Boxing is a very controversial sport and I know that many Christians don't like it, but I want to use the analogy of the Christian walk to that of the professional boxer. First of all, I cannot find the scripture in The Bible which states; come to Jesus and all your problems will be over. I cannot find it because it is not in the Bible. In fact, in my own particular case ever, since I gave my life to Jesus, the fight has intensified. However, the good news is, whereas before I met the Lord Jesus Christ, I was fighting the fight on my own, but since meeting Him I now have the Lord in my corner, and that is why I am having many victories.
One of my heroes in the Bible is St Paul. He was a fighter of note and he feared nothing, but sin, and desired no one, but God. If you read in Acts 24:22-26 you will see that he was prepared to go the whole way for the Lord and in fact, he went the full distance. When we are suffering, it is easier to stay close to Jesus, because we have nothing else to hold onto. Paul gave his all to Jesus, and that is why he was so very successful.
Jack Dempsey was one of the greatest heavyweight boxers and he became the world champion during the great depression in America. He would say, "It is very easy to get up in the morning and to train when you are sleeping on a cold concrete floor, but when you become the champion of the world and you are sleeping in a warm king-size bed, with that down duvet on top of you, it is not so easy to get up in the morning."
Hardship definitely develops the character of a champion fighter (Romans 5:3-4). There is another quality that is needed for a child of God who is fighting the fight of his life and that is humility. I read a story of the days of segregation in United States of America, when the whites had to sit in the front of the bus and the blacks had to sit in the back. When the bus stopped at the bus stop three young white teenagers got onto to the bus. They were disrespectful and angry young men. They saw one single black man sitting right at the back of the bus and they started to taunt him and to provoke him. He never responded. When the bus came to the next bus stop, this black man got up and he just got taller and taller, as he was nothing less than a giant. He walked to the front of the bus to get off and he handed a card over to the three young men without saying a word and got off the bus and walked away. He never looked back. The three young men looked at the card and on the card was printed; Joe Louis professional boxer. He could have killed all three of them with one blow, but he chose not to say a word.
Humility is a great asset to the fighter. We also need to endure pain in this fight that we are fighting, if we hope to win.
Rocky Marciano is the only heavyweight boxer in the world, to have never lost a professional fight. He had forty-nine fights and forty-nine wins. He was never defeated. Why? Because he was the biggest? No, he weighed a mere 80kg and was fighting men that were basically twice his size, but he would never give up. He could endure tremendous pain. They would knock him down and he would stand up again. He could take severe punishment and eventually of course the other boxer, would lose heart and Marciano would then deal with him immediately.
The apostle Paul knew how to handle pain. Pain can actually be a very good thing. It can teach us many lessons. One is patience and another one is humility.
A champion needs vision. Many believers today have no vision and that is why they are continually being defeated. Proverbs 29:18 (NKJV), "Where there is no revelation,[a] the people cast off restraint;" If you don't have a vision to be a champion, you will never make it. We must never ever give up and never look away from the enemy. Any boxer will tell you that you have to keep your eyes continually on your opponent, the moment you look away he will probably defeat you. Of course the hardest battle that you and I will ever fight, will be in our own homes. Why? Well quite simply, because the devil hates families and is determined to destroy them, because he knows how much God loves the family unit.
My dear friend, the devil's fight is not with us, it is with God and that is why he is determined to break the family unit down, in order to try and hurt God. Some of us reading this article are on the canvas, we are going down for the count. I want to say to you, get up, stand-up, be the Prophet, Priest and King in your home if you are a man. Be the heart, be the prayer warrior and be the loving mother and submissive wife to your husband, and the devil will have no room in your home or life.
Remember your family will fight exactly the way you fight, especially your young son who is watching his dad and if his dad has got racial prejudice, is unfaithful, negative, and filled with hatred, anger, fear and anxiety in his life it will be transferred to his children. We need to discipline ourselves and we need to teach our children how to fight this good fight. Remember 2 Corinthians 10:4 (NKJV), "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds," We need to get up in the morning and we need have good quiet times with the Lord every day (training), then God will prepare us for any fight that comes our way.
May God bless you as you continue to run the race, fight the good fight and be a fantastic witness for God. We know the battle is won and when Jesus died on the cross of Calvary and He said it is finished, He meant it. We need to understand one thing, we have to fight the daily battle, the daily skirmishes, in order to reach the crown which God has prepared for us. He has not left us defenceless. We have the Holy Spirit in our corner and He will guide all of our movements and give us the ultimate victory.
