The Good Fight / Episode One > “We fight to honor everything we’ve learned.”

I can’t get away from that thought. I’m beginning to move away from the TV series now, but I’m sure it will still be in the articles, and I want to spend more time on that line in the show. Miquel is about to face the toughest of all foes, perhaps his hardest fight ever, and he wants REVENGE!

However, the new and improved Johnny Lawrence cautions him of the dangers of that mindset, and how it was what defeated him all those years ago. Then he imparts a great wisdom. We don’t fight for revenge. We fight to honor everything we have learned.

I have to ask a couple questions. What do we feel we have learned? And is our daily life truly “honoring” what we have learned. If it is, then not only are we honoring what we have learned, but also the teachers who taught us. Our parents? Pastors? School Teachers? Authors of books? Coaches? Whoever it may be whom we have learned from. We honor them in the honoring of what we have learned. There is such powerful wisdom in that phrase.

So what is this fight? What is the good fight? For most of us we just want to have a life worth living and we can be proud of. Is that the good fight? I’d say it sure is because there are so many enemies that seem to be set in array against us simply living a life that is “worthy”, having real value, and we can be proud of, not ashamed.

In this world, that really is asking a lot. To have a life “worth” living we can be “proud” of. And that is a bad-ass fight we face every day. (As Johnny would say it.) It’s the constant battle. I don’t really like using language like, bad-ass, but just trying to get the point across. You most likely won’t hear it from me again.

We’re not talking easy and lightweight battles. These are giants! And they are serious. I’ll give you one example > Having the courage to take on a wife, (or husband), and have children, and go out every day into society and PROVIDE. Provide, protect, love, be faithful, do the hard stuff, and raise that family. That is a giant of a battle, and can be every bit as hard and deadly as a battlefield.

I don’t know how many times I drove a semi pulling that trailer and making deliveries all through the night, alone, in the dark, in the midst of a snow storm or monsoon. One night a tornado almost took the whole top of my cab off when a large light pole blew over, right into the windshield of the truck! As I was driving up an exit ramp! In the dark. In severe blowing and cold wind. Windshield exploded like a bomb! I didn’t know a tornado was close by. I found out after the fact.

Another time, I was in a blizzard. I tried to swing into the store parking lot and managed to bury the truck and trailer in the snow. Again, I drove at night. It was dark, windy, and windchill way below zero! I should have called a tow truck, but I didn’t want to lose my job and I didn’t understand I could do that. It would have been alright. But I dug that whole truck and trailer out with a shovel. Like to froze my lungs. I was 54 at the time.

I called my wife in the middle of the night and told her, I’m so exhausted I don’t know how I’m going to make it through the rest of these deliveries. I don’t know how I made it that night. But somehow I did. I finally got home, slept, and went back out that night to fight that fight all over again. But had I failed to fight the “Good Fight” for my wife and kids, I would be so ashamed! I would have no pride or self esteem! I would be like Johnny was in Cobra Kai. A wasted life going nowhere because I failed to fight the Good Fight.

I know this is just a basic kind of example. I know it may not be real spiritual, but God says if we are not faithful in the basic things, we cannot be trusted with the greater things. Perhaps some of you wonder why you have not seen the power of God in your life? You may have short-circuited the flow of that power by failing to be faithful in the basic things, like being a helper to someone in need, giving money when you’d rather spend it on yourself, having a powerful prayer life. That is a big one. So much of God’s supernatural flows through the prayer life. (There is a book I recommend: “The 21 Day Prayer Playbook”, by Alex McCormick)

As a man, are you the spiritual leader of your family? Are you even there for them? Are you fighting the Good Fight and winning? Or have you lost and given up? Ashamed of your life? Nothing of real value to show for it? Don’t stay that way. You can change. Don’t be Silver. Even Kreese made some valuable changes and did some good he could be proud of, before he died. Do something worthy in the eyes of God and be proud! Get your godly pride back! Fight for it! Not the pride this world has to offer, but GOD’S HONOR!

“How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God ONLY.” John 5:44 KJ

“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 1st Timothy 6:12 NKJV

I’m planning a few episodes of this title. We will be looking at more of the scriptures surrounding 1st Timothy 6:12. Scriptures leading up to and connected to this powerful “command” from God. It might surprise you.

Until then… We FIGHT to honor everything we’ve learned. What is your fighting style? Next article we need to discuss the difference between Aikido and most of the other styles. There is a spiritual lesson to be made. Hope you enjoy. This is gonna get good!