There has been so much hype and anticipation surrounding the big fight between MMA fighter, Conor McGregor, and boxer, Floyd Mayweather, which is finally taking place on Saturday night.
In the meantime, the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees apparently couldn't wait any longer, and gave fans another fight to watch last night in Detroit.
Both dugouts cleared three times with punches thrown, guys ejected, and baseballs hurled at heads throughout the game. What a wild scene to witness...and in some ways, a precursor to Saturday night!
Fighting seems to be at the forefront of the conversation today, but mostly about seeing the McGregor-Mayweather matchup. The fact that a dominant (49-0) Mayweather is coming out of “retirement” to take on a converted MMA fighter and major underdog, McGregor, is creating great anticipation.
Although I don’t follow boxing closely, I love a good "Rocky" movie and this battle has a movie-type feel to it. I don't know what to expect, but I'll definitely be watching. What I do know is, a good fighter understands their opponent well, and figures out how to play tough defense.
They also have a plan of attack when stepping into the ring...remain strong when hit...always stay alert...and maintain great endurance.
So whether or not you like boxing, and wonder if guys punching each other is worthy entertainment, each of us can recognize our own daily battles that we face.
Obviously, physical fighting shouldn't be our strategy, but we should embrace a fighter’s mentality in our lives.
Instead of fighting with our spouse, shouldn't we fight for our spouse and for our marriage? Isn't fighting for our kids much better than fighting against them? And what if we decided to start fighting against injustices instead of remaining complacent and apathetic?
As followers of Jesus, we must also recognize there is an adversary trying to take us down, and that we are forced to fight for our faith. We must be good fighters who know our opponent well, understand how to play defense, and have a plan of attack when stepping into "the ring."
By staying alert to the enemy's tactics, and relying on God’s power for endurance, we can remain strong when receiving every "punch" that is thrown at us.
When we find ourselves in “the ring,” we can turn to these verses for encouragement:
1 John 4:4 (NLT) says, "But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world."
1 Peter 5:8-9 (ESV) tells us, "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world."
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV) affirms, "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
Enjoy the big fight Saturday night...but more importantly, fight well TODAY! I’m Bryce Johnson and you can unpack that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I pray I wouldn’t be passive or complacent, but instead fight for the important things in life. I pray You would give me strength to fight well against the devil and his schemes. I know that the power of Jesus in me allows me to fight well. It’s in His name I pray, Amen.
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