Power Behind The Punch

Every battle we fight whether personally or publicly, every stand we make in the name of Christ, every prayer we make before the throne of God is a battle against the evil forces of this world.  We cannot take this lightly. As we see evil accelerating at a pace we have never witnessed in our lifetime, we need to realize that this is a battle for the souls of people we love, and for people we may not know- but who God loves. While it is still day, we need to proclaim the truth, speak against evil and know we are only able to fight because of the strength and power of God.

I have to say, on a personal note, I am not a fighter and probably the true definition of a pacifist. I don’t even like killing bugs. So to think that every day I’m headed into a battle makes me feel a bit unprepared. However, I recently took up kickboxing as part of my workout routine and I was hoping to learn a thing or two about defending myself (should I ever need to). Here are a couple of things I learned about boxing that I had never considered before:

1. You always keep your guard up in a boxing match, this means that you hold your fists up in front of your face to protect your head and to defend against your opponent when they punch towards you.

2. The power behind the punch does not come from your hands and arms. They have a role to play, but the power behind the punch actually comes from your legs, hips and torso. The punch you use to strike the opponent receives power from almost every muscle of your body.

When I was considering this it made me think of life and how our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the dark forces of this world. Everyday we head into a spiritual boxing match. We head into a world that has it’s heart set on destroying the name of Jesus Christ and if you are a Christian, destroying you.

We need to head out into this spiritual battle with some boxing techniques in mind. The first one I think we should take out with us is to always be on guard against the tactics of the enemy. We are going to be involved in some close contact boxing on a regular basis. Having our guard up in a match protects our head from getting knocked out and keeps the opponent from winning the round. Having our spiritual guard up protects our mind from the deceptive lying punches that the enemy is constantly sending our way. You are worthless, you are unlovable, you are not pretty, you are overweight, you aren’t a good mom or dad, you aren’t a good wife or husband, you won’t measure up, you’re not smart, your past is complicated, you can’t be forgiven for what you have done and the list could go on and on… THESE ARE LIES! If these types of thoughts are being punched in your mind often enough you are going to start believing them, but we need to have our guard up and defend against them.

Whatever the specific lie is that you are struggling with, I want you to look up a verse that can speak directly AGAINST that  lie. You can google Bible verses about love, being made in the image of God, worth value, being forgiven, verses to help with anxiety, depression, addiction, mental stress, family problems, grief, loss or sickness or any other area of life that is a battle for you. The defending punch (or punches) need to come from scripture just as Jesus demonstrated for us when He was tempted in the desert. Satan lied to Him and Jesus responded with scriptural truth. The TRUTH of the word is our weapon. The sword of Truth, the word of God. The Bible and Holy Spirit will provide the defense needed so that we do not get mentally and emotionally knocked out.

The other thing I learned that applies to the spiritual boxing match is that the power behind the punch does not come from what we think. Like I mentioned, I had no idea that my arms were not the main source of the strength needed to pack a hard punch. To be honest if that was the case it would have taken a lot more time for me to train, because I have never had much upper body strength. Little did I know that the power behind the punch comes primarily from someone’s legs, hips and torso. The training and leg strength I had years ago as a runner actually helped me be a better boxer now. In a similar way the power behind the spiritual punch does not come from what we think or try to use either. We oftentimes head into a battle thinking that we are going to have to muster up some courage and we don’t always stop and pray first, or ask advice from a brother or sister in Christ, or fast, or read Bible verses to help us handle the situation and we tend to want to fight using our intellect, wit, and personality, or only our arms. But the power we need to use in order to defeat the enemy is the undefeatable power of the Holy Spirit and our risen Savior. That power will knock out any enemy that comes our way.

The punches thrown at us from the enemy are many, but we cannot let our guard down. Rebuke the opponent of our souls with the truth of scripture and who you are in Christ. With full God given power behind the punch you will win the spiritual boxing match. Victory, the big K.O. is in view, the battle wages on but we can head out fully equipped in the strength of Jesus Christ. We are fighting from a place of victory so be bold and courageous.

The Lord bless you and Keep you,

Kara