THE MAN IN THE ARENA Larry W Peebles November 27, 2020 20.45
I watched a documentary last week on the life of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States. Sworn into office at age 42 following the death of President William McKinley, he was the nation’s youngest president. Remembered as a soldier, outdoorsman, father, author, and statesman, his list of accomplishments is remarkable. He was a Nobel Peace Prize and Medal of Honor recipient. As Assistant Secretary of the Navy, he was instrumental in building the Navy into a world power. He started the national parks, the U.S. Forest Service, and Workers Compensation so an injured worker could receive pay while recuperating. The Panama Canal was built under his administration. He was the first American to receive a brown belt in judo. This is a short list, as he is remembered for much more.
One quote that he is remembered for is entitled The Man in the Arena. “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
The quote is self -explaining. The critic who sits on the sidelines and comments on how others are doing does not count. All credit, for either victory or defeat, belongs to the man in the arena, the one actually battling and contending for the higher prize.
I was exposed to the critic at a relative early age. While I was in high school, a reporter for the local newspaper covered our team’s track meet. His article in the paper the next day was filled with comments such as this person was only able to achieve second place in their event, and that person was barely able to secure third place or fourth place. He even listed all the names of the runners who failed to place in their events. I was the team captain, and I was very upset. I had sweated with these young men, encouraged them, endured the grueling workouts, and watched them give their best. The coaches seemed to let it slide by, but I felt terrible for my teammates. The report was derogatory and unnecessary. These were not paid professional athletes. These were high school kids competing for their school for free and because they wanted to. I had never heard of the writer, and never heard of him afterward, but I never forgot that experience. There is a big difference between competing in the sport, and sitting in the press box and writing about it.
Moses said it this way- “Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here?” (Numbers 32:6) Just before the children of Israel crossed the Jordan to go into the Promised Land, they came upon land on the near side of the Jordan that was good land for grazing. Two of the tribes of Israel, Rueben and Gad, had livestock and were inclined to ask for that land as their inheritance. Moses rightly pointed out that to do so (abandon the effort and stay behind) would discourage the other tribes. The children of Gad and Rueben then came to Moses and said they would build sheepfolds and cities in the land, leave their livestock, families and little ones, but the fighting men (20 years and older) would be armed and ready to go until the ten other tribes were brought to their place in the land across the Jordan. Moses’ final decision was this- “If you [Rueben and Gad] do this thing, if you arm yourselves before the Lord for war, and all your armed men cross over the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven out His enemies from before Him, and the land is subdued before the Lord, then afterward you may return and be blameless before the Lord and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the Lord.” (Numbers 32: 20-22).
Gad and Rueben were not to abandon their team mates. They could not sit in the first land they came to on the near side of the Jordan while the other ten tribes fought the armies across the Jordan in the land God had promised them. There would be no sitting back and observing. There would be no critiquing, and no comments on how well something went, or perhaps could have been better done another way. They had to climb into the arena; they all had to be in the fight.
When my wife and I go into foreign countries to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to minister the Holy Spirit, the situation is similar. Our trips are far from a vacation. The people are poor, many are hungry, and the conditions are difficult. The national economies are third world. We go to carry the light, hope and power of the Gospel. Jesus is able to meet their needs, but there is no alternative plan. We lay hands on the sick and pray for them. There is no money for doctors and drugs, and no national health insurance. Tribal, cultural, and religious practices have led to increased demonic activity, and we often pray for deliverance from the demon spirits. There is no plan B alternative. We pray for the alcoholics, and those without jobs. If Jesus does not meet that need, there is no alternative. Fortunately, He does not fail to drive out the enemy before Him even today.
We speak the words in public the Lord tells us to speak, and have seen babies delivered from fever, and jobs received that have been sought after for years. In Kenya the Lord told my wife to prophesy publicly that rain would come in the middle of an extended drought. It began to sprinkle as we left that meeting, it rained overnight, and continued to pour rain for days. No rain was in the forecast. By faith and on the word from the Lord, my wife got into the arena, prophesied rain, and waited for the consequences—victory or defeat. If it rained, the Lord was a hero who had come to the rescue; if it did not, we might leave town embarrassed, perhaps by a side road. The Lord is still undefeated.
Back home, we tell these stories, and there are many, and we often encounter the critics. Given the current condition of our nation, we encounter those who do not even believe there is a God, and refuse to speak of Him. We encounter those who might acknowledge the existence of God, but do not believe He intervenes in the affairs of man, certainly not to the extent we have experienced as He speaks, heals and delivers today. They would say He is the “big guy up there”, who is distant and unapproachable. They have never felt His presence, or seen the effect of Him literally moving through a crowd gathered in His name to worship Him. The critic has never seen a prayer answered or a miracle occur right before their eyes. This is like someone who grew up in south Florida and has never seen snow. They reach the conclusion that because they have not seen snow, it does not exist.
There are critics who say the Lord does not speak, although His word says He does. Jeremiah 33:3 says- “Call unto me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things.” If He does not speak, then the prophets who speak are false, because they cannot speak what He has not said. Sadly, much of the church in the U.S. today has been taught that while all of these supernatural things may have happened a long time ago, the Holy Spirit has not been active in the earth since the days of the Apostles, and these things do not happen today.
I was in a widely recognized international Bible study for 6 years. The study was sponsored by a large denominational church in the U.S. known for its study and appreciation for the Word of God. I benefitted tremendously from those 6 years, as they taught me the value of daily Bible study. Unfortunately, that particular denomination teaches and believes that the Holy Spirit is no longer active in the earth today, and the Bible study taught that position. In my sixth year of study, we reached the Book of Acts. By then, I had already received a miracle healing for a back injury. When the instructor said the age of miracles and healings spoken of in the Book of Acts had passed because the Holy Spirit was no longer active in the earth, I privately approached him at the end of the session. Respectfully, I said such a statement on his part was problematic for two reasons. First, there were those in the room who had received a miracle (such as myself), and knew the statement to be false. Second, his statement only discouraged the others from pursuing the spiritual gifts, which Paul encourages in 1 Corinthians 12:31.
There is simply no need for the controversy or criticism. The Bible is clear that when Jesus left the earth to ascend to the right hand of the Father in heaven, He left us the Holy Spirit. There is no scripture that says He changed His mind and later withdrew the Holy Spirit from the earth. When someone hears a word from the Lord for the first time, or receives a prophetic word, or prays and receives a healing miracle or witnesses someone else receive a healing miracle, it is certainly remarkable. Snow falling in Miami would also be remarkable. Neither the supernatural nor the snow needs to be controversial. When they happen, those who have not previously believed suddenly have their eyes opened. In the case of the supernatural, God becomes real, and there is instantaneous realization of how very near He is.
My prayer is that 2021 will be the year critics are converted to believers when the Holy Spirit invades their world. Scripture teaches that if we seek the Lord with all our heart, we will surely find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). If we want to see snow, we should leave Miami and go to Buffalo, Denver or Maine. The crowds followed Jesus; we must do the same. We must make the effort, search and travel if necessary, climb into the arena and contend until we find Him. He will not disappoint.
