Offensive and Defensive Prayer

Having an Offensive and Defensive Strategy to Prayer

The Concepts of Offensive and Defensive Prayer – Part 1

We’ve been waiting to get here over the last few weeks. If you recall, I’m not a big fan of the words “spiritual warfare” because it placed us back in a traditional mindset with dated routines to say the least. Please do not hear what I am not saying. I am not saying “spiritual warfare” the way you’ve known it doesn’t work. What I am saying is, it’s time out for doing things the same way and expecting different results. I am also saying that this is next level prayer and it’s our goal to give you whatever we can offer to help you get to the next level.

What if there was a better way to approach “spiritual warfare?” What if there’s a better way of looking at doing “spiritual warfare?” This brings me to a concept that’s unheard of. That’s “offensive and defensive prayer.”

In spiritual warfare as we know it, we find it to be more of a defensive stance. It places us in a mindset that we are under attack and must be fighting back. While this is true, it’s missing one key and important side. If we are in war or doing battle, we would not always want to find ourselves defending ourselves, at some point we need to be on the offensive. Fighting back is good, but winning before we’re in a place to have to fight back is better. Why not win the battle before one can get started? In the military that’s called a preemptive attack. This means we attack at the threat of being attacked by an enemy.

Prevent and Score
In sports, whether it’s one set of players or two, there are offensive strategies and defensive strategies. In football, there are two sets of players: the offense and the defense. However, in basketball, the players have to play both offense and defense. Therefore, they study, practice, and execute offensive and defensive plays. The question is, what does that look like in prayer? While we certainly want to defend (prevent), we must also desire to advance (score). Over the next couple of installments, we will discuss how to apply these two objectives and strategies to prayer.

1 – Advance (Score) in Prayer
Offensive prayer is prayer that helps move things forward or down the field of play.

We first begin with offensive prayer because defensive prayer is more widely known. It’s said that when the children of Israel were oppressed they cried out to God and God heard their cry. _^[1] This is offensive prayer. Their cries to get out of their situation and advance to a better set of circumstances made its way to God time and time again. When was the last time you cried out (prayed an offensive prayer) to God for advancement? Lord, will You help me secure this new job or new position? Will You help me find my place where I can make the biggest difference in the world? That’s advancement. It’s time we prayed prayers that lead to us scoring for Jesus! Before I get too excited writing about this, I need to move on to the defensive side of prayer. This is next level prayer!

2 – Defend (Prevent) in Prayer
Defensive prayer on the other hand is prayer prayed to defend, keep the opponent from advancing, or against what’s holding one back from reaching the goal.

This defensive side to prayer as I mentioned is one in which we’re most familiar. In this writing over the next few installments, I want to paint a next level view in which we do defensive prayer. For example, I believe in taking prayer seriously. Therefore, I like to have a strategy. I’m not just going to go into prayer and wing it. Instead, if I’m going to defend my family in prayer, I’m going to make sure I cover everything I know could get in the way. Then ask God to show me the areas that I need help with. This has led to me taking most of my attention off of the devil. It’s rare that I mention the devil in prayer. I believe in asking God to help with strongholds, stressful situations, the setbacks, and to give me the tools to rid myself of the things that are trying to keep me from reaching my goals. For example, it’s not the devil that’s keeping you from writing that book, it’s lazy habits and a lack of discipline. It’s not the devil that’s ruined your relationship, it’s the lack of knowing what it is to love. Therefore you need a different kind of prayer. The scripture says use all kinds of prayer. In order to have different results in prayer, you need to pray a different kind of prayer. ^[2] Say it with me loudly, THIS IS NEXT LEVEL PRAYER!

After this series, “The Concepts of Offensive and Defensive Prayer”, I want you to leave so invigorated about prayer that you develop times for offensive-based-prayer as well as defensive-based-prayer. Your life will never be the same again and no one that’s connected with you. Those around you will desire what you have going on.

Paul and Silas were in prison. They began praying and singing. Their offensive-prayer reached Heaven and an earthquake released them from their captors. As a result they shared their faith with the jailers who were so inspired by Paul and Silas’ prayer results that the jailer’s entire family became followers of God. ^[3] That’s what we call next level prayer. Let’s agree that we’re not going to go back to business as usual, but rather go to the next level.

Question: when was the last time you used an offensive and a defensive strategy to win in prayer?

[1] ‭Judges‬ ‭10‬:‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed February 16, 2023, https://bible.com/bible/116/jdg.10.10-12.NLT
[2] ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed February 16, 2023, https://bible.com/bible/111/eph.6.18.NIV
[3] ‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭16‬:‭23‬-‭34‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed February 16, 2023, https://bible.com/bible/116/act.16.23-34.NLT

All Scripture references used by permission, see our Scripture copyrights.