Your mouth can be very useful when dealing with the battles of life.
Muhammad Ali had this thing that he did back in his ascending years as a boxing champion. He’d have this habit of telling reporters the round in which he would deliver the knock out blow. Sure enough come that round the knock out would be rendered and his claims to be the greatest were further burnished.
Football manager, Jose Mourinho, also amazed some of his players in his pomp, by being able to outline the outcome of certain games. Indeed on one occasion to the press, he was able to predict the line-up of his opposition before duly dispatching them.
It is a remarkable quality to talk about something and then deliver on what you say.
This is not unique to boxing or football or to recent times.
When people refer to the story of David and Goliath, what they might not pick up on is that David was just as adept at offering an accurate prediction of the outcome of the battle. Check how he responds to the taunts of his physically looming opponent:
You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us! (1 Samuel 17)
Sure enough, after Goliath received a piercing headache, David was able to get rid of that pain by lopping off the head of the apparent big man because he knew that the bigger they are, the harder they fall. David said it, David brought it.
Obviously the big difference between Ali, Mourinho and David is that David wasn’t claiming to be the greatest or a special one. No. David talked the talk because of who he belonged to. David talked the talk because he wasn’t the little guy facing a giant, he was a representative of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies taking on an impudent, defiant punk who could be sorted out by the Lord who rescues. David could say it and bring it because his confidence was in God who considered Goliath as a mere speck who could be wiped out without too much difficulty. David had a good idea of the desired outcome because of who he trusted – so he could say it and bring it.
Followers of Jesus belong to the same lineage as David. Indeed Jesus Himself was one who said it and brought it often and on leaving equipped those that followed Him with that same capacity as they placed their trust in Him. The apostles that He chose put that to good effect when He ascended. Others who likewise received the same Spirit that rose Jesus from the dead were able to operate in faith to see apparent giants fall because of faith in His name. The past 2000 years has evidence of that stream of belief trickling and rushing throughout.
This is good for us who live in interesting times and face a range of battles and challenges. We don’t have to name the round of the knock out or impress the media with how much we know about the opposition. We just have the challenge to walk by faith and say what we desire and by faith in Jesus, bring it.
That’s how your mouth can be very useful in the battles of life.
(Photo by Hasan Almasi on Unsplash)
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 