Hebrews 12:1 speaks of a "great cloud of witnesses that compass us. Those "witnesses" were described in chapter 11. The continued admonition to "imitate" God and his people is abundant in the scriptures (1 Cor. 4:16; Phil. 3:17; Eph. 5:1-2; 1 Thess. 1:6, 2:14; Heb. 6:12; 13:7). When we reflect upon these witnesses we cannot help but be in awe of their faith: Men like Paul who said, "I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected" (1 Cor. 9:27). This conflict that Paul, and others engaged in was described by Paul as "the good warfare" (1 Tim. 1:18). Warfare requires offense, Acts 20:27-28, as well as defense, Phil. 1:16. How does this "great cloud of witnesses" view our performance on the battle field? Are we able to stand alongside Paul, and say, "I have fought the good fight"?