THE COURAGE TO HAVE JESUS LORD OF YOUR LIFE -By Chris Courage

Hey there Anointed Fighters. This is Chris Courage. Congradulations on advancing through the ranks of ChristJitsu. Today we are going to look at a key area that gives Anointed Fighters true courage during the tough rounds of the "good fight." Most of you have asked the Grandmaster to come into your life as your Savior already when you started training in ChrisJitsu. You believe that he tapped out on the cross for your sins, and you have accepted his championship of salvation. You are even happy that the Grand Master has saved you from going to hell, and you appreciate the fact that he took your knock out punch at Calvary. But the Grandmaster wants and deserves to be more than just the one who saved you. He deserves and desires to be your Lord.

What does the word "Lord" even mean? When we read the word Lord in our bible, it is referring to the Grandmaster Jesus Christ as King. It means he has ownership, absolute control. And the bible teaches us that Jesus Christ being recognized and served as Lord is something that every Anointed Fighter should do. In Philippians 2:9-11 it reads, "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

But this is where many proud fighters have a problem. Proud fighters like the Savior part, but they don't want anyone as Lord in their lives. A lot of fighters only respond to certain aspects of ChristJitsu. They think of Christ as a great sensi, and they like what he said about loving one another, and they really like the part about being a champion through him. But when God's Word tells us to humble ourselves before the Grandmaster, we stumble. When Christ asks, "Will you have the courage to step out from the crowd and follow and obey me?" that's where some fighters say, "I'm not ready for those championship rounds yet. That's too tough a fight for me."

Back when the Grandmaster walked the earth as a man and began the ChristJitsu academy, many fighters from all over followed him around. We all know the bible accounts of the Grandmaster knocking out sickness and tapping out hunger inside the Cage of Life. When word spread that this Anointed Fighter named Jesus could do all these things, warriors flocked to be near him and part of his team. But once they heard that there were certain changes that the Grandmaster wanted them to make in their fighting styles, they just as quickly turned on him. These fighters didn't really want Christ as their Lord. They were just looking for a championship, a quick victory, an answered prayer. There were only a handful of Anointed Fighters who really knew what it meant to call Christ Lord.

When the Grandmaster wanted to separate the true Anointed Fighters with the courage to follow him from the fighters who were just hanging around the dojo waiting for a miracle victory, he said..."Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He who findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."Matthew 10:34-39

In those words, the Grandmaster is telling us that being a ChristJitsu trained Anointed Fighter isn't all about fun and games and fitting in and getting along. As a matter of fact, if Christ is really your Lord, many people will not like you. You have to make a choice whom you are going to follow. Will it be the Grandmaster Jesus Christ or this world? If Jesus is your Lord, his will should come before your family, friends, everybody. If Jesus says to go right and everybody else says to go left, well, his voice is the one you should obey, even if it causes you to lose some friends. If you put anyone else before Jesus, than he is not your Lord.

Have you ever felt that your loosing the "good fight of the faith"? That is probably because you are trying to fight on your own. The Grandmaster tells us in the verse we read above, "he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." That does not mean that you have to tap yourself out or die for your faith. It means that you have to be willing to let your old fighting style (your ways of thinking, sinful habits, ideas of what is important) die before the Grandmaster can change you. You have to stop fighting Christ and let him have control. And when you do that, he will show you the champion your meant to be.

When you go against the ways of this world and instead choose to follow Christ, you might be misunderstood, hated, laughed at, talked about, etc. But if the Grandmaster Jesus Christ is your Lord, you will have the courage to follow him no matter what!

Remember, it is called a fight for a reason. However, we fight from victory not for victory. KEEP FIGHTING!

Prayer:

Heavenly Father in the name of Jeus Christ, thank you for your many blessings. Please give me the courage to have Jesus Christ as the only Lord of my life forever. AMEN