The Hesitant Prize Fighter

This is an hymn that I have not heard for a long time. It is taken from Psalm 32 which reads

¹Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
² Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
³ When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
⁴ For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah

⁵ I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

⁶ For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You
In a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters
They shall not come near him.
⁷ You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.
⁹ Do not be like the horse or like the mule,
Which have no understanding,
Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,
Else they will not come near you.
¹⁰ Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;
But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him.
¹¹ Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Psalm 32 actually reminded me alot about mercies that a Christian ought to receive. Lately, due to the many stress that I have encountered, I have been feeling very close to what David mentioned in
“For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer ”

There are many times I wish God would just direct me to his will, and make choices that are obvious to follow.. But alot of times, God chose to be silent. And he seems to be watching and he wanted to know what I would do if I have the free choice.

There are times when I pray, and God answered, but I was too distressed to notice.. until finally God asked in a loving voice “What else would you want me to do? Haven’t I granted your petition long ago?”

Slowly, I realised, maybe it is because I was starting to be afraid, of difficulties, and of many problems that has bugged me in my life.. that I got too frightened to listen to what God wanted to tell me…. For a while, I was too absorbed into my own problems, that I forgot the comfort God gave by offering to be our hiding place… Let me trust in Gods deliverance once again.. at the same time, lets recount the many blessings that God have given to us… and let the weak say.. that I am strong with the strength of the Lord

Title: You are my hiding place
By: Selah

You are my hiding place
You always fill my heart
With songs of deliverance
Whenever I am afraid
I will trust in You

I will trust in You
Let the weak say
I am strong
In the strength of the Lord

You are my hiding place
You always fill my heart
With songs of deliverance
Whenever I am afraid
I will trust in You

I will trust in You
Let the weak say I am strong
In the strength of the Lord
I will trust in You

I was reading through a website when someone shared a Cherokee Story

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between 2 wolves.
One is Evil. It is rage, hatred, shame, fear, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility,
kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his
grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

Actually, sometimes I wonder, which is the wolf that we tend to feed? Let ask ourselves quietly. At the same times, let us think about the struggles that Paul mentioned in Rom 7:15-24. How often was it difficult to feed the right wolf?

I guess, alot of times, we need Gods help to make the right decision, as well as to feed the right wolf. Especially when the world around us is turning into a place where goodness & christian values are no longer appreciated. Lawlessness is abounding, and love is growing cold. (2 Tim 3:1-5)

A world that is in such a darkness hated to see the Jesus, because alot of times, the word of God exposes the evil that was done int he world (Jn 7:7). Alot of people int he world would one day not just disregard the word of God, they would at the sometime even persecute the people who do the right things. (Jn 15:18-25)

May God help all of us to have the right courage, to do the right thing, feed the right wolf. May the spirit of God give us the courage to speak (Lk 12:11-12). May the holy spirit comfort the members who are in trials and allow the church to grow, just like Acts 9:31

This is a hymn that was inspired from the Battle of Allatoona in the American Civil War.
In that battle, the Union Garrison led by General John M Corse was attacked by Confederate
General Samuel G French. The reason for the attack is to cut the union supply lines.
The battle started with 2 hours of artillery barrage and a demand for surrender. The confederates started to attack the 2 redoubts defended by the Union forces. The redoubts are placed to protect the railroad between them.

For 2 Hours, the Union forces are pin down in the redoubt, and suffered heavy casualties. General Corse lost 1/3 of his men and he himself was wounded. He lost a cheek bone and a ear. The man in the redoubts were all pin down. The fighting went on for 2 hours, and the confederates were storming the redoubt in huge numbers. Just when they felt that all hope was lost, One of the union soldiers saw a banner waving from the distance in the mountain..

the banner reads
“Hold the fort; I am coming. W. T. Sher­man.”

The Confederate General French received a false report from his calvary. That a strong Union force is approaching Acworth.. hence he decided to withdrew from the area.

General WT Sherman denied this story, and that his relief troops only arrived to the Allatoona. after the Confederates withdrew. So… how did the banner get there… its still a mystery I guess.

Actually. as I was reading this part of history. I was thinking about.. what is the fort that a Christian is holding to today? Is our battle in life as tough as the time where the redoubt was attacked by the confederates?

This incident reminded me of Shammah,one of the warriors of David (2 Sam 23:11-12). He was in a battle where everyone was fleeing, and he chose to defend the field he was in from the Philistines. And God brought about a huge victory through him.

We now live in a world where all sorts of wickedness seems to be a way of life. Where man are lovers of themselves, lover of money (2 Tim 3:1-5). Because of all the wickedness and lawlessness , the love of many would grow cold. (Matt 24:11-12) . Nowadays, even in office, it is the people who practise imorality, play office politics win, and one by one the people who refuse to follow this tide of the world, get bullied and overworked, many are discouraged, or sacked. This clause even many Christians to fall, and to lose their faith in God.

It is in time like this God would want us to emulate the brave warriors of David, who would stand in the field and to hold the fort. To stand our ground, and continue to be persistent in our faith.

It is at times like this, we have to ask ourselves.. Do we have the strength to continue holding on to the fort of our faith? Or have we decided to open the gates of the fortress, and allow the world to overrun the fort? Can we still see the signal from our God in heaven, telling us to hold the fort, as he is coming soon?

“Be watchful, for the adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion.” (I Pet. 5:8)

With these question in our mind, let us ponder over the lyrics of this hymn.

Title: Hold The Fort
Lyrics: Philip P Bliss

Ho, my comrades! see the signal
Waving in the sky!
Reinforcements now appearing,
Victory is nigh.
*Chorus

See the mighty host advancing,
Satan leading on;
Mighty men around us falling,
Courage almost gone!
*Chorus

See the glorious banner waving!
Hear the trumpet blow!
In our Leader’s name we triumph
Over ev’ry foe.
*Chorus

Fierce and long the battle rages,
But our help is near,
Onward comes our great Commander,
Cheer, my comrades, cheer!
*Chorus

(Chorus)
“Hold the fort, for I am coming,”
Jesus signals still;
Wave the answer back to heaven,
“By Thy grace we will.”

Actually to my brother and sisters who does not read the Chinese hymnbook., This hymn carries a different meaning in Chinese. Hence I am including the Chinese hymn lyrics

Title: 善恶对敌

世间原是两军对敌，即是恶与善；
我必定意属於一边，不能中间站。
shì ​jiān yuán shì​ liǎng jūn duì ​dí​，jí shì è​ yǔ​ shàn​
wǒ bì​ dìng yì​ shǔ wū yī ​biān,bù ​néng zhōng ​jiān zhàn。
*Chorus

我必日日与敌争战，总不敢懈怠；
私欲迷惑，恶俗引诱，魔鬼常相害。
wǒ bì rì ​rì yú​ dí​ zhēng ​zhàn, zǒng bù​ gǎn​ xiè ​dài​ ；
sī ​yù mí ​huo. è​ sú​ yǐn ​yòu​. mó ​guǐ​ cháng​ xiāng hài​
*Chorus

仁义、诚实是我盔甲，圣道是宝剑；
信德是我坚固籐牌，能御魔鬼箭。
rén ​yì​、chéng ​shí shì​ wǒ​ kuī ​jiǎ, shèng dào shì bǎo ​jiàn​；
xìn dé​ shì​ wǒ jiān ​gù​ téng pái, néng yù​ mó​ guǐ jiàn。
*Chorus

从前主耶稣已得胜，主胜，我必胜；
争战完毕，得立主前，荣冕主亲赠。
cóng ​qián zhǔ Yē ​sū yǐ dé ​shèng, zhǔ shèng, wǒ bì shèng；
zhēng ​zhàn wán ​bì​, de​ lì zhǔ qián, róng miǎn zhǔ qīn​ zèng
*Chorus

(Chorus)
我是耶稣基督精兵，必跟随主帅；
敌虽凶恶，靠主权能，百战必百胜。
wǒ shì Yē ​sū​ Jī ​dū jīng​ bīng​, bì gēn ​suí zhǔ shuài;​
dí suī xiōng ​’è​, kào zhǔ ​quán néng, bǎi zhàn bì bǎi ​shèng​

Its Translation is
Title: Confrontation Between Good And Evil

The world is a divided to 2 opposing forces, which
are the forces of good and evil.
I must belong to either side and cannot remain neutral.
*Chorus

I would diligently wage the war daily, never being slothful.
As my desires baffle, my bad habit tempting, and
the devil often tried to bring danger to me.
*Chorus

Benevolence, righteousness and truthfulness are my armour, the
word of God is my sword. Faith is my sturdy shield that
can defend me from the fiery darts of the evil one.
*Chorus

In the past my Lord Jesus lord and has been victorious, like him,
I will be victorious. When the war is over,
we could stand before the Lord and behold his glory.
*Chorus

(Chorus)
I am an elite soldier for Jesus and I would follow my Lords commands
though the enemy may be ferocious, but we could overcome them with
the help of the Lord

Hmm I guess this song was the one that inspired the song “Speak Softly Love”
It took me sometime to find the youtube to match .. but i guess the best sung
one was still taken from the movie where Antony Corleone was singing that for
Michael Corleone in Godfather part 3.

I managed have searched through the translation, but I like the one I stumbled
across on the internet.

Sicilian contributed by: Jason Di Marcelli
English translation by: S. Serrano;
Corrected by: Vincenzo Pernice, and Claudio

This is the how the sicilian version sounds like