I Choose to Win, I Choose to Fight

One of my all-time favorite songs is "Weathered" by Creed. Yes, you might be chuckling right about now because it's Creed (I don't know how many people I know remind me of their not so glorious past), but the lyrics are something to really pay attention to -- the title of this post comes from that song.

When I first started reading Pastor Josh's blog, the use of imagery through various war heroes and power lifters really set the tone for the idea of a "Spiritual Muscle Head." I can just imagine this insanely buff dude who carries around a Cherokee tomahawk, a double-edged sword, and look on his face that screams "I will tear you into millions of tiny pieces." 

But that's not what the look of someone spiritually healthy really is -- in other words, don't be looking towards Arnold Schwarzenegger as a model of being a Spiritual Muscle Head. Look toward that puny guy sitting in the pew with a Bible in his hands; odds are, he's the real deal. In a world of glamour and hotshots, the guy who faces the daily battle with The Word is the real hero.

What battle could you possibly be talking about? The daily war we wage against sin, against Satan, against the fallen state that we're in. The daily battle we wage with the person we see in the mirror and the heart tucked inside said person. That battle, the one within our hearts. 

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. -- Ephesians 6:11-12

The only true way to being spiritually healthy is showing up not just to fight, but fight with the armor of God. Take it on each and every single day -- the battle is only won with Him by your side. We already know who's going to win the final war, why not take up arms with Him?

I wouldn't want to meet this guy in an open field.

But life is a struggle. It's very easy to get caught up in life, and we need to be reminded daily (hourly, minute by minute, you get the picture) that we are His. We aren't talking about a quick and easy war here -- this has been going on for centuries, and doesn't plan on slowing down anytime soon. The thing is, you must choose not just right now, but daily, to start fighting. I tend to think of Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) from The Patriot when I need a reminder. He loses some of the people he loves most dearly in waging the war against the British, but he still chooses to fight. And do remember, he chose victory. 

What is keeping you then? If God is with us, who could be against us? Take up the armor of God -- choose to fight, choose to win.