Offensive Living
The Friday night lights were shining bright as the offense stepped onto the field. One could feel the anticipation rising and could hear from the stands, “down, set, hike!” As the last play of the game the quarterback pump fakes to the left, he turns right, he hits his target downfield, the defense falls for it, and TOUCH DOWN! The team wins with a 30-yard pass into the endzone. The coach called the play, the offensive line held its ground, and the quarterback focused, completed the pass, and they won the game.
I have recently been learning and thinking a lot about our lives on the offense. My dad in the faith, Marko, has taught me a lot about what this means. And, well, with the current situation we find ourselves in there is a lot of room for growth in this area.
The Day-By-Day
Think with me for a minute about your day. You wake up, eat breakfast, take on the daily tasks. But in what mindset are we “tackling” the day? On defense, we don’t really know what’s coming but we know something is coming — could be the tantrum of our toddler because their granola bar fell out of its wrapper, or the recent engagement of a friend … but with no ring on our own finger. The day is for sure going to bring some challenges — expected and unexpected, big and small. So how are we prepared? Are we only living on the defense trying to deflect the hardships that come? Are we reacting out of fear? Are we being faked out and defeated by the opposing team which includes the world, the flesh, and the devil? The devil has been running his playbook since the Garden, whispering lies into our day, throwing fake passes in our face, trying to distract and derail us.
Offensive living means living intentionally out of love for God and those around you, not out of fear. It is a Spirit-filled readiness that leads to purposeful action.
Who’s in charge?
When we think about a football game, the coach is the one who calls the plays. The quarterback is then responsible to run that play. As we think about each day and how to live, the Holy Spirit has to be our coach. We are the quarterback. Our playbook is the Bible. If the coach calls a play and we don’t know the playbook, we won’t know what to do. If we don’t know the Word of God we won’t know how to withstand and fight or how to live a godly life. Wisdom comes from God and 1 Corinthians 2:11 tells us that the Holy Spirit is the only One who knows the thoughts of God. So, as you wake up, be aware. Where are you weak? What do you fear? Where are you tempted? What thoughts are going through your head? What boundaries need to be set in order for you to kill sin and fight for joy? What is your game plan?
Sometimes, it can be as simple as getting up and getting dressed for the day. Putting your “uniform” on. It is also crucial to start the day with the Lord. When I wake up before my children and have even ten minutes in the Word and prayer, I am so much more on the offense. I’m ready to tackle the day. When my kids are my alarm clock, I’m grumpy and reactive. Of course, we have late nights, or babies that won’t sleep (and so this is where wisdom has to come in).
Proactive not Reactive
Offensive living means we use God’s gifts and enjoy them purposefully not reactively. We have to be intentional in how we plan and live our days despite our feelings. This is what it means to let the Holy Spirit be the coach and to submit to His will and not our own. And when we “fumble the football”, we repent and try again. There is grace every day for those who repent. “There is new mercy every morning,” (Lamentations 3:23).