Original: April 27, 2007
Pascagoula, Missippi
9 Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!" 1 Samuel 4:9
I had only one rule when choosing a college to attend. One rule, because at that particular time of life I was only concerned about with one thing. To some degree I cared about academic standards and I was open to playing a different position on the football filed. However, crazy this sounds; under no circumstances would I go to a school that regularly lost more football games than they won. In other words, playing for a winning program was a deal breaker in choosing a university. Four years of high school football produced a dismal 18-21-1 record and I was committed to never having that kind of experience again.
Something had occurred in me during those years at MBHS and I was afraid of what losing might produce in my life. I got used to losing. I expected it. When a man gets used to losing he forgets who he is and how to win. I had developed a losing attitude, one that stopped fighting to win and had begun to play “not to lose”.
Guess what happens when a man tries not to lose?
He loses!
Focus on not missing the shot and you miss the shot. Focus on not saying the wrong thing and you say the wrong thing. Focus on not failing and you fail. Positively or negatively a man will achieve and become what he focuses upon.
Losing becomes comfortable. Losing becomes accepted. Worse, losing becomes expected. When losing no longer bothers a man he should be afraid of what he is becoming.
God made men to fight to win. All men fail at times (Romans 3:23) and all accumulate losses, but God has wired men to win.
The above passage is an amazing story to me. The Philistines had just defeated Israel in battle killing 4,000 Hebrew men. Processing their surprising loss, the men of Israel brought the Ark to the battle lines in order to encourage the men.
It worked.
When, “the ark of the Lord's covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook” (5).
Hearing this, “The Philistines were afraid, for they said, ‘God has come into the camp’ (7).” From 1 Samuel 4:9 we can infer that the Philistines knew they could not win the fight against the mighty God of the Israelites.
Verses 7 and 8 record, “The Philistines were afraid… ‘We're in trouble! Nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the desert.’”
Resolving that the odds were stacked against them, they decided to “take courage, and be men.” They could have walked away with their lives but instead chose to “be men and fight” (9) and possibly die.
Against all odds they stood their ground, fought like men and won, capturing the Ark of the Covenant and killing 30,000 Hebrews in the process!
They won?
Yes, they actually won!
Their courage embodies what it means to be a man.
Does it really matter what the odds are, or what we think the outcome might be? All that matters is that we, as men, fight and possibly die for what we believe.
Win or die is a great motto for a man to live by.
What do you believe? What values are so ingrained in your life that you will win or die in achieving them?
Once you decide what those are, be a man and fight.
Win or die!
