Daily Huddle - Sat Mar 21, 2020 Sunglasses and Connor MacGregor

Love you all, praying for you,
 
One of my favorite sports figures is Connor MacGregor – the UFC fighter.  I just really like him.  He’s imperfect.  He’s made some mistakes.  He knows where he's from and who he represents,  he's been knocked down, and he's gotten back up.  He's a marketing genius, he’s famous for his pre-game hype – some would say arrogance.  But I view it a little differently.  He reminds me of David in a lot of ways.  Sometimes God gives us real world parallels of spiritual truths.  Connor is famous for predicting the results of fights – "I’ll knock him out in the third round" - even his Irish accent adds to the show.  Is it pride and arrogance?  He says he respects other fighters - anyone with the guts to get in the cage - it just doesn't seem like it leading up to the fight.  The gamesmanship of pre-fight verbal jousting that I guess the industry feels is required to sell fights - isn't really my style - God said let another praise you and not your own mouth.  But what He says in a way is a wonderful picture and demonstration of faith – the evidence of things not seen.  He is just saying what he believes.  He just believes in himself, not God.  Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t.  That’s because his faith is in himself - his work ethic, his skill, his preparation, his confidence.  But our faith is in the One True God, the Maker of Heaven and earth.  The One whose word is true, whose promise is sure, who's undefeated!  What looked like Jesus’ defeat on the cross – was really him taking the belt for all time!  His victory for all of us – for all eternity.  Connor in a way reminds me of David.  David had a little pre-fight game himself.  I Samuel 17:45 – David said to Goliath, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand.  This day I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the carcasses of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.  Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.  (Knockout in the third round).  Quite a pre-fight press conference...  Was David cocky, or confident?  He just spoke the truth, what he believed - what he knew to be true.  He prophesied.  That’s what faith does, it says out loud what is coming after.  Your faith comes by PRISM - His Word.  Praying that PiVAT and PRISM will be your priority -  PiVAT is your work ethic, and PRISM is your belief system - the confidence you need to win.  God is your trainer, and your enemy is always wanting to defeat you.  PiVAT before dinner gives you God’s plans for you for tomorrow.  Walk in them – it’s the training camp that you need.  God is the best trainer.  He accentuates your strengths, He improves your weaknesses, He adds new skills to your arsenal, and He leads you at the perfect pace – to perform your best on fight day.  PRISM is your head game – the mental aspect so vital to win fights.  Your body can be ready but if your head isn’t right you can’t win.   Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.  PiVAT has you doing – what PRISM has you hearing.  Praying that you will in camp – every day.  God is the best trainer ever, better than Muhammad Ali’s trainer, better than Rocky Balboa’s trainer.  He is the Maker of heaven and earth, His Word is true, He loves you, He created you, He is fulfilling His purpose for you, and you can trust him.  A couple other things – I really like about Connor MacGregor.   He takes all comers – he’s not afraid to go up in weight class.  Kind of like David – a flyweight, taking on a super heavy weight - Goliath was a big dude...  It’s not the size or height that matters, it’s the heart and the skill.  Another thing i like about Connor, he has some interesting quotes.  “The skills pay the bills.”  I really love quotes – they are always an opportunity to use your sunglasses, the shades of Scripture.  Praying that you will always wear your Word of God Sunglasses – to view and discern everything you hear.  I like quotes because they capture belief, they reflect value system, and reveal character in a person.  Your favorite quotes say a lot about you.  Praying that you will always sift the words you hear and the quotes you hear – through God’s Eternal Word of truth.  The skills pay the bills.  That actually is Scripture.  "Show me a man skilled in his work, he will stand before kings, he will not stand before obscure men."  David defeated Goliath by the power and will of God.  He defeated Goliath by his belief in God’s Word – or he would have never tried.  It was time in God's Word - that ensured the belief was there when the time came.  PRISM is so important for you - not just for you for today, but for a day that is coming soon.  David had to overcome the doubters – the faith stealers, the belief blockers, "You can never beat that guy – you’re just a boy and his has been a fighting man from his youth."  God will and power, David’s belief, David’s own words, and David’s skill.  All those hours stuck in the fields with the sheep.  He wasn’t complaining, he was preparing!  He was getting really good at that sling shot – little knowing one day he would kill a giant.  Praying that you will know what skills God has assigned you to develop.  Maybe a different language, maybe a technical ability, an instrument for worship, a creative pursuit, or maybe an industry or marketplace expertise.  The best second job is to do a better at your first job.  Praying that you will understand God’s PiVAT for you.  Evenings and weekends are for rest, but also for developing the skills that you can’t hone during work or school hours.  Skills that God wants you to develop – so He can use you for Goliaths in the future.  Don’t despise the small beginnings.  Don’t get tired of target practice.  It won’t be straw bales forever.  God will use the skills that He has prompted in you – and has given you the ability to develop.  And while you are diligent at your skill – be diligent at His Word – it's where the faith comes from.  It not only builds your faith to run out to face Goliaths - it establishes the words out of your mouth that will defeat him.  Praying that PRISM in God’s Word – will be your sunglasses to view what people say, and even more… the foundation of what you say.  So you will do – everything He wants you to do – because your heart is after His. 
 
Love you all,
dad