Codelife OnlineSample

The Fighters

A person or animal that fights.

Intro 

The Top Ten - martial arts moves

Batman has his trademark karate chops, but if you ever find yourself cornered in an alley by a supervillain and need to fight your way free these are the real deal:

10. 12 to 6 elbow strike 

09. Throat punch 

08. Rear neck choke 

07. Fish hooking 

06. Palm strike 

05. Roundhouse kick 

04. Kubi kudaki - twisting neck break lock

03. Axe kick 

02. Do-jime chokehold 

01. Dim mak – the death touch

Over the top perhaps? 

The Fighters - what we’re talking about:

Some guys are wired for action and thrive off a scrap. That doesn’t always mean it’s Queensbury rules with the BMW driver who cut you up on the way home; the fight can be defending others, fighting for a cause or against injustice. 

The fight in a man’s heart can be for the poor, the vulnerable or the weak who are being oppressed and mistreated. Still, there are also men who like to fight; this is partly why The UFC (The Ultimate Fighting Championships) is a multi-million dollar machine. The gladiators of old, toe to toe, only one champion will emerge. 

Are you a fighter? Do you look for a scrap in life and run towards the heat of battle? Why? What pulls you to the heat and the moment? What is it that calls to you in the battle? Is there a champion within? A hero that needs his prize? 

Or do you look for the exit as soon as the chairs begin to fly? What are you running from? Injury, fear, reputation? Not all fights are unholy exchanges, some fights and battles in our lives need us to stand our ground. What about fights for integrity? 

A story is told of a man, a warrior, who heard that a lion was troubling a local village. He went down into that lion’s cave on a snowy day, and battled the lion alone; victorious he climbed from that pit. 

Why? Did he hate lions? Did he need to prove something to his girlfriend? No, he was a fighter, and needed to go to work. There are loads of guys around like this, like samurais of old, trained for war but lost without a battle in times of peace. So that unrest in them gets channelled out into other things, moments and situations. 

What if there is an honourable fight to be had, have you found it yet? What do you fight for? Whose name do you honour? What’s the cause that stirs your heart and breathes fire into your soul? We’re not talking about lamping some bloke down the pub here - we mustn’t shy away from language that addresses the brawler in us for fear of misinterpretation.

Action:

What does it mean for you to think about this dynamic in your life? Maybe you’re not a fighter but have this sort of fire in you. How do you vent it, display it and use it for good and not destruction? Or are you a natural fighter at heart? Do you struggle with the unrest inside of you and need discernment to help you pick your battles?

Ask God to reveal the battles you may not even realise you’re fighting, and those you’re running from. Ask him for wisdom to know when to stand your ground and when to concede ground.

Reflect on these words from Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.