The battle within!!!

The Battle

Tattooed on both arms are the numbers 815. They represent a government housing development at 815 Harrison Square and a tough start that pushed this individual into a successful future. He, his three siblings and his mom struggled for everything. Dad was absent, mom was battling cancer, and he was forced to work multiple jobs in addition to his academic and athletic responsibilities. Instead of Pop Warner organized football, it was pick-up games in the street with gang members.

 

With all of these circumstances standing against him He could have fallen for anything but yet Deshaun Watson has battled to become a star in the NFL. One f his arm tattoos includes a pair of dice and a deck of cards to represent the mantra of "play with the hand you are dealt."

When you win the battle within you will win the war ahead.

In Genesis chapter 32 we find the prelude to a battle.  Jacob was Esau’s brother and an individual that was characterized by his craftiness. In fact, his name meant trickster or supplanter. After a life of tricking nearly everyone in his life and running away, Jacob forges his relationship with God. Now he is about to come to terms with his brother who had treated the worst.

Before Jacob’s meeting with Esau, Jacob has a conversation with God.

“Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. 12 But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’” Genesis 32:11

His prayer was like a desperately thirsty person taking a bucket full of holes to water.

The battle of the mind is the beginning to all success. The body can only go where the mind directs it. Even if your body is prepared for battle if your heart and mind are afraid to fight – you are going to lose...

Jacob knew that he had to face his brother but until he faced his fears he could never battle his brother.

The next part of the story is where things get great. Instead of God fighting Esau on Jacob’s behalf, God gifts Jacob on Jacob’s behalf. Be mindful that when you pray for God t

o fix things in your life – that He will choose the best method to answer your prayers. In order to fix your problem He may have to fix you first!

In the final verses of Genesis 32, God wrestles with Jacob and Jacob declares, ““I will not let you go unless you bless me.” This battle was bigger than Jacob’s issue with his brother. The battle was Jacob’s issue with who people had labeled him and who he believed he was. God eventually has to break Jacob of his thinking and leave him with an impression from the battle. When it was all said and done, not only was David mentally and physically changed, he was spiritually changed as well. From that moment on Jacob was known as Israel or “God Preserves”

I’m  a Texan fan to my heart and reading the story of our current quarterback, Desaun Watson, is wonderful. But I know his story would have never been known had he not beaten his internal battles. Battles happen everyday and we must continue to fight. Deshaun’s first few moments as a NFL quarterback were shaky but I believe Desaun remembered how he has won in shaky places before and beat back his thoughts of inadequacy. He could have quit but God preserves.

Your first win must come from within.