Crushing Satan, and Smacking a Winner

Hello from Atlanta's Airport. Nice shirt, huh? LOL

Romans 16:17-20

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. 19 For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Up till now in the book of Romans, Paul has never mentioned the devil (except indirectly in passing in Romans 8:38 where he said that neither “angels nor rulers” can separate us from the love of God in Christ). In view of how much he treats the truth of justification in chapters 3-5 and the Christian life in chapters 6-8, that silence about Satan should caution us against making too much of the devil in how we fight the fight of faith.

Satan’s One Mention in Romans: He’s Doomed

Those who think of all struggles in terms of conflicts with the devil to be fought in face-to-face combat must wonder how Paul could write fifteen chapters about salvation and Christian living and not mention the Satan. Paul’s silence till now does not mean that Satan is insignificant, or that he can be trifled with. But it does mean that we deal with Satan mainly indirectly rather than keeping him in our mind and going toe to toe (see in addition 2 Timothy 2:24-26).

But now, finally, near the end, Paul does mention Satan in Romans 16:20. And that’s the main thing I want to talk about. When Paul finally mentions the devil, he has one thing to say about him. To use the words of Martin Luther, “His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure.” Paul has one sentence to say about Satan in sixteen chapters. Verse 20: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” That’s all. He get’s one mention. And the mention is: He’s doomed. You will crush him under your feet.

Avoid Horny, Gluttonous Smooth-Talkers

Now before we talk about that, let’s see how that fits into the flow of Paul’s thought. In verse 18, Paul said we should watch out for people who depart from the apostle’s doctrine and try to take others with them. Avoid them, Paul says. Verse 19 gives the reasons for this vigilance: Because the false teachers are not always easy to spot with their smooth talk and their words of blessing. And so the danger is greater that they will sweep away the innocent and unsuspecting. And beneath is all is not an innocent intellectual mistake but deep bondage to the appetites of the flesh. The smooth talkers in their private lives, it appears, turn out to be horny and gluttonous.

The Well-Known Obedience of the Romans

That’s what we saw last week. Now in verse 19, Paul commends the Romans for their obedience and mentions this as a reason why they need to be vigilant over error and why he is so happy about them. He says, “For your obedience is known to all.” In other words, if false teachers get the upper hand among you, then all the more reproach will come to the name of Christ because your obedience is know everywhere. The greater your reputation for obedience, the more damage can be done if you get sucked into false teaching. So be vigilant “for your obedience is know to all.” You have a great responsibility.

And, he says, I want you to know that your obedience brings me great joy. Verse 19: “Your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you.” Paul had not founded this church. He had never been there. He was simply joyful over the reputation of a church that walked in obedience to Jesus. When you rejoice in churches, is it because they are big or have good music or because they are obedient to the radical demands of Jesus?

Experts in Good; Not Even Beginners in Evil

Then Paul gives one more warning like he did in verse 17. Even though you are a basically obedient people and even though I have great joy in your obedience, I want to be sure to caution you one more time. Verse 19b: “I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.” Paul said something like this to the Corinthians. He said, “Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature” (1 Corinthians 14:20). He got this way of talking from Jesus. Jesus had said, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16).

Sheep in the midst of wolves. That makes an interesting link with the context in Romans. Here Paul is warning against wolves in sheep’s clothing—people departing from the doctrine who talk like sheep and bless like sheep but “do not serve our Lord Christ.” They are wolves ready to devour the naïve. When it comes to wisdom—the discerning of false teaching and destructive behaviors—don’t be naïve. Be wise; be mature. But when it comes to evil—erroneous destructive doctrines and appetite-worship that goes with them—be innocent. Be like a child in the sense that you don’t even make a beginning in evil. J. B. Phillips paraphrases Romans 16:19, “I want to see you experts in good, and not even beginners in evil.”

So, Bethlehem, let’s be that way: “Wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.” You don’t even need to be a beginner in evil. O how many pangs you young people will spare yourselves if you don’t make any beginning in evil. There is evil enough in your own heart for Christ to deal with. You don’t need to burden him with more.

Satan, the Head of Evil, Is Coming Off

Finally, we come then to verse 20 and the point seems to be this: Do not be tricked or lured into any evil—false teaching or bondage to appetite—because the great head of evil, Satan, is going to be crushed. Be warned not to get involved with the works of Satan, because “lo, his doom is sure.” And be encouraged to press on in your battle against all that is false and destructive because the Father of all lies and destruction will be destroyed.

I take verse 20a to be a broad, general, glorious promise about the triumph of the church over the Satan. “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” I don’t take it mainly as a reference to any current event in the Roman church because Paul hasn’t described any crisis that appears to be coming to a head like that. The troubles he describes are of an ongoing kind. We will have to be vigilant for false teachers till the last day. I don’t think it’s a reference to a current event but to the last great events of history when Satan is finally crushed and put in the pit (Revelation 20:2-3) and in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10). It’s a warning not to be friends with evil because evil will loose. And it’s an encouragement to stay vigilant against the false teaching because the fountain of all error will one day be destroyed.

The Larger Picture of Satan’s Defeat

So let’s step back here and get the larger picture of what the New Testament says about the defeat of Satan. In Genesis 3:15, God promised that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent: “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Jesus comes to fulfill that promise. First John 3:8 says, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” So we can sum up the work of Christ as destroying Satan in three stages.

1) Satan has been decisively defeated in the death and resurrection of Christ; 2) he is being defeated now by Christ through Christians who speak the word of God and put on the whole armor of God; and 3) he will finally be vanquished and thrown into the lake of fire never to deceive or torment the world again.

1. Satan Has Been Decisively Defeated in the Death and Resurrection of Christ.

Paul puts it like this in Colossians 2:14-15, “[Christ cancelled] the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” By nailing our sins to the cross he took all the damning weapons out of the devil’s hands. Now he can rage against us, but he cannot condemn. It is God who justifies, who is to condemn (Romans 8:33-34)? (See also Hebrews 2:14-15; 1 John 3:8; Ephesians 1:22; John 12:21; 16:11.)

2. Satan Is Being Defeated Now by Christ Through Christians Who Believe and Speak the Word of God and Put on the Whole Armor of God.

Ephesians 6:12-13, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” (See also Revelation 12:11; 2 Corinthians 4:4-6). So we today embrace and apply the victory of Christ by faith in our battles against the devil—mainly by believing and wielding the word of God (cf. 2 Timothy 2:24-26).

3. Satan Will Finally Be Vanquished and Thrown into the Lake of Fire Never to Deceive or Torment the World Again.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:25, “[Christ] must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.” The defeat was decisive in the cross and resurrection, but the final blow will be delivered in the future when Christ puts all things manifestly under his feet. There’s the link with Romans 16:20—“under his feet.” Only here it’s under your feet: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” And the reason it’s your feet is that we are in Christ and his triumphs will be our triumphs.

This is as certain to happen as the fact that Christ already came and died and rose again. That’s why Ephesians 1:22 speaks of all things as already under Christ’s feet. “God put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.” Romans 16:20 is a glorious promise to beleaguered saints in times and places where it seems as if evil has the upper hand and Satan is devouring the world. And it is a warning not to give up and change sides. It is an encouragement to keep on being vigilant against falsehood and idolatry and to “be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.”

Grace for the Battle

And in the meantime—till the final victory comes and Satan is vanquished—there will be grace for long battle. Verse 20b: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” It arrives every day in just the right amount for the battles we face. It is new every morning. Great is his faithfulness.

How Long, O Lord?

Which leaves one last question. How long, O Lord? How long till the victory comes? “How long, O God, is the foe to scoff? Is the enemy to revile your name forever?” (Psalm 74 10).

And Paul answers, “Soon.” Verse 20: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” What does that mean? He said that two thousand years ago. Two thousand years ago he said in Romans 13:12, “The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” How are we today to understand the statements in the New Testament that the coming Christ and the triumphs of his appearing will be soon, and yet two thousand years have gone by?

There is one book in the New Testament that addresses this issue directly, 2 Peter.

Scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” . . . 8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:3-4)

Peter’s way of handling the delay of Jesus’ second coming when people began to ask this question is to draw attention to God’s peculiar relationship to time. “With the Lord . . . a thousand years [is] as one day.” So taking my cue from Peter, I want to close this morning by imagining a conversation between Paul and the Lord who is guiding what he writes. It goes like this:

Paul: O Lord, how long? How long till this great enemy is finally removed and the troubles of the church come to an end?

The Lord: It is not for you to know. My Father has the time fixed in his secret councils. And he is infinitely wise and infinitely good.

Paul: Lord, could it be long—hundreds or even thousands of years?

The Lord: And if it were a thousand years—or two thousand? Would that be long? A thousand years is like a day with me.

Paul: Lord, how then should I speak of this coming triumph? What should I say about the time?

The Lord: Be true to me the way I really am, and say what will help people be ready at my coming. They must not think that they can presume upon my delay. For if they do, they will drift into patterns of indifference and be snatched away to destruction in a moment.

Paul: So do you mean, Lord, that I should say that you are coming soon even though I don’t know that from our side whether it will be soon? That would not be a mistake to say that?

The Lord: No that would not be a mistake. Say that. It will cause some to stumble, like many other things that I say. Scoffers will come and ridicule my promise. I know that. But if you give the impression that it will not be not soon, you will do far more damage to the truth and to the souls of men than if you stay true to my timeless haste and help the people be always ready and full of hope.

Paul: Lord, if a thousand years or two thousand should pass and you do not come, what should your people think who read these words in those days? Will they not think, So many hundreds of years have come and gone, there is no reason to think it will be soon any more or that our lives will be interrupted by his appearing?

The Lord: They should remember that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. It will be sudden and unexpected by almost everyone. The world will be going on as usual (Luke 17:26-31). And sudden destruction will come upon them. Pray for them, Paul, that they not stumble over the word soon. Pray that they will know that for me it will be soon, and for them it will be sudden. Pray that they will understand that expecting it to be soon is the best way not to drift into indifference and be snatched away in destruction.

Paul: Thank you, Lord. You know that I would love for you to come back while I am still alive. I would love to be clothed with life rather than stripped of my body in death. Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly.

The Lord: Paul, my dear servant, your desire for me and my quick return is a great honor to me. I would not want you to desire anything less. Finish this letter to the Romans and pray that those who come after you will have your same desire. And until then, never forget—and don’t let the people forget—when I come I will crush Satan under your feet. My grace be with you.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

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I hope you have been blessed by this sermon from John Piper. I was led to it today by a person who understands the work I do and the relentless satanic attacks I come under from both "friend and foe" as God develops the International Christian Tennis Association well past my wildest dreams.

This has truly been the biggest week in the history of our young ministry. And those of you in ministry know of the satanic attacks which come with such breakthroughs.

Yet, anyone who knows me at all knows I tend to get really excited when Satan coaches his students from the sidelines during the match. It tells me I am completely on track for God's plan with my life! Satan is already defeated.

I refuse to focus on his students moon balls, and instead I focus every minute and every fiber of my body on cranking my serve to the corners and coming in to smack a winner

God is blessing the ICTA. Please keep our staff, students, and supporters in your prayers. Prayer is powerful.

God bless,

Scott Paschal

Discipleship Training & Swords?

Welcome to our online Journal. This is Scott Paschal. I'm the President and current Director of the International Christian Tennis Association, a sports ministry with members in over 1500 cities in 50+ countries worldwide.

I'd like to share with you a few pics from Discipleship Training here at our tennis missionary training center and tennis academy in Palm Coast, Fl.

Our focus for the week was Ephesians 6: 10-20.

The students first memorized the verse, then recited it to each other. That was fun, kind of the old fashioned fun that's missing in this My Spaced addicted generation! The academy students paired up and each pair invented a skit to perform. The goal of the week was to prepare students to stand strong against satanic attacks by learning how to pray.

The goal of each skit was to effectively explain Spiritual Armour.

We had a great time. I learned a lot, and the kids seemed to as well. But, I guess the real test will be how they respond out in the real world, you know, like when they are writing messages on My Space or when they feel the need to fill their head with stolen music on their IPOD or in other areas where their integity is being tested.

Before we get started, here's a few pics of the gang preparing their armour in the kitchen of my house...





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Skit #1
Effectiveness of Tracts

Here's a skit with Mel and Mark. In this skit Mark is a down and out guy who received a tract from a person. God works through the tract and Mark becomes a Christian. Mel plays the role of an angel (purple robe) who brings Mark the spiritual armour he prays for, and a demon (red jacket) sent to cause Mark to sin. Loads of fun and a great idea! We have given out literally 1000's of tracts, books, and Bibles. Each is a powerful weapon for Christ.

If anyone in your life ever ridicules you for giving out tracts, run from them. You are staring Satan in the face. But, before you run... give them a tract.













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Skit #2

Christian Kid at Party

In this skit Kara and Tel play the role of a Christian (Kara) and a tempter (Tel). Kara is pretending to be a Christian girl at a party who uses her armor to fend of Satan's fiery darts. We laughed a lot as this skit was a blast.

Unfortunately, spiritual armour is rendered basically ineffective when we choose to go follow the world. Kara should never have been at the party. Properly worn, her spiritual armor would have protected her from going.










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Skit #3
God's Gift on Our Doorstep

In this skit Rachel and Ana are two people who receive and unexpected gift on their doorstep. They bring it in the house and open the box. Inside the box is a letter telling them of the urgency to put on their spiritual armour in preparation upcoming trouble. They do. Then they get in their battle stance... which is kneeling down to pray.

This was an amazing, creative skit which shows God's gift are right on our doorstep, and that the purpose of spiritual armour is to strengthen our prayer life.












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Ephesians 6:10-18

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Great time by all in a God-blessed Discipleship training week.

Branson in 24 Hours!

Me and my neice!

I flew out to Springfield, Missouri early on Sunday morning. Flew back Monday.

The 24 hrs in between was awesome!

I saw my big brother for the first time in around 5 years. That was so great. We're both in ministry and have much in common. Yet, we're both busy and 5 years passed by before we knew it.

My big bro is a youth pastor. He's the kind of guy you just plain want your kids to be around. He loves the Lord, trusts God's promises, and takes his call to youth ministry very seriously. In fact, he turned down an opportunity to be an executive pastor at a church. He feels called right now to focus on the youth in Springtown.

These two pics are of me and my niece. It is pretty hard to describe how special my niece is to me so I won't try. Suffice to say that being Uncle Scotty is one of the proudest titles in my life.

Two of the hardest aspects of fulltime ministry are not being able to see my brother and my neice as much as I'd like. Few people will ever appreciate what I have given up to develop this tennis ministry.

I've missed out on a lot. I've sacrificed a lot.

My neice had worked a double shift at the hospital. She went to work at 2:30pm and didn't get off work till 7am the next day. She had to be at her Chemistry lab at 9am. So on this day she took a quick shower and met me and my bro at McDonalds around 8am. I wish I had a week with her, but I guess my short time with her at McD's will have to be enough.

Awesome!

Seeing her was so great!

To me, she looks just like she did when she was in preschool... just a little taller I guess.

I'm not sure if she will ever seem old enough to drive, work, and go to college! But, she is, so I'd better get with the program. I sure love my niece.

I was able to talk with my brother and sister-in-law a bunch. I've known my sister-in-law for about 24 years or so. That's a long time. Someone asked me what my brother was like. I told them to picture a mix between John Wayne and Tim the Toolman Taylor... ministry style.

After spending the day together, Sunday nite I was really excited to take them to see Chris Tomlin's concert in Branson.

I hope everybody reading this has the opportunity to see Chris sing in person. From beginning to end, Tomlin's concert was THE best I have ever seen from any music artist... except maybe Bryan Adams back in '88, but that's another story.

Every song Tomlin sang was a hit. The energy on stage, the lighting, the screen graphics, the sound... unbelievable!! The band sang some new songs fromtheir new album, See the Morning. Wait till you here the new stuff! Wow! My favorite was his take on Amazing Grace....

My big brother had the opportunity to meet Chris after the concert. He is a big Tomlin fan, so that was great!

Seeing my brother was wonderful.

And it was so good to be Uncle Scotty again, if only for a short time. I sure missed everybody and hope we can see each other again soon.

While I don't have any family here in Florida, I am fortunate to have my students. They are a lot like family. In fact, I missed them even though I was just gone a day!

Look for a new post soon about a Leadership conference. We had a big Friday/Saturday around here as I took the entire gang to a Leadership Conference down in Miami.

I'll fill you in on that incredible and inspirational event that changed lives in amazing ways!

God bless!

Uncle Scotty

I 75 North to Atlanta

The gang stretchin' their legs after arriving in Atlanta

God is so good!

Hello, this is Scott Paschal. Great to have you stop by and stay up to date on some of the blessed happenings in our ministry!

Here's a neat story about why we headed out to Atlanta recently!

I was in a situation where I needed one of my ministry buddies to do what he does best, and I needed it pretty quickly.

My buddy is a Christian speaker and has an amazing testimony. I really felt his testimony would bless the life of one of my new students, who has come from a difficult past, yet is now a new Christian.

I'll explain...

God brought me a student this semester. Well, better yet, through Him working through our tennis missionaries, He rescued her from a very difficult situation in life. God brought her here and she is learning more and more about Jesus each day. You can see her growing closer to Him.

I've been pouring into her daily. She has made massive growth! Yet, I needed something. I needed her to hear about Jesus from someone other than me.

And I needed her to hear about Him from someone who also came from a difficult background.

And you know what! God already had the wheels in motion for this to happen!

Fortunately, what I needed was going to be next door in Atlanta!

Road trip!

After a couple of quick phone calls, and some rescheduling of my work schedule, our gang loaded up the 'ol Suburban and headed up I 75 North to Atlanta. You could sense the excitement in the group.

The drive from Palm Coast, Florida to First Baptist Church-Atlanta was about 400+ miles and 8 hours long. We all woke up early... and some slept on the way!

We're here!

We finally arrived at First Baptist Church-Atlanta, which is where amazing, 74 year old Dr. Charles Stanley preaches!

Why did we go to FBA-Atlanta?

On Wednesday nites for the next few weeks FBA is bringing in people to speak about the Middle East. On this Wednesday, FBA brought in David Nasser, a former Muslim from Iran, to give his testimony.

After everyone changed their clothes and freshened up a bit, we spent some time with friends at FBA and excitedly waited for David Nasser's testimony.

If you haven't heard it, I highly recommend you purchase a copy as well as buy his books. As a speaker/communicator, Nasser is one of the best you will ever hear. And his testimony is amazing.

The ICTA gang hanging with a local friend of mine from Atlanta who has been involved with us for years.

It was exactly what my student needed to hear. Exactly. You see, Nasser is real. He speaks his mind openly and honestly. He is hip, funny, direct. Your emotions will go with him as he takes you through the miracle that is his testimony.

God was able to use David to reach inside my student and give her heart a big hug.

I wish everyone could have a chance to hear God work through Nasser. For me, this was a really special time because someone I care about was giving his testimony and his life story was directly impacting a special student God brought to me.

It is at these moments you can really appreciate someone using the talent God gave him and entrusted him with.

David has probably given his testimony 1000+ times. Yet, here he was after a long, long day... after a long week... just after a monthlong+ tour of Canada... sharing his story and letting God pour into my student.

The impact has been incredible since. I wish you all could see her now. Wow. When she arrives at the top of the WTA, I believe the entire world will hear her story!

When God is truly working in your heart... it is obvious to all

This is an exciting season for me and for our ministry. God is blessing. When you can visibly see fruit being produced from your labors of love, you know you are on the right track for Him.

Young people tend to have the attention span of a nat. Their moods tend to sway to and fro like a Palm tree in the wind. Yet, when God visibly works inside and through them for His will to be done, it pretty much demands the young kid's attention.

That teen knows God is real.

How many teens really understand this? Well, how many adults for that matter?

Very few in our soft culture.

I am involved daily in real, authentic, transparent Christian ministry. Anyone who truly knows me knows I wear my heart for Christ on my sleeve, much like Agassi wears his emotions during a match on his sleeve.

The fruit God is producing through ICTA, our tennis missionaries, and our staff is real. When God uses His people for His purposes, lives change. Ministry, real ministry, begins.

So many kids sitting around doing nothing with their lives. IM, Ipods, cell phones, computer games, television... the lives of this generation have been sucked down into a pit of me, me, me.

You want to know what fun really is? Get rid of your electronic addictions, walk out your door, and start telling people about Jesus.

Your life will change in an instant and the voids you are trying to fill in your heart will finally be filled with what God intended.

And maybe someday you will truly be able to understand why we headed up I75 North to Atlanta.

God bless!

Scotty
www.christiantennis.net
386 793 0557

Luke 15:4 Comes Alive...

Newgy and me at a top Florida junior tournament. Her grandmother, brother, and aunt all came to watch! Great time! Learn how God worked through her life to help a fellow player in crisis.

Hey there! This is Scott Paschal.

God has truly blessed my life with very special students this semester.

There is a lot I'd like to write about this pic and this ICTA missionary girl. Yet, nothing I could write would do justice to what God has been able to accomplish recently through her life, and through the ICTA Women's Pro Tennis Team, as they participated in an ICTA Mission Trip to an ITF pro tournament.

This neat kid is just 15 years old. She has a knack of making everyone's day brighter, and could even make an old, unused rake in the garage feel special and important.

I call her Newgy, since she's the youngest squirt around the the academy.

I currently won't mention her real name, as there is a strange man in Greece by the name of Naisen, or Mr. Sonic Boomer as he likes to call himself, who actually stalks my female students, attempts to slander them, and leaves threatening voice messages on our ICTA phone system. He reminds me of the issues Monica Seles had with her stalker & stabbing several years ago. So, that said, we'll just call her Newgy on this blog entry.

That said, let's now talk about a recent Bible promise coming true in real life as God worked through her!

Robin (Mark's mom and fulltime missionary in Mexico City), Newgy, and Mel during an ICTA Women's Pro Team Mission Trip to San Luis Potosi, Mexico during an ITF $25,000 Challenger.

Just before I met Newgy, she was wrapped up heavily in junior tennis and had gotten to the point where she was ready to quit. Junior tennis at the highest levels in America can be bigtime stress. Families implode, dreams vanish, lives can be forever altered negatively.

Newgy's mom contacted me out of the blue one day.

She and I talked and decided together I'd take a look at her daughter to see if she and I would be a good player/coach fit. My academy was full, but I invited them to come for a visit. They did and I really liked Newgy... but I had some concerns about the mother.

Let me tell you something, the worst part of junior sports is the parents. Baseball, football, basketball... coaches worldwide in all sports cringe when a dysfunctional parent shows up with a talented kid.

I definitely had my reservations about the mom. I spoke honestly and openly about her controlling and possessive personality. She agreed she has issues with being too controlling and promised to be on her best behavior. Yet, let me say she really loves her daughter and has worked hard to give her daughter a better life than what she had.

The fact she could recognize she had issues helped. Some. I work really, really hard as a coach... and my days of being pushed around by parents is over. I have way too many kids who want to train with me to go back to the days of being bounced around by a goofball parent.

And Newgy, wow, one of the most amazing 15 year old kids ever. Definitely a coach's player.

But, I wanted to pray about it before I committed to being her fulltime coach. Coaching to me is a bigtime decision.

If I'm going to be involved in helping guide a child of God through some very important times in their young lives, I have to know God brought them to me.

For me, it's never about the money. It is about God's will for my life. Sure, I need to make money. I have bills that must be paid or there will not be an ICTA ministry!

Ministry isn't free! Booths at tournaments, Bibles I give away, gas, electricity, housing, tennis balls, water bill, car repairs, insurance... it's expensive.

But, God takes care of my bills as He sees fit, so I am free to view my students as children of God, not dollar signs.

Though I did not really much trust the mom, as I've dealt with her type before and it is always painful , I agreed with her that this would be a great experience for her daughter. The mother agreed again to stay sane and not go off the deep end. So, I took the chance and agreed to coach Newgy fulltime for a semester.

I'm not sure how it will turn our for Newgy here fulltime, we'll have to wait and see as there are very real issues with the mom, but I knew God was bringing this girl in for a reason, and now that reason has been rescued!

I felt 100% God was in this, and soon Newgy was running around my house with my other students, and I learned even more of what a complete joy she is and wonderful blessing.

I truly feel priviledged to know this young lady.

'Tel, Mel, Rach, and Newgy having breakfast at their hotel in Mexico. They had no idea of the huge way in which God was about to use them to rescue one of His lost sheep!

Ok, on with the story... after a couple of months of hardcore tennis training, it was time for Newgy to play ITF Pro Tournaments on ICTA Pro Team Mission Trips.

I'm working hard to help her gain a WTA ranking this semester, and I want it to happen for her in a Christ-like environment and on a team with people who love and care about her. As I mentioned earlier, it has not been easy... near daily crying and arguments with her mom... definitely a major stress for a coach and an academy!

I think almost every high performance tennis coach worldwide realizes junior tennis development in America has been poorly designed for many, many years. It has been ruining kid's dreams while helping to destroy their families, and not producing champions.

Newgy's game was definitely a complete product of American tennis... all baseline, no footwork, no focus... poor parent relationships and weak goals.

But, that's another story. Suffice to say if I can put up with Newgy's mom long enough, Newgy will gain the bulk of her tournament experience internationally in ITF professional and junior events, while supplementing with USTA stuff.

We had developed our ICTA Women's Pro Team schedule in the summer and it was a good one. Tournaments in USA, Mexico, and Canada.

Then, later on, I suddenly felt God leading the team to play in an ITF pro tournament that was not on our schedule.

Everyone agreed to go, and off they went.

This ballkid is watching Newgy serve hard... and in more ways than just tennis!

This ICTA Pro Tennis Team is a very special group. Each is loving and kind.

In preparation for mission trips, I had been busy teaching Newgy many things, but the week before the tournament I was teaching her and the team that tennis is not about them.

It is about what God can do through them.

We focused a good amount of time on this important "radical in today's world" concept.

So, let's move forward and discover the main point of this story.

The ultimate match is about to be played on a higher court.

Newgy lost in the first round to a pretty amazing 16 year old from Europe. That girl is top 10 in Europe and #1 in 16's in her country.

The match was close at the beginning as Newgy's opponent started off unfocused, but the more advanced player completely took over and quickly won 11 out of 14 games to win the match.

There were many reasons her opponent was unfocused...

There is much, much more I could write here about Newgy and her opponent and how/why of different situations, but I'll save it for a video, and move on in this story...

The short of it is that God had planned for them to meet and purposefully used the opportunity to change both of their lives.

Their match was never meant to be about tennis, though tennis was the vehicle God used.

It was about God working through the life of a 15 year old missionary girl He needed to be at that tournament at that exact time.

To wrap this up without going into too much detail, as much here is of a personal nature, Newgy's opponent was forced to live in a terrible way in her "offcourt" life. She was caught in a destructive satanic web and had no place to turn.

You never know how or why or when God will need you for His plans, so be the best you can be to all you meet.

Yet, as bad as life was for this 16 year old top player, God had a rescue plan! In her darkest days, God had His plan in motion!

The Bible says, "What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it.

When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' Luke 15:4

Well, God did go search for His lost sheep. Through Newgy specifically He led His entire missionary team to rescue one of His children from a Godless situation.

Newgy's team having lunch with an atheist friend.

The girl, whom I'll call Enne, is here in Florida with us now.

In agreement with her parents, we flew her in to our Christian tennis academy here in Florida and have offered her shelter.

God has been unbelievably busy in her life since she arrived!

Enne is pouring herself into her Bible studies, watching amazing Christian videos from guys like Louie Giglio, praying, listening to fantastic Christian music (her favorite is Casting Crowns!), reading Christian books, hanging out with awesome Christian girls, keeping a Christian journal, participating in ICTA's Discipleship Training, attending powerful Christian youth conferences, and going to church!

Right now, she is learning about Jesus, Salvation, Grace, memorizing scripture (specifically Ephesian 6:10-18 from this week's Discipleship Training!), and praying.

And Enne is also seeing an older guy, me, model Christian behavior.

For a girl who has lived through difficult situations due to terrible behavior from men in her life, I am grateful to be used by God to help reflect Him to her in a healthy way!

Playing against one of the best in the world is a great experience.

For me, personally, this has all been a good experience as well.

I've been able to watch God bring me a new student, Newgy, at a critical season in her young life.

I've witnessed her life's focus change.

I've witnessed God working through Newgy to reach one of His lost children whom He also has big plans for.

I've witnessed Luke 15:4 come to life.

I've witnessed both of their families be impacted.

I've witnessed both girls grow spiritually.

And I've witnessed an even stronger sense of purpose growing inside myself as to the importance of ICTA sending out missionary teams.

You know, as Christians we all should work daily to walk in obedience to Christ. He should be the center of our thoughts, our lives, our worlds.

Yet, is He?

In your life, in your little world, where does Christ reign?

God has a special plan and purpose for your uniqueness. He created you and has a life for you.

My prayer is for this story to hopefully touch you in some way.

My prayer is for God to reach out to you through the obedience of a 15 year old girl who is learning to find her way in this world, not by her own strength and smarts and manipulations, but by her committment to let her small life become something big for Christ.

Our time here on earth is so short. Our time in eternity is forever.

Let God develop you as He needs. Let Him produce through your life....

If this inspirational story could touch your life or the life of someone you know that would be really awesome. If somehow this story could continue through you, wow that would be amazing!

God bless, stay close to Him, and I can't wait to hear about your miracle!

Scott Paschal