offense.

For months I've been writing and pondering about the idea of being on offense as opposed to being on defense in living the Christian life. I've mentioned it to friends, only to receive strange and confused looks. But after reading Romans 6, I hope to make it make sense now.

As a Christian, you're going to sin. It's inevitable, and unrealistic to think you won't. Romans 6 tells us not to sin so that grace may abound, but to live a new life in Christ, no longer slaves to sin. There have been several times when I've felt the need to change an area of my life, whether something simple like the amount of time spent watching TV (not that this habit is necessarily a sin...) or more complex things.

So, if you have the sincere desire to change an area in your life, what do you do? I will use an example: watching too much football (again, not necessarily a sin, unless you make it an idol...which it's probably been a few times in my life.) I know what I'd do; I would research the issue and read up about it, talk to others about it, get advice from my friends, probably blog about it, etc. I would consider my motives in watching so much football. When I feel the need to watch it, I would think long and hard about the reprecussions of watching a game. Do I need to watch it? What are my motives?

While these actions are not necessarily bad in and of themselves, soon I find myself spending all my extra time devoted to micro-managing my Vikings obession.

Wendy Horger Alsup writes "many Christians focus so much on the minute details of their problems that they lose sight of the fundamental concepts that govern life for a believer in Christ."

When all you think about is overcoming a specific issue/area of sin, you run the risk of micro-managing your life. This is playing defense. You are constantly consumed by something else. You are being controlled by something you don't want to be controling you.

Instead, be on offense. Love God. So simple, yet so difficult sometimes. You may sin along the path of following God- but focus on loving Him, walking closely with Him, and depending on Him. You'll find it's much easier to have control of your thoughts and actions when you are right with God. And offense is much more fun!

A wise woman once told me that I would be able to be more productive and useful if I worked on perfecting my strengths instead of harping on my weaknesses. While I think it's important to address weaknesses and evaluate them, I agree with her. Perfect your biggest strength- trust in Christ- and you are on to something.


*Disclaimer: I know defense wins games, but that doesn't apply to this example!! :)




PS here's Romans 6:1-23 in the NLT version. so good!

"Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God's grace.

Well then, since God's grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.

Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.

When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."