Hockey is one of those throwback sports from a different era. In a day and age where concussions and player safety are in the forefront of people’s minds, Hockey preserves the most ancient (some may say “barbaric”) of rituals…….THE FIGHT!
The gloves come off and 2 men face one another ‘mano-a-mano’….FISTS FLY, until a winner is declared via knockout… OR fatigue gets the better of them both and temporary peace ensues! I was a part of several hockey fights throughout my playing career. To be quite honest, I wasn’t very good at it (as my medical and dental records will attest), but I was a willing participant! I recall the first time I was ever challenged to a fight. This is kind of how it all goes down….. One opponent will square off in front of another and inquire, “You wanna go?” that’s hockey speak for ‘We are going to fight now’. Unfortunately for me, at the time I was unaware of this practice. When a player from the opposing team approached me and said “You wanna go?” I misheard him and thought he said “WAY TO GO ” to which I replied “THANK YOU!“, and off I skated in the other direction. My teammates quickly informed me of my mistake. I then proceeded to skate BACK over to the opposing player and asked forgiveness for my misunderstanding, and we proceeded to beat the nickels out of each other. Thus, I learned about “THE FIGHT”. (If you’re reading this and upset with a Christian man for fighting on the ice, I’d like to remind you of our Lord’s words…….”It’s better to give than receive!!!”)
To be honest, fighting was always scary for me, and never fun. It was thrilling to watch… but to be involved in one, NOT SO MUCH! I’ve found that to be the case in my Christian walk. I love reading about the fight of Moses, Joshua and David, but, not really a fan of the struggles in my own faith. Did you ever wonder why our walk at times is such a struggle? Did you ever stop and think about the bible………It’s a book about struggle and fighting! We get peace in the first 2 chapters of Genesis and the last 2 chapters of Revelation. Everything else is a fight!! Think about how the greats struggled to ‘fight the good fight of faith”
- Moses would lead God’s people out of slavery, but not without a fight.
- Joshua would lead God’s people into their promised land, but not without a fight.
- *David, would become Israel’s greatest Kings, but not without a fight.
- Paul would exhort the Ephesian church to ‘Put on the full Armor of God’. TRANSLATION…..Get ready for a fight!
Don’t you want to ask God this? Why, if you’re God, aren’t You making this easy for your people? No opposition, just ease and comfort. Yet God seems to want us to wrestle at times, to fight through……..WHY?
Romans 5:3-5 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Opposition. It’s the struggle, the fight. It builds strength and character into God’s people. Let me fill you in on a few details from my own walk with God. I’ve been asking God for several years, for an increase of the “Apostolic gifting” upon my life. When people ask how they can pray for me, my refrain is always “pray for my wife and daughters and for an increase in the apostolic”. It seemed as though the more I asked God for this, the more all hell broke loose in my life (any testimonies? or an amen to that!?). Finally I grew so upset at God for my circumstances I could no longer be polite in prayer… if you know what I mean! Those times when you tip toe around how you really feel and pretend all is great when its not! In my frustration, I just blurted out during prayer one morning “GOD, what are you doing!!?? I’m a Pastor….. You know ‘Team JESUS’, can you give me a break and help me out? I don’t understand. Why are you allowing all hell to break loose in my life?!”………..Its one of those prayers you pray and you’re like ‘uh oh…….I’m dead’ as you await the lightning bolt. I still remember the Lord’s gracious and merciful whisper to me in my heart, “that gift you’ve been asking for, the apostolic……I’m giving it to you. With every struggle you overcome and every battle you face, I’m weaving into your being strength, character, and wisdom” I don’t know about you, but I guess I had never thought of prayer being answered like that. Like most of us, I thought it’d be ‘poof’ or ‘abra kadabra’ and I’d have it. Just think about the people in your life that have a depth of soul and wisdom to their life. I bet they’ve walked through some stuff? I know some men and women that have walked through hell on earth, and when they got to the other side they weren’t charred or marred but forged. A “Christlikeness” and depth of character refined through the fire, strengthened through the fight.
If you find yourself in a fight today or a struggle in your life listen to the words of James, the Lord’s brother
James 1:2-4 consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish it’s work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
The Lord is strengthening you through the fight so that you may lack no good thing!!…………….
So my question to you is this……“You wanna go?”
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