotiate with Jesus when called to fish for people—he dropped his livelihood immediately. Our daily rhythms, like mending nets or heckling from the stands, can distract us from divine interruptions. Faith thrives when we release what’s familiar to grasp what’s eternal. What routines have become so automatic they drown out God’s voice? [57:13]

“At once they left their nets and followed him.”
(Matthew 4:20, NIV)

Reflection: Identify one routine this week—a habit, schedule, or mindset—that God might be asking you to leave behind. What scares you about dropping it?

Day 3: Cheering From the Stands or Suiting Up?

The heckler mocked the third baseman but never stepped onto the field. Faith isn’t spectating—it’s joining the roster. Abraham’s obedience blessed nations, and your “yes” to God could ripple further than you imagine. Are you content to clap for others’ faithfulness while avoiding your own assignment? [40:39]

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’”
(Isaiah 6:8, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you been a critic instead of a participant in God’s work? What would suiting up look like today?

Day 4: Faith’s Box Score: Movement Over Perfection

Ted Williams failed 60% of the time yet is legendary. The Brewers’ batter froze, and the game ended. Faith isn’t about flawless performance but faithful swings. God honors Abraham’s imperfect journey and Peter’s fumbling discipleship. What “strikeouts” have made you reluctant to step up again? [50:26]

“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”
(Hebrews 11:8, NIV)

Reflection: When has God used your imperfect obedience? Where is He inviting you to swing again despite past misses?

Day 5: Your Seventh-Inning Stretch: Time to Move

Baseball’s seventh-inning stretch shakes off complacency. Seasons change—kids shift schools, careers pivot, communities evolve. Abram left at 75, proving it’s never too late to respond. What “stretch” is God asking of you this fall? Comfort resists, but blessing waits on the other side of movement. [48:41]

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
(Isaiah 43:19, NIV)

Reflection: What “new thing” is God stirring in you? What wilderness path might become a stream if you say “I’m game”?

Sermon Summary

The question “Are you game?” presses the church to look at this season of life and ask what God is asking right now. Ecclesiastes 3 names the truth that everything has a season, and the fall season comes loaded with school, calendars, routines, grief, family change, and new chances to trust the Lord. Baseball becomes the picture because a stadium can make anybody feel like part of the team, singing the songs, wearing the colors, doing the wave, and rooting hard from the seats.

The batter’s box exposes the difference between watching and playing. A person in the stands can cheer, boo, heckle the third baseman, and eat the hot dog, but no stats get recorded from the bleachers. The call of faith asks more than comfortable attendance. The call of faith asks whether God’s people will step up to the plate, swing the bat, and get in the game.

Genesis 12 puts Abram right in that place. God says, “Go from your country, your people, and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” The word go comes before the itinerary. Faith begins before all the details are handed over, before the five-year plan is clear, and before “cosmic control freak” tendencies get satisfied. God promises, “I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you.” Abram hears go, and Abram went.

Abram’s age matters too. At seventy-five, Abram sets out, and God is not finished with him. Faith is about movement, not perfection. Ted Williams could be the greatest hitter and still get out six times out of ten. The batter who never swings never hits the ball, and the believer waiting for the perfect pitch may watch the moment pass with the bat still on the shoulder.

Matthew 4:18 brings the same call into the life of ordinary fishermen. Jesus sees Peter and Andrew casting nets and says, “Come follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people.” Their nets stand for safety, training, family history, and everything predictable. At once, they leave their nets and follow him. James and John leave the boat and their father too, because Jesus’ call can reach into the most personal, costly places.

Staying put always has a cost. A yes to God may become blessing for people who come after, just as Abram’s yes carried blessing for the nations. The question remains simple and searching: what is Jesus asking in this season, and is the answer yes?

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Key Takeaways

1. Comfort can fight calling Comfort is not always sin, but comfort can become a quiet refusal when God says go. The familiar rhythm can feel safe enough to baptize as wisdom, even when it is really delay. Calling often begins where control starts to loosen, and that is why comfort can be such a strong enemy. [42:58]
2. Go comes before details God’s word to Abram starts with “go,” not with a full itinerary. Faith does not wait until every risk is explained and every outcome is guaranteed. The obedience that says yes before the map is complete is not reckless, but relational, because it trusts the One who is leading. [45:53]
3. Faith moves, not perfects Faith is not proved by having the perfect season, the perfect timing, or the perfect swing. The batter who never swings cannot hit the ball, no matter how carefully the pitch is studied. God often forms obedience through movement, and perfection can become a spiritual-sounding excuse for staying frozen. [49:58]
4. One yes can bless others Abram’s yes was not private; God tied it to blessing for the nations. Obedience often carries fruit that the obedient person cannot yet see and may never fully measure. A refused calling can quietly withhold grace from people God intended to touch through that life. [54:38]
5. Jesus calls ordinary people Peter and Andrew were not looking for a religious platform; they were working nets in the family trade. Jesus did not wait for them to become impressive before calling them to follow. The call itself carried the promise: “I will make you,” which means the shaping belongs to Jesus.

## [56:06]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[31:42] - Introducing “I’m Game”
[33:16] - Baseball, Camaraderie, and Belonging
[36:08] - Are You Game This Season?
[37:16] - Stepping Into the Batter’s Box
[42:58] - Comfort Versus Calling
[43:52] - Genesis 12: God Says Go
[46:39] - Abram Went Without All Details
[48:19] - God Is Not Finished Yet
[49:58] - Faith Moves Before Perfection
[54:38] - One Yes Can Bless Nations
[56:06] - Jesus Calls Ordinary Fishermen
[59:21] - Staying Put Has a Cost
[62:52] - What Is Jesus Asking Now?
[65:46] - Responding: Are You Game?

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Genesis 12:1-9
“Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your offspring I will give this land.’ So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.” [43:40]

Matthew 4:18-22
“While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.” [56:22]

Ecclesiastes 3:1
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” [32:27]

Observation questions

In Genesis 12, what specific things does God tell Abram to leave, and what does God promise to do for him? [45:41]
What words or actions in Genesis 12 show that Abram did not receive every detail before he obeyed?
In Matthew 4:18-22, what do Peter, Andrew, James, and John leave behind when Jesus calls them?
What are some differences between sitting in the stands and stepping into the batter’s box in the picture of faith? [40:21]

Interpretation questions

In Genesis 12, God says “go” before giving Abram a full map. What does that show about the kind of trust God often asks from his people? [45:57]
Abram was seventy-five when he set out. How does that shape the way a person thinks about calling, usefulness, and whether God is finished with them? [48:23]
Jesus tells fishermen, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” What does that suggest about who does the shaping and growing in a disciple’s life? [57:49]
If staying put always has a cost, what kinds of blessings or opportunities might be missed when a person keeps saying “not right now” to God? [59:25]

Application questions

What season of life is this for you right now? Where does it feel full, uncertain, exciting, or heavy, and how might that season be shaping the way you hear God’s voice? [32:14]
Comfort can quietly become a reason for delay. Where are you most tempted to stay comfortable instead of obedient right now? [42:58]
Is there an area where you have been waiting for more details before saying yes to God? What would it look like to trust him before everything is clear? [47:33]
Faith moves, not perfects. Where have you been waiting for the perfect time, the perfect season, or the perfect version of yourself before taking the next step? [49:58]
One yes can bless people who come after. Who might be helped, encouraged, or strengthened if you obey what God is putting in front of you in this season? [54:35]
Nets can represent safety, routine, income, identity, or family expectations. What “net” would be hardest for you to leave if Jesus asked you to follow him more deeply? [57:43]
Jesus calls ordinary people and says, “I will make you.” Where might Jesus be asking you to stop focusing on your lack of training or qualifications and simply follow him? [59:12]

Sermon Clips

41s

#MovementNotPerfection

“``Here's the truth. Faith is is about movement, not perfection. Boy, does anybody need to say amen to that? Amen. There you go, Lloyd. Faith is about movement, not perfection. If we're waiting for the perfect time, we're waiting for the perfect season, we're waiting for all the things to line up. Do you know the greatest batter of all time, Ted Williams, batted 400. That's an amazing feat. Four out of 10 times he hit the ball when he was up to bat. He got out six times.”

32s

#FaithBeforeDetails

“You see, faith begins before you have all the details. Being willing to be in the game and being a part of what God's doing is a faith expression before you have all the details of where you're headed. Not all the time are you gonna get the itinerary from God that says, here's the rest of your life. I wish I had that. Cosmic control freak Nate wants that. But the reality is that God doesn't always reveal himself that way.”

39s

#ObedienceUnlocksBlessings

“Remember the blessings of the nations was reliant on upon Abraham and Sarah's yes. The blessings of your family, the blessings that you have to give in the community where you work, where you go to school, where you find yourself in the community, those blessings that you have to give are in direct response to the obedience of your heart when Jesus is calling you. And here's the thing. I'm not trying to guilt you into saying this. I'm asking you to ask the heart of God. What are you calling me to do in this season? Am I willing to hear your voice and follow you?”

51s

#DontBeASpectator

“Abraham's yes becomes a blessing for the nations. Think about this. When we say god says go and we say no, we could be keeping people from receiving the blessings that God has in store for them because of our unwillingness to go and do what God has asked us to do. It's easier sometimes to sit in the seats and eat the hot dog and the popcorn and and the cracker jacks and sing and stand up at the seventh inning stretch and do whatever like tradition they do and cheer on the team and boo for Altuve and do all that stuff and then go, that was a great game, man. They played hard. I'm so tired. You didn't do a thing but sit there.”

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