Edition 74
The Game Plan
Last Edition Recap
How have you applied the last edition to your life?
Opening Prayer
All-knowing God, You have the perfect strategy for this world whilst we stumble with our own; help us abandon ours and follow Yours. Amen.
Introduction
“ICE-CREAM!” The call went out during my high school rugby days whenever we had a line-out fifteen metres from the opposition’s try-line. Every player knew exactly what would happen next. Our thrower would position himself on the sideline, raise his arm to throw, then suddenly clutch his shoulder in feigned agony. “Can’t do it,” he’d wince, asking me to take over. We’d casually swap positions, him passing me the ball with theatrical concern.
What the opposition didn’t realise was that we’d already restarted play. The moment that ball touched my hands, the game was live. As they stood watching our amateur dramatics, our entire team would explode towards the try-line. By the time they understood the deception, we’d scored. “ICE-CREAM” worked nearly every time because everyone knew their role, understood the timing, and executed the plan perfectly.
Every competitive arena demands strategy. Board games require tactical thinking. Businesses need strategic planning. Military campaigns depend on coordinated operations. Politicians craft electoral strategies. Athletes memorise playbooks. Without a game plan, you’re not competing – you’re merely participating, hoping chance favours you over prepared opponents.
Yet when it comes to spiritual life, many Christians wander without strategy. We know God has won the ultimate victory, but we live as though He hasn’t revealed His game plan for our participation. We show up to the spiritual battlefield with good intentions but no coordinated approach. We want victory but haven’t studied the playbook. We’re standing on the sideline, watching others execute moves we don’t understand, hoping somehow we’ll accidentally score points for the Kingdom.
Chat Point 1
How would you describe the difference between having good intentions and having a strategic plan in your faith?
What happens to a team when some players know the strategy whilst others are just improvising?
How has lacking a clear spiritual game plan affected your Christian growth and effectiveness?
What prevents believers from studying and implementing God’s revealed strategy for godly living?
How might your faith community change if everyone understood and executed the same spiritual game plan?
Read
2 Peter 1
Key Focus
2 Peter 1:3 – “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”
Chat Point 2
What stood out for you about Peter’s systematic approach to spiritual growth in verses 5-7?
How does knowing God has already given you “everything you need” change your approach to spiritual development?
Which characteristic in Peter’s progression (faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, love) do you find most challenging?
What risks do we face if we ignore God’s game plan and try to create our own?
How can your group practically help each other implement this divine strategy?
Final Thought
“Before you can get what you want, you have to know what you want, and make a game plan to get it,” says Jeffrey Gitomer. But here’s the radical truth of 2 Peter 1:3 – God hasn’t just given us the game plan; He’s given us everything we need to execute it. The equipment, the training, the power, the coach – it’s all provided through our knowledge of Him.
Peter’s strategy isn’t random. Look at verses 5-7: add to faith goodness, to goodness knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness mutual affection, to mutual affection love. This isn’t a buffet where you pick what appeals to you. It’s a coordinated progression, each quality building on the previous, creating an unstoppable momentum toward Christlikeness.
Notice Peter’s urgency: “make every effort.” This isn’t casual Christianity. This is “ICE-CREAM” level coordination – everyone knowing their role, understanding the sequence, executing with precision. The difference is that our opposition isn’t a rugby team; it’s the forces that would keep us ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge of Christ (verse 8).
Without this game plan, Peter warns, we become nearsighted and blind, forgetting we’ve been cleansed from past sins (verse 9). We’re like a team that’s forgotten the plays, standing confused on the field whilst the game rages around us. We have the uniform, we’re on the team, but we’re not advancing the ball.
The “ICE-CREAM” play worked because deception caught the opposition off-guard. God’s game plan works for the opposite reason – it’s been openly revealed, written down, available to all. No deception, no trickery, just clear strategy: grow systematically, support each other, make every effort, build each quality upon the last.
Your divine coach has given you the playbook. Your teammates are ready to execute alongside you. The power to run these plays has already been deposited within you. The question isn’t whether God has a game plan – He does. The question is whether you’ll study it, practise it, and execute it with the same dedication you’d bring to any earthly competition. Because unlike rugby, this game has eternal consequences, and everyone on God’s team is meant to score.
My Action
What key insight or learning from this session resonates most with me, and what do I sense God is inviting me to do in response?
Shared Prayer
What are your prayer requests?
Closing Prayer
Lord, Your instructions are clear; help us remember what’s required so we may flourish in relationship with You. Amen.
Like the community: www.facebook.com/CoffeeChatConnect
In-Between Chats: Personal Reflection
..
Edition Writer: Rev Kevin Zondagh
Methodist Minister, Personal Development Specialist, Life Coach, Relationship Coach and Executive Coach. Founder and Owner of Exemplar Coaching Pty Ltd and CoffeeChatConnect. "We should have the desire to custom design the only life we have. After-all, we buy designer everything. How much more should we Live by Design, not by default?"