Really Kicking for God!

by Miguel Fernandez

From the age of 6 I took up the Art of karate, after a friend at school was doing it, and encouraged me to join.

“...the new found peer pressure at school to smoke and dabble in soft drugs”

It wasn’t long before I was moving up the ranks and doing well in many national and international Competitions. At the age of 14 my family and I moved to Cornwall, where my Dad and sister (who had also taken up Karate) and I started teaching karate at the local sports centre. But my interest in Karate was slowly being diverted by the new found peer pressure at school to smoke and dabble in soft drugs.

“I had lost all interest in Karate and my Education”

It wasn’t long before it led on to taking much harder substances, and by the time I reached College, I had lost all interest in Karate and my Education, and was more interested in spending my time indulging my drug habit in the local bed sits. And so I was forced to leave college, due to lack of attendance, which in turn pushed me further into the whole drugs culture and all the trouble that comes with it!

“I walked in that morning not really expecting anything to happen, but God had other Plans! ”

It was at this time, when I was at my lowest, that my Dad (who was working in London) became a Christian and started to send me cards and leaflets telling me about Jesus, and the fact that he died for me, so I could be forgiven of all the things I’ve done wrong against him. For about 2 years he persisted, and finally in May 1996, I decided to visit him in London to get away from it all. It was on this trip where I was Introduced to Eric, who was the Pastor of the Church my Dad attended, and who invited me to the service that Sunday.

“the Spirit of God came on me, and I was convicted of my sin, and knew that Jesus was there to forgive me”

I walked in that morning not really expecting anything to happen, but God had other Plans! As the preacher spoke about Jesus, the Spirit of God came on me, and I was convicted of my sin and knew that Jesus was there to forgive me and give me new life in him. And so, when the call to respond was given, I stood up and asked Jesus into my life, and he did!! (Yeah!!!). Setting me free from my desire to smoke and take drugs, and filled me with new hope, that I had a purpose in life!

After a time being a Christian, it was clear that my involvement in Karate, although minimal, was not agreeable to all Christians and considered stopping, if that was what God wanted. But at the time of my baptism, a prophecy was spoken over me saying that God was going to use me in a unique way. So I Prayed and searched the Scriptures to discover what it was that God wanted me to do.

Slowly my passion to practice karate grew, and discovered that God was calling me to use my karate talent for him, to see many others come to know Jesus. So in Sept 98 I renamed the Club “Tsidkenu”, (the Lord our Righteousness) getting rid of all the Zen influenced rituals that were used in the lessons, and replaced them with prayer and meditation on Gods word.

For three years now I have taught karate along side my Sister (who also has became a Christian) using biblical principles, and have had many opportunities to pray for the sick and speak the works of God to our students, and still today God is using us to bring Jesus to the Martial Arts world.
- Miguel

If you want to know more about Miguel, and the Tsidkenu Karate club, check their really cool site, www.tsidkenu.com