Get Ready to Play Offense

He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

1 John 4:4

Whatever team sports you follow, you know that defense is vital. A good defensive strategy keeps you in contention, but defense alone doesn’t win championships.

The prayer of protection in Psalm 91 has many defensive elements, such as dwelling in the secret place of the Most High, abiding under the shadow of the Almighty, and taking the Lord as our refuge and fortress. We can also see how we are covered under His wings and protected by an angelic army.

Knowing that we’ve got our defensive game covered, are you ready to play some offense?

Certainly, there are times and seasons when the best thing to do is to take cover and to allow ourselves to be sheltered. The Lord is our safe house, our hiding place, and our impenetrable fortress, and I love that we get to take refuge in Him.

But the prayer of protection also declares this in verse 13: “You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.”

That’s taking an offensive position. That’s going on the attack. That’s taking authority!

In the Gospel of Luke, we see our Lord Jesus sending seventy disciples out against the kingdom of darkness, as “lambs among wolves” (Luke 10:3). Have you ever seen a lamb overpower a wolf?

Of course not. You see, this authority that we are talking about is not natural authority. Like the lamb, you and I have no power in and of ourselves. This is a supernatural authority that comes from our Lord Jesus Christ, just as the strength that enabled Samson to tear apart the young lion was a supernatural strength.

The portrayals of Samson I have seen depict a massive and muscular man. I think he could have been small and scrawny, but endued with supernatural power and might from God.

Naturally speaking, for Samson to take on the lion with his bare hands was like a lamb taking on a ferocious wolf. But we know that He who is in us is greater than any predator that is in the world. Amen!

My friend, in Christ, you are far stronger than you think you are. You may not look it or feel it, but God always uses the weak things of this world to confound the wise and mighty (1 Cor. 1:27).

Remember, the race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. It is the Lord who ultimately determines who shall emerge victorious. And since the Lord is for you, who can be against you (Rom. 8:31)!

This devotional is taken from the book The Prayer of Protection Devotional—Daily Strategies for Living Fearlessly in Dangerous Times.