He Will Finish The Fight

The battles you are going through today will be the stepping stone to the victories of tomorrow. Don’t let the enemy put a stranglehold on you, but persevere through.

In my day, fighting wasn’t a big deal. It was something guys did. Today, should a young man get in a scrap, he might be mandated to years of therapy chasing his inner child.  My mind goes back to a terrible eighth-grade bully. Held back three years, he was a foot taller than me and had the IQ of cool whip. He seemed undefeatable. After several months of being his piñata, my history teacher and two coaches took me aside for a clandestine meeting. They wanted me to fight back. They showed me how to fight and encouraged me. My chance at redemption came, and I did what they taught me. I punched the bully in the nose. The beating that followed was classic in the annals of Joshua Middle School.

Another clandestine meeting. This time, encouragement and slaps on the back. “Way to go! You had him, Troy! Why did you stop? You should have kept punching!” I knew my teachers were crazy, and there would be secret meetings until I beat the brute.

In the end, I did put that bully down. I didn’t grow in stature. I grew in confidence through every terrible battle. I was no longer afraid of being beaten up. My resistance discouraged that bully, and he finally decided he didn’t want to mess with me.

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. – James 4:7

See, you don’t learn to become a warrior through victorious battles. Warriors aren’t born. They’re made through a long succession of defeats. It’s all about getting back up and going after victory again and again. In the end, we will all walk in the victory Jesus has won for us.