We don’t like to think of Christian life as a battle. We want to live out the commandments to love God and love people, to be kind, to meet one another’s needs, and to bring peace. The reality is that the battle is raging stronger than we think, and God has called us to put on His armor and fight.
Brittany Nieman is a wife, mom to three little girls, graduate student, part-time FCA ambassador in the south metro, Jiu jitsu artist, and . . . a cage fighter.
Well, that’s different.
And aggressive.
And um, fighting.
And it paints a more accurate picture of the spiritual battle going on all around us than the one we like to paint ourselves.
A Love for Cage Fighting
While Jiu jitsu is a somewhat gentler sport, cage fighting is anything but gentle. Opponents are locked in an octagon-shaped cage, and the fighting is more extreme and intense than Jiu jitsu. The point is to get the opponent is a position of submission, and it’s done by kicking, hitting, punching, headlocks, and much more. And Brittany loves it. Her dad is a black belt in Tae kwon do, and she grew up watching him fight. She says, “Watching him is where my fighting spirit came from, and then I saw cage fighting on TV and thought, ‘I want to do that.’”
Called to be a Christ Follower
Brittany grew up in a Christian home but strayed during her teen years. At 19, she loved Jesus but also liked going to the club - until she heard a sermon at church one Sunday. The pastor said, “You can’t be lukewarm; you can’t be in the club Saturday and in church Sunday.” She knew God was speaking to her loud and clear. She felt him saying, “If you love me, your life needs to reflect that.” She still went to the club the following week but felt, in her words, “disgusting.” She has been sold out to God ever since.
Brittany and FCA
Today, Brittany has a heart for those who are struggling like she did, who are living life with a leg on both sides of the fence. She said, “That’s what I strongly want to preach to young people, to find Christ now and not wait until they’re older because it’s worthless. It’s only happiness for a second. That’s why I have such a heart for teenagers.”
After she finished her bachelor’s degree and was looking for a job, she happened across a posting for FCA. She thought, “What? Christ in sports? Absolutely!”
Brittany meets weekly with the student huddle leaders from Apple Valley High School, helping them grow in discipleship and leadership capacity. She also meets with each leader individually to build relationship and just see how they’re doing. One of the girls even asked Brittany to baptize her. She loves being able to pour into these young people and share God’s truth with them.
Reflecting Christ as a Cage Fighter
But back to the fighting.
How does Brittany reflect Christ in her fighting? In more ways than you might think. First, she has a verse on her uniform: Psalm 56:11 which says, “In God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?” Brittany also strives to lead by example, and because of how violent the fighting can be, her character shines through. In addition, if she gets the mic, she gives God the credit for a win. If she loses, she doesn’t get angry. She can give her opponent a hug. She says, “Within my character and how I reflect myself, people can still see Christ. That’s how I connect my faith and my sport.”
The Battle we Fight
And how does the fighting relate to the Christian life? Also, in many ways.
The Bible is clear that we are always in the midst of a battle. One of the most famous passages about this is Ephesians 6 where we are implored to daily put on the armor of God. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
We also remember that Jesus did battle with the enemy in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11) and can expect him to do the same with us. And finally, we know the devil comes to steal and kill and destroy (John 10:10). Those scriptures aren’t exactly reminiscent of flowers and rainbows.
We are in a daily battle for ourselves, our loved ones, and for the souls of people. We don’t ask politely for the enemy to move aside, but like Brittany in her cage fighting, we move to put our opponent in a position of submission. God is calling us to fight for people so they may come to a saving knowledge of the love of a Savior and spend eternity with Him. And He is calling us to constantly stand on His truth in a world that is opposed to Him.
The question is, are we willing to fight?
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