I know I have told this before but I have never forgotten it.  When I was
about 13 years old, I joined our wrestling team.  I was never very good but
my last season I won 20 and lost 10 and won a second place trophy.  One day,
we were in practice and the coach was near my end of the mat.  When we broke
up and quit for the day, I walked over to the coach and asked him a
question.  "Coach, I'm not all that strong and I've wrestled several guys I
just couldn't physically beat because of their strength.  What can I do?"  I
figured he would tell me to start lifting weights.  Instead, he reminded me
of one of the guys on our team who always took first place in state each
year.  He pointed out that this guy was far from the strongest guy on the
team.  Furthermore, he said, wrestle him and watch how he moves.  He wins,
because he out smarts the other guy.  Furthermore, he told me, if all else
fails, get mad.  He said that many of his matches when he was in school he
never could have won, but he either out smarted the guy or just got flat out
mad.  I thought it was lame advice for me but I worked out one day not long
after this talk with the guy he said wasn't strong.  He was right.  The guy
had no more strength than I did but man did he know what was happening
between us as we moved around the mat.  One day, we were wrestling the Iowa
school for the deaf.  Super strong guys.  Oh, man, they were strong guys.  I
hated wrestling them every year because I always lost.  They drag my
roommate off the mat and he is crying from the pain inflicted during his
match due to the powerful strength of his opponent.  I was up next.  As I
walked out on the mat to meet the other guy, I could hear my roommate crying
in the background.  He was not very strong yet do to the accident that
nearly killed him and that kept him in the hospital for many months.  I said
to myself, Scov, if you don't build up some mad steam right now, this strong
guerilla is going to break every bone in your body.  I got mad.  I got mad
that my room mate was hurt.  I got mad because I hate wrestling these tough
guys and always losing.  The ref introduced me to the deaf student by
placing our hands together.  He gave hand signals at the same time the
whistle blew.  He grabbed me with strength I never remember seeing before.
His arms were like still bands around me.  We went down and stayed down;
rolling around the mat and he was moaning and groaning like he was going to
break me in half.  I was the fastest reverse switch wrestler on our team so
I waited for the right second when his grip wasn't quite as strong and
snapped the reverse switch on him and drove him into the mat.  My mind
searched rapidly through everything I heard the coach say and teach and I
wrapped my best hold on to the struggling body beneath me.  I knew I could
never pin someone this strong but I could stay ahead of him if I didn't let
him grab me and put the squeeze on me.  One thing was for sure.  I could, at
no price, allow myself to be on the bottom.  Suddenly, I was on the bottom
but I instantly snapped a power switch and was back on top.  The nice thing
I like about the power switch was that it could be used by weaker guys to
successfully force the other stronger guy down.  If he didn't fall forward
while on his knees to the mat, his arm would snap.  I rode that kid like a
wild bucking horse all over the mat.  He fought and kicked and I let my
anger boil over and held on.  When it was finally over, I won by one point
but the partially sighted team members of mine had to come out on the mat to
get me.  Sweat rolled off my slick skin like a river.  My arms literally
ached so bad, I could not pull my jersey back on over my head.  I tried to
protest them putting it on but the coach told them to so I would not get the
chills as I dried off.  My arms were aching clubs of useless rubber hanging
from my aching shoulders and I fought back the tears from the pain.  But the
coach had been right.  It worked.  I out smarted the guy who was stronger
and a better wrestler overall and the extra strength I needed just to hold
on to the guy came from being mad.  Now, we are told to be as harmless as
doves and wise as serpents.  Holiness burns with heat, or should, in the
life of every Believer.  Out smart the Enemy and get mad.  You will
discover, he has no fight left in him when you oppose his lies in the name
of the True Lord Jesus.

Phil.