I Am An Anointed Fighter

My personal submission

This day will always be in my mind. After escaping the "arm bar of alcohol" the first three rounds, I was choked out during the first few minutes of round four (fourth DWI). Much like my previous fights with this tough warrior inside the cage of life, I thought the fight was going my way. My "pride leg kicks" seemed to be taking their toll on him and my "elbows of selfishness" had opened up some nasty cuts. It was all going my way. How could I lose this fight? Well, after rewinding the tape in my mind, I saw my mistake. My overconfidence had allowed alcohol to pass my guard and in a split second, he had my back. The next thing I knew, my air was being cut off and my arms were powerless in breaking the choke. Because of my pride and unwillingness to submit, I woke up face down inside an Arkansas state prison.

Words cannot describe the feelings of utter despair and helplessness. How could this happen to me? I thought I was winning the fight. Nobody has ever made me submit. Then to make matters worse, I noticed three other innocent faces inside the spiritual cage with me they also suffered the defeat, except their loss was not because of their actions, but Dad’s unwillingness to submit. The beautiful faces belonged to my wife Vicki, son Dalton, and daughter Brook.

As a fighter, I have been conditioned to deal with defeat. However, nothing prepared me for the loss of my freedom and the devastation brought to my wife and kids. After the shock of my circumstances subsided, I began to search my heart for answers. From the depths of my soul, a quiet voice kept saying "but if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him. For the Lord your God is a merciful God" (Deuteronomy 4:29, 31).

My wife had been telling me for the last 10 years that I needed to get a new trainer in my corner. She always reminded me that Christ was waiting on my call. My pride kept me from listening to her. Little did I know my selfish way of thinking was destined to destroy me and take away my family's freedom. If I had listened to her, I would have been able to keep my family from needless pain.

On the floor of my prison cell, I fell on my knees. "In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him into his ears" (Psalm 18:6). Never in my life have I ever felt so free. "Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed: He answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand" (Psalm 20:6). That night in prison, through Christ, I knocked out my old way of life and became an Anointed Fighter for Christ.

Danny White
Anointed Fighter