1 Timothy 6:12 ‘Fight the good fight of faith lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses’
DAILY READING – Matthew 19:1-15; Numbers 9-10; Ecclesiastes 7
Mohammed Ali became the first man to win the boxing heavyweight title three times and revolutionized the sport by introducing a style that went against many of the game’s sacred teachings. One of the tactics he employed in his style was psychological warfare in the boxing ring. He discovered that with his mouth, by making loud boasts, he could wear down his opponents, and beat a tough fighter even before the bout begun. In 1964 Ali was only 22 years and was to fight Sonny Liston, the then world heavy weight champion, who was older, and who had once been jailed for killing a man with his bare hands.
Yet Ali was not deterred. While training for their fight, Ali, a natural self-promoter, taunted Liston and boasted to reporters that he would win by knockout. Although Ali was fearful within, outwardly he made such wild and loud boasts that convinced Liston that the younger boxer was utterly insane. And for the first time, Liston was intimidated. In the ring Liston was so frustrated by Ali’s tactics that at the beginning of the seventh round, he refused to continue his fight with Ali.
In a later fight, Ali defeated Liston to win the world heavyweight boxing crown. Ali having found that demoralizing his opponents with his mouth was effective, used the tactic in many other fights. However towards the end of his boxing career, Muhammad Ali made an attempt to win a fourth world heavyweight boxing championship in a scheduled 15-round contest with Larry Holmes. The problem however was that Holmes, had been a former sparring partner to Ali, and so understood how Ali operated probably more than any other fighter. Though Ali at 38 years, was no match for the younger 30-year-old undefeated Holmes, in the ring Ali once again tried to apply his old tactic of psychological warfare. Ali taunted and teased Holmes with words that invoked images of black slavery as “I’m your master, I’m your teacher”. But Holmes was oblivious to all of Ali’s attempts at psychological warfare. He hardly missed a punch and refused to be intimidated or distracted. And eventually Holmes won the fight. Some months later Ali ended his boxing career and retired.
To win a fight, a boxer must keep his mind focused on winning and shut out every distraction. No matter what he hears or sees, he must maintain his focus. A boxer who gives in to his emotions, will lose his coordination, and it’s a matter of time before he loses his fight.
Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7 ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith’
Paul kept the faith, because he kept his focus. He said in Philippians 3:14 ‘but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus’.
As Paul fought the good fight of faith, he kept his focus. He had his gaze locked on his high calling, and nothing could move him from his purpose. He said in Acts 20:24, ‘but none of this things move me’. A man who will not be moved will soon see his mountains move; it is only a matter of time. When you stay focused and ignore distractions, you will accomplish your goals in no time.
Paul realized that as a soldier of Christ, he could not be entangled with the affairs of this life, he could not dissipate spiritual energy on mundane things, but rather he must keep his gaze on finishing his course, and arriving at his preordained victory., Indeed to have victory, we must maintain our focus. Focus is the Magnetic force that retains vision and brings clarity to life. In the School Of Success what matters most is the Capacity Of your focus, because if focus is not available nothing will be Accessible. The ability for greatness has its root in your focus. Therefore, don’t fight obstacles, rather fight to retain your focus. The world is full of distractions; so many things trying to shift your focus, trying to derail you from your course. But let your focus always be on God’s Word. Be controlled by the Word. Keep filling your heart continually with the word, until your actions are dominated and controlled by what God says. When your heart is full of the Word of God, there will be no room for frivolities. Like Jesus, you will say ‘My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me,’ your primary concern will be only to please God. And when you focus on blessing God, He will focus on perfecting all that concerns you.
PRAYER: Lord, please help me to fight the good fight of faith, enable me to remove distractions and focus only on Your Word always. I know that by Your help I have the victory in every battle in Jesus Name.
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Whatever doesn’t kill you will eventually end up strengthening you. – WORDBITE 222.