Play Defense

If you spend even just a few minutes with me, you'll soon discover that I absolutely love football. I tell people the four places you'll find me are at home, at church, at work or at a football game. And this time of year is especially exciting for me as college football has just started and the NFL regular season begins this weekend. Right now, football coaches are studying and preparing game plans for their next opponent. They are learning everything they can about their opponents--their strengths, their weaknesses, their tendencies--in the hopes of securing an advantage that leads them to victory.

There is an age old saying in football that defense wins championships and rightly so. If you can stop what your opponent does best, you keep them from gaining the advantage. You put your offense in a better position to secure a lead that hopefully your defense can hold. The same can be said for our spiritual battles. I've written here before that as God's men we need to go on offense against our enemy with the confidence that if God is for us, then who can be against us (Romans 8:31). And we need to keep moving toward the goal line, armed with the Word and the power of the Holy Spirit, without letting the evil one deceive us with lies and fear. But defense is just as important to secure victory.

1 Peter 5:8 tells us: Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. That's all the reason we need to play defense. Our enemy is powerful. He is evil. He wants to destroy you and your family. He hates everything good. He is opposed to everything God is doing to build his Kingdom. He wants you to believe that the things you've done are beyond God's grace. He wants you to live in fear. He wants you to believe you have no importance to the Father. He wants you to believe that his sinful enticements are a better option.

Now it's time to hear the cheers from heaven shouting "Defense. Defense. Defense." We need to be vigilant and prepared for his attacks. We need to stand strong in knowing we are guarded by God's power through saving faith (1 Peter 1:5). We need to call upon the name of the Lord, the One who defeated the enemy forever on Calvary, to lead us to victory.