Keion Henderson - The Dangers of Defensiveness

I want to talk to you about the dangers of defensiveness. I would listen if you all could just put your mics where they are and sit in this section right here. For those of you at home, turn everything off that doesn’t relate to what I’m saying right now. Don’t try to hear me while cooking or be on social media; turn off everything and give me your undivided attention. Because it’s undivided, I will not be long. The Lord gave me this to share with the people; this isn’t a sermon, it’s a message. All right?

It is perhaps the biggest tactic the devil uses to keep you stuck. This tool that the devil uses, and will always use because it always works, is designed to keep you in a pattern of defensiveness rather than responsiveness. Hear me well now; I have a lot of sports players in here, and many of you have played sports with me. The hardest part of any game is defense. In fact, the greatest players in the world work hard on defense and rest on offense. Why? Because when you’re on offense, you get to determine what happens next. You can dribble the ball five times if you want and catch your breath, you can walk to the screen; but when you’re on defense, you have to work hard.

I was talking to a good friend of mine, Moochie Norris, the other day; he played point guard for the Rockets. I asked him, «Who was the hardest guy in the NBA to guard?» I thought he was going to say Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant, but he said Allen Iverson was the hardest person he ever had to guard. I said, «AI, now he was a beast!» He was a beast, but he wasn’t six-foot-five, he wasn’t six-foot-seven, and he wasn’t 220 pounds; he was a buck something and about that high.

Why? He said the reason Allen Iverson was so hard to guard is that for 48 minutes, he never stopped moving. Don’t miss this, please! If you’re looking to be excited at home, please understand this is not going to be the one. I need your attention; I want you to act like you just paid a thousand dollars to be in a class to set yourself free. He said AI was so hard to guard because whether it was offense or defense, he kept running and kept moving; he never stopped moving. He came off the screens at the same speed as he went off the screen with the ball. He passed, he ran, he cut; he never stopped, and he had so much energy that it was hard to guard him.

When you’re on defense, you are at the mercy of the offender. You have to stick with what you do; it’s what they call making you play their game. The enemy understands that when you retaliate, he knows how to get you to play his game. But the problem is, you’re not good at it. Thank you so much for being with us today. I know it’s a little unorthodox how we’re worshiping, but I just have to break away real quick to let you know it’s time to give. When worship is proceeding like that, it is always good to ensure you’re sowing into fertile ground.

It’s our tithe and offering period, and we are cheerful givers. Everything you do helps us continue what God has called us to do, whether it’s clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, or ministering to people in need. We’re currently talking to one of our members who just had major surgery and is in dire need. Her prayers are going up, and yours need to attach with that.

We can do things for families like that when you are faithful in your giving. The instructions are coming up on the bottom of the screen right now, showing you how you can give through our app, text to give, or give online. I want to thank those who have driven to the physical location and dropped off your tithes and offerings, or just mailed them from other cities and states. To my Lighthouse 2.0 members, thank you so much for using Givelify; we are grateful for your contributions.

Now, I’ve got to get back to this word because there is something at the end of this message called a no-block policy that you’ve got to hear. Check this out: when you’re on defense, you are at the mercy of the offender. Whenever you are defensive toward somebody who has offended you, you are at their mercy. They will keep you moving because as long as you’re on defense, they know what makes you mad, what buttons to push, and what to say to make you angry. They know where your soft spots are, and you’re always running around trying to ensure nobody finds out. You’re always trying to figure out how to keep your reputation, how to prevent people from knowing you’re really upset, and how to make sure that nobody finds out how you really reacted, and how can you keep people from knowing how bad your mouth is.