Defense

"The best defense is a good offense." It's an old adage that still holds water, especially in relation to this big, messy, beautiful thing called life.

In my last post, I talked about offense and feeling that twinge when something irks you in a specific way. We talked about conviction, integrity, and how these are healthy attributes (when displayed in a non-extremist, non-snobbish kind of way, of course). I feel it would throw off the balance of the universe if I do not in turn touch on defense.

Like in my basketball analogy, it can be easy to let the "offense" slip by if you are fatigued, if your mind is elsewhere, or if you are altogether apathetic. When we let our guard down on our heart and allow things that aren't healthy for our spirit to creep in, it facilitates a slow-as-molasses, oozing mess of spiritual atrophy that will ultimately suck us down like quicksand. Trust me, I know...I fight it everyday. And it's hard getting out of quicksand - flailing around like Gumby on crack - which is why we need God, the Solid Rock, to stand firmly upon.

I said it once and I'll say it again, it's not all defense either. It's an offensive strategy that wins. If we stayed on defense the whole time, what good would that do? Just like some people get way too extreme with their defensive strategy in regards to culture and our surroundings - zero exposure to TV, music, and movies out of religious piety. Hey, just calling it like I see it. I see naivety, ignorance. There's got to be a holy balance, a sacred middle ground between raising our children under a rock and throwing them to the wolves. So what is it? What is the magic median? It's sustaining a solid defense with a stellar offense. 

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus prophesies regarding the future of the Church (big "C," meaning the entire body of believers in Christ). I usually read the Message and NIV, but I love how the King James Version has this verse: "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The Greek word for prevail is "nikao," and to my limited understanding, it quite literally means "conquer, overcome, to be victorious." I was daydreaming about this passage some months ago and I discovered one astonishing truth: we often understand this passage as "hell will never defeat God's Kingdom," but the word "gates" implies that hell is the one on defense - meaning the Church is the one on offense. You see? The word "prevail" can hold two meanings in this passage, and I prefer the one that suggests we take the fight down the throat of hell itself. 

Stand up for your integrity, champion a sturdy defense - and in doing so, be intentional and present a worthy offense, full of heart and purpose...God's heart, God's purpose. The things that are causing you to twinge, yes, take a stand! And in your standing, do something about it. Don't burn an abortion clinic, take those mothers under your wing. Feed them, counsel them. Stand against what is unsavory in pop culture, not by brainwashing your children and commanding them to live in the chains of naivety, but by bringing what is now in the dark into the light and teaching them what God's heart is concerning true love, anger, revenge, sex, and other messages culture is mixing. Don't know what God's heart is concerning things like these? Don't be afraid to find out. Be intentional about reading His Word, asking Him in a quiet time, asking someone you respect spiritually for their pearls of wisdom - don't let your defense get lax, that darn offense is slick.

All of this may seem scary, but it's worth it. You may have gotten burned in the past from taking a stand, but don't let that deter you, let it reinforce you. In Luke 21, Jesus is giving a rousing - albeit terrifying - speech to His disciples regarding how to handle themselves in the most terrible of times: “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. And so you will bear testimony to me. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. Everyone will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. Stand firm, and you will win life." (NIV, emphasis added) You see, the ultimate defense is a stellar offense, and the source of that offense is from Christ Himself. He will give us the words, the ways to walk in when times are tougher than ever. All we need to do is stand firm, and we will win life.