“Don’t Start None, Won’t Be None”

At my core, I’m a fighter. If I had to describe myself down with one word, it’d be ‘fighter’. If there’s one thing that I’ve had to learn in my short time here on Earth, it’s how to fight. Now, this is interesting to me, because I’ve never been in a fist fight (or physical fight in any sense, actually) a day in my life. I almost got in a fight in the second grade (why? NO idea lol), but a teacher stopped us before either one of us could swing. I got in trouble after that attempt to fight, and decided I would never do it again (hahaha). I do, however, like to fight with my words. I love debating (especially when the person knows what they’re talking about). Why? I believe in the power of words. I know how they can be used to build people up, and tear people down. I’ve used them to build myself up, and at times, I’ve torn myself down. Now, I try to avoid randomly pouncing on people that don’t know who they’re dealing with, so I’ll give ‘warnings’ to inform that I will only go there if they lead the way (lol). My two faves: 1) “you’re messing with a heavyweight”; 2) “don’t start none, won’t be none”. For those of you that may not be familiar with the second phrase (and are wondering why I used such incorrect grammar in a title lol), that phrase essentially means that if you don’t start a problem or altercation, we won’t have a problem/altercation. In order to be effective with statements like that, you have to either deal with super scary people, or be confident in your ability to win. That’s what we’re going to chat about this week, because while a lot of us have that attitude/confidence towards our natural battles, we need it for our spiritual battles as well (I’m even in the Word, saints!! lol). 

Phillipians 1:6 (*surprise! Not Matthew! lol) says “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (NKJV). To provide a more down to Earth translation, the English Standard Version says “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Now, if we’re going to dig in to this, and get a better understanding of what this means, we’ve got to dig in, right? Well then, let’s go!

1. Have confidence. To be confident in anything is to have a feeling or showing certainty about a result. It literally means ‘to have full trust’. So, in the context of this scripture, Paul was certain that God would use the Philippians. He was sure that there were greater works that could and would come from them. He trusted God for that result, regardless of whether he’d live to see it or not. How many of us trust God like that? Have we really put our complete trust in God? Are we truly confident in God’s ability to turn our lives around? Or are we just hopeful? According to these definitions, if we’re confident, we don’t have backup plans, because we’re certain that we show. We don’t need to find coping strategies to hold onto in the event that He fails. Now, this only works when our wills align with God’s. God has not failed you simply because He didn’t do what you wanted when you wanted it. This is why we talk to Him. This is why we need a true relationship with Him, so that we know what to put our faith towards. Be confident in who He is, what He does, and that He knows when to do it, and watch your life elevate beyond your own comprehension. 
2. “this very thing”. To me, this demonstrates direction. It’s not a general application of our confidence in God to do anything. It’s directing our confidence in God to do this specific thing. It’s important to me because it’s a small thing that makes a big difference. I believe that faith should have a focus. If there is no focus, how will you know that God has worked on your behalf? How will you know that the fight is over? Once again, what you put your confidence (or faith) towards is almost as important as who you put your confidence in. So what is the confidence directed towards in this scripture? I’m so glad you asked! (lol)
3. “If He started it…..” One of my favorite things about God is that He’s a God that completes everything He starts. The very fact that He let that storm, this season, that issue, etc. start in your life is a sign that He already has plan to fix it and wrap it up like the best present on Earth. God starting anything in your life is a sign of HIs ability to finish it.  The scripture says “He who has begun…will complete it”. That actually has nothing to do with you. You’re mentioned in the part that I cut (we’ll get to that later), but it’s not your job to fix this. It’s your job to follow God’s direction. It’s your job to be confident that God will fix it. It is not, however, your job to fix it. That’s where we mess up. We try to fix something without the proper tools or the right amount of power. Then, we wonder how it has become worse. As God’s children, it’s our job to stand firm on the fact that if God allowed it to start, He’ll make it end. We only need to look at the Devil, and say “don’t start none, won’t be none.”
4. Good works can bring bad feelings. The scripture says that He who’s begun a good work will complete it. At the risk of being repetitive (blame law school), God who began a good work in you will complete that good work that He started. This is important to me because I remember so many of the ‘good works’ in my life that felt terrible.  What I felt during the process didn’t affect the end product. I want you to know that regardless of how it feels in this moment, God is doing a good work in you. He knows you’re worth this investment. Despite the pain. Despite the heartache. Despite the length of time that you’ve been waiting. It’s a good work. How do I know? I remember Romans 8:28; I know that all things work together for your good. God may not have promised you a pretty start, but He promised you a good finish long before you found your way to this Earth. Good works may come with bad feelings, but those bad feelings can only enhance your good work. 
5. God doesn’t take lunch breaks. The final part of this scripture that I want to focus on is that the good work will be completed until the day of Christ. To me, this shines so brightly, because it tells me that God has yet to take a break. He’s been working on me, and on my purpose, for quite a while. He’ll also keep working on me until Jesus returns. There are a few perspectives we can apply here: we can either say that we’re so terrible that it takes an entire lifetime to fix us, or we can say that God loves us too much to not mold us into our best forms. He doesn’t get tired. He doesn’t get weak. This is what He does: He completes the work that He started in us. The sign of storms is not an indication of the absence of God. The storms are actually an indication that God is at work, because the storms that should’ve overtaken you enhanced you instead. Don’t let the enemy convince you that God has neglected you to take care of other people; be confident that while you may not be able to see Him (or even feel Him, in some seasons), God is doing what He has to do to complete the good work He started in you. Trust that the process will lead you to the promise. 

I’m not saying this because I think it sounds good; I’m saying it because I’ve lived it. This is what it means to fight: confidence in chaos. But how do we fight? It’s one thing to tell the Devil ‘don’t start none, won’t be none’, but what on Earth do we stand on when we say that to make it effective? How do we really know? We need to look back on the good works that God has already completed. He’s fought for you before. God was fighting for you before you realized you were even in a fight. He’s protected your purpose, your ‘good work’ through this moment, and He’ll continue to do so.

​I experienced this for myself not too long ago. Last Sunday, I was on my way to church, and suddenly, the freeway is reduced to one lane. I see a cop car, and figure it’s an accident (which is weird because I’ve never seen an accident on this freeway at 7 a.m. on a Sunday). Before I can see the cars involved, I heard God say “That wreck was meant for you. The Enemy was going to try to take you out (not take my joy, or hurt my feelings…take me out) with that accident. I drive past this accident, and see a car similar to mine (color, type, etc.) totally destroyed. The windshield has caved in. The front of the car is unrecognizable. They are trying to pull a (clearly traumatized) woman out of the car. God later showed me that He wasn’t just protecting me; He protected my purpose. He protected my ‘good work’. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be typing this post. But since I’m here, I have to tell you to be confident that the same God that has started a good work in you will not only complete it, but He’ll protect it, until the return of His Son. Have confidence in the fact that God has you in His hands, and that since He allowed or started it, He’ll finish it for you. For if He never started the process, you'd never have the promise. 

Background Music: Holding On - Vashawn Mitchell; You’re Mighty - JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise

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