Stop Playing Defense: Why Avoiding Bad Will Never Lead You to God’s Best

In a world obsessed with staying safe and avoiding mistakes, many men unknowingly spend their entire lives playing defense. They think if they can just avoid sin, avoid pain, avoid loss — they’re winning. But the truth is, avoiding bad is not the same as pursuing the best.

In this episode of The Impossible Life Podcast, Garrett Unclebach and Nick Surface dig into one of the most overlooked traps in the Christian walk: the false safety of “good enough.” Drawing from Garrett’s experience as a Navy SEAL and their shared understanding of biblical purpose, they unpack how comfort and fear disguise themselves as wisdom — and how that mindset keeps you from ever stepping into the fullness of what God has for you.

The Trap of Playing Defense

Most of us learn early that it’s smart to avoid mistakes. But over time, this creates a pattern of fear-based living. You start making decisions not based on conviction, but on risk avoidance. You don’t want to fail, so you stop trying new things. You don’t want to get hurt, so you stop letting people close. You don’t want to disobey God, but you also never move forward in faith.

Garrett calls this the defensive mindset. It’s the man who’s so worried about losing that he never actually wins. He’s “safe,” but spiritually stagnant.

“Avoiding sin is not the same as pursuing purpose,” Garrett says. “A soldier who hides in the bunker isn’t losing ground — but he’s not taking any, either.”

The Bible never calls believers to live cautiously. It calls us to live courageously. Jesus didn’t die so we could sit on the sidelines trying not to mess up — He called us to pick up our cross, move forward, and expand the Kingdom.

Why Comfort and Compromise Feel Safer — But Aren’t

Nick and Garrett discuss how comfort often disguises itself as wisdom. You tell yourself you’re being prudent, responsible, or realistic, when in reality, you’re just afraid.

You avoid taking risks in business because “the timing isn’t right.” You avoid deep relationships because “you’re focusing on yourself.” You avoid obedience because “you’re waiting for confirmation.”

The truth? You’ve traded growth for comfort.

When you live to avoid bad outcomes, your decisions are shaped by fear instead of faith. And fear never leads to purpose.

“Compromise is just delayed disobedience,” Nick says. “It feels safe, but it’s still rebellion in slow motion.”

The Commander’s Intent: Living on Mission

In the military, every operation has what’s called a Commander’s Intent — the big-picture objective that guides every decision, even when communication breaks down or plans go sideways. Soldiers are trained to improvise, adapt, and overcome — as long as their actions align with that overarching mission.

As believers, our Commander’s Intent is crystal clear:

• Love God.
  
  

• Love people.
  
  

• Advance His Kingdom.
  
  

When you filter every decision through that lens, it simplifies life. You stop asking, “What if this fails?” and start asking, “Does this fulfill the mission?”

Garrett shares that this mindset doesn’t make things easier — it makes them simpler. When you know your purpose, you can act decisively, even in uncertainty. You stop waiting for perfect conditions and start walking in obedience.

“God doesn’t need perfection,” Garrett says. “He needs your participation.”

The Cost of Staying “Good”

The guys point out that one of the devil’s most effective deceptions isn’t leading you into evil — it’s keeping you stuck in neutral. If you’re not pursuing God’s best, you’re slowly losing ground, even if you think you’re holding steady.

Nick explains how this mentality shows up everywhere — in careers, relationships, even spiritual disciplines. Men settle for being good husbands, good employees, good Christians — but never become great because “good” feels safe.

The problem? Safe isn’t sanctified.

“Good is the enemy of great,” Nick says. “You can live your whole life avoiding mistakes and still completely miss your purpose.”

God’s best always costs something. It requires risk, vulnerability, and obedience that stretches your faith. But it’s in that tension — between comfort and calling — that transformation happens.

Moving From Avoidance to Pursuit

So how do you shift from a defensive mindset to a mission-driven life? Garrett and Nick lay out several key principles:

1. Clarify Your Mission

Ask yourself: What has God called me to build, lead, or protect?
Write it down. When your purpose is clear, fear loses its grip.

2. Identify What You’re Avoiding

Where are you hesitating? What “safe” excuses keep showing up in your mind?
If fear is steering your decisions, you’re already off mission.

3. Reframe Risk as Obedience

Faith will always feel risky. Abraham didn’t get a five-year plan before leaving Ur — he got a command. Obedience often looks irrational to comfort-seekers.

4. Stay Focused on the Commander’s Intent

When plans fall apart, remember the mission. Keep your eyes on the why, not the what.

5. Trade Comfort for Conviction

Comfort produces consumers. Conviction produces leaders. The more you practice obedience in small things, the more courage you’ll have for the big ones.

The Takeaway: You Can’t Win If You’re Only Avoiding Losing

The Christian life isn’t about perfection — it’s about pursuit. God isn’t looking for flawless men; He’s looking for faithful ones.

When you live with conviction instead of caution, your focus shifts from avoiding failure to pursuing faithfulness. You start playing offense — taking ground, building legacy, and leading others through your example.

So stop settling for “not bad.” Start chasing God’s best.

🔑 Key Quote

“Avoiding bad is survival. Pursuing best is obedience.” — Garrett Unclebach

📖 Scripture References

• Philippians 3:13–14 — “Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal…”
  
  

• 2 Timothy 1:7 — “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
  
  

• Matthew 25:29 — “For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance.”
  
  

🧩 Final Thought

Every man has a choice: live avoiding mistakes, or live pursuing mission. The first builds comfort. The second builds character. And only one of them fulfills the calling God put inside you.

Stop playing defense. Go all in for God’s best.