Getting Back on Track

We are in week 5 of the NFL season, and no teams remain undefeated after the Bills lost to the Patriots on Sunday night and the Eagles fell to the Broncos.

As we know, the NFL season is week-to-week, and teams can have bad games, tough matchups, or too many injuries, which can lead to losses.

After a loss, teams must recognize what went wrong, make the necessary adjustments, and take ownership of their mistakes. That way, teams have a chance to get back on track the following week.

The Colts did that, as they lost in week 4 to the Rams, but in week 5, they dominated the Raiders 40-6, scoring 20 points in the second quarter and 20 points in the third quarter.

Last week, Daniel Jones threw his first two interceptions of the season, but this week, he threw zero as he led the Colts to score a touchdown on six straight possessions. The team got back on track and is now 4-1.

The Bucs lost last week to the Eagles but are back on track after a dramatic win against the Seahawks, 38-35.

After an up-and-down start to the season and missing their starting quarterback for the last two games, the Commanders got back on track with Jayden Daniels' return, leading them to a 27-10 win over the Chargers.

The Broncos lost two games in a row earlier this season, but are now back on track, winning two straight, including yesterday's comeback win over the Eagles.

The Lions dropped their first game of the season to the Packers, but since then, they've been rolling, with four straight wins.

The Patriots seemed to have figured things out with new head coach Mike Vrabel as they've now won two in a row, including last night's primetime win over the Bills 23-20.

Even my Panthers got back on track with a nice win against the Dolphins!

Lastly, the Texans got off to a rough start (0-3), especially on offense, but are now on track, winning two straight games with CJ Stroud, who threw four touchdowns on Sunday.

As encouraging as it is for those teams to seemingly be heading in the right direction, several other teams are clearly off track and desire to get things turned around.

The Ravens' defense has been abysmally poor and is on pace to become the first team in NFL history to give up 600 points in a season. After losing three in a row, they are banged up and searching for answers.

The Chargers began the season looking like one of the best teams in the league, but they have recently stumbled, losing two in a row, and need to get back on track after their 3-0 start.

The Cardinals are off track, losing three in a row after starting 2-0, and totally let the game slip away against the Titans.

Meanwhile, the Pete Carroll-led Raiders won their first game of the season but have now lost four in a row, trying to figure out what to do to get back on track.

It's a long season, and some of these teams have the players and coaches to turn things around, but it will require humility, an honest evaluation, and changes.

These teams that are off track can't lie to themselves and think they’re fine, continuing to do what they're doing. Instead, they should admit what's wrong and commit to doing whatever is necessary to get back on track.

Likewise, many of us begin another week feeling out of sorts, weary, confused, or on a losing streak. We've been stumbling and searching for answers to what's going on with us.

We've either lost momentum at work or our marriage seems out of rhythm, or we've abandoned healthy habits, or our relationship with Jesus isn’t thriving. In other words, we are off track in one area or another, and we long to turn things around.

When this happens, we must examine our hearts, honestly evaluate why we're off track, and acknowledge what's wrong. Humility is required to approach the Lord and ask Him to reveal what's truly happening.

Lamentations 3:40 (ESV) says, "Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord!"

The truth is, it's easy to get out of sync with our faith when we're inconsistent with our time in God's Word, our prayer life is lacking, we miss fellowship with other believers, we worship other things, or selfish desires consume us.

Are we willing to admit that something's wrong instead of pretending like everything's fine, and be willing to do whatever it takes to get back on track in the right direction?

If we continually disobey or ignore God and give in to sin, we'll find ourselves on a path leading to destruction. We don't want that to continue, so we must own our mistakes, confess our sin, repent, and return to God and His wonderful rhythms of grace.

1 John 1:9 (NLT) tells us, "...if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness."

James 4:8 (AMP) gives us this encouragement: "Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery]."

So, today, if we feel like we're off track in one way or another, let's ask God to help us quickly identify any issues that are causing us to stumble, and to strengthen us to make the necessary adjustments before the "losing streak" goes on any longer.

Let's remember God's unending love and grace, and humbly surrender to His guidance as He leads us in His life-giving and victorious ways. Let's follow Jesus and rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to give us self-control, so we can stay on track and continue to win!

I'm Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I desire to remain on track in my daily walk with You. Please help me stay focused on Jesus and avoid distractions that could lead me astray. I want to keep in sync and in rhythm with You as I hunger and thirst to know You more. I pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.