Becoming Proactive with God – God’s Offensive Team

To make a basket in basketball, score goals in hockey or get a touchdown in football, it takes a good offensive team.  Kicking field goals every game does not cut it for a good football team.  Only defending a goal does not cut it for a good hockey or basketball game.  A good defense is not enough.  Even when David defeated Goliath, it only encouraged the army of Israel that they could then defeat the rest of the Philistines.  Joshua and Caleb were the only proactive members of the children of Israel in the wilderness that said “We can take the promise land.”

Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." Number 13:30

At times, I’ve been tackled by my own offensive linemen.  We seem to be on the defensive all the time.  Defending the faith, than it’s getting defensive about our actions with other Christians, or it can be fighting our mates, or for me it was fighting step children.  Than next, we wait until something tragic happens like a person gets cancer, and then we get praying rather than have a regular dynamic prayer life.   
Same thing happened in the early church.  James was killed so they arrested Peter and planned to kill him---than the church prayed.

He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.   

An angel got Peter out of jail, but then they did not believe that their prayer was heard.

When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. Then she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!" You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel." Acts 12:13-15

We are co-laborers/workers with God.    

For we are co-workers in God's service; you are God's field, God's building. 1 Cor. 3:9

When we pray, we pray through God’s ability, when we go minister to others, we do that through God’s leading.  Jesus said when we stand before a dignitary, don’t prepare ahead of time what to speak, he will lead us by his Spirit.   We have God’s divine nature through the Holy Spirit inside of us.  His nature knows how to face the challenges of this age.   There were many challenges that the Christian Jews faced with the Roman empire being in charge.  It says in the last days that perilous times are coming.  (But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,  Timothy 3:1-2) 

There are some short Bible scriptures in the Bible that say a bunch.  One of them is “Jesus wept.” 

Here is another short one, “pray continually (without ceasing),” 1 Thess. 5:17

They have this solution that you put on your face that helps prevent acne, it’s called Proactive.  A good football team is more than a good defense, but it has a good offense.  To avoid infant mortality, we have preventive measures in regular visits, same with having a young baby after its born, its regular check-ups to make sure the baby is progressing. There are regular checkups with doctors for preventive health care.  Before we get married, there is pre-marital counseling.  In one city they decreased the divorce rate by having couples mentor other couples so it helps after marriage.  
When people say God allow things to happen, I consider I’ve allowed a lot of things to happen in my life as far as former bad relationships, that were not in God’s will.  It’s because I’ve been too reactive at times and not proactive enough.  Proactive as far as my prayer life. 

In the past, my husband and I went for counseling to our pastor because we were overwhelmed with step-parent issues. Our pastor said he was not gifted in helping a couple with a blended family with an only child so we paid to go to a private counselor, read books on step-parenting, and I went on step-family user groups online to get through those rough years in raising step children full time.  In pre-marital counseling we were warned by the single pastor that step parenting was going to be tough especially with teenagers, and it could “eat us alive.”  I’m glad I’m over child rearing in life and have grandchildren.

At times I become a Martha in life.  I’ve become anxious or overwhelmed, and it is usually because I need to do more praying.   Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  Philip 4:6

Now, wherever I go, I pray first.  Whatever I do, I pray first.  I used to just go on vacation, but then I started praying that God would show me where I should take a vacation.  The Lord has been showing me how important it is to be like Daniel and be proactive in prayer and he prayed three times a day so did David.  

Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. Psalm 55:17

Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Daniel 6:10

We need to be praying “daily” for our government officials and our president.  It says that should be “first” on our agenda.

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people or kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. —1 Timothy 2:1-2

It’s not a long prayer, but it’s an acknowledging the Lord before I take off in my car or when I wake up in the morning.  I also bind Satan over the affairs of my life.   I woke up one morning and the Lord told me that he had me on detour road in life so I’m trying to get back on that straight highway in life. 

in all your ways acknowledge (submit) him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:6

He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him  (submit to him) he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and shall divide the land for a price. Daniel 11:39

Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth." Hosea 6:3

What is “acknowledging the Lord” –it’s submitting ourselves to the will of God.

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7

Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you. Job 22:21

Revival starts with us and it starts with prayer.  I’ve seen a lot of results through prevailing prayer. I even saw the reconciliation of a marriage through a separation, but I realize that if a person chooses to do their own will in life that prayer does not override a person’s free will.  I can pray that God reconciles a marriage, but if a person is not willing to work on their issues, than the reconciliation is just getting back into a bad marriage.  If you have a son or daughter on alcohol and drugs, I would suggest that you pray they see the need to change.  A person will not give up bad habits in their life, until they see a need to change.   Repentance is a change of the mind/heart.

Daniel went through a fiery furnace and a lion’s den.   We had a situation at my job where a leader was trying to break up our school.  I prayed about it and the Lord told me that “I will stop his mouth like I stopped the lion’s mouth for Daniel.”  The man is no longer at our university, he did not succeed in breaking up our school into little pieces, in fact we ended up merging, and taking in another school that begins in July.
In the past, I have had several life-threatening attacks come against me.  Same thing I’ve seen recently with friends and family who have had severe illnesses and car accidents.  As a Christian, I’ve taken divine protection for granted many times, but now when I get in my car, I’m praying like Jesus taught us to pray, “Deliver me from the evil one.”  Matthew 6:13.   

Paul had attacks on his life instead of in a car – he was shipwrecked.  He did not have a stone thrown at him like I did from a truck that hit my windshield, but he was stoned from people.  I know Paul was a man of prayer and so I see it as a sign to increase intercessory prayer in my life.   I am wanting to be the most productive as a Christian (bear the most fruit). 

Some of these missions in Iraq may only be a seven-day mission, but they are very intense concentration on destroying the enemy.  If you watch these battles on the History Channel, a battle can wipe out 10,000 people in just a matter of hours.   It’s not the quantity as much as it’s the quality of the attacks.  I’ve notice that quality in what I do goes up when I pray. It’s my experience in getting roommates is quality of my roommates I interviewed went up when I had others praying.  

Even our body is not our own.  

you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Cor. 6:20