“Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).

Boxing is a polarizing sport. People either love it or they hate it. Regardless of what our personal opinions are, though, when viewed through a spiritual lens boxing can help us better understand our faith and prepare our hearts and minds for the journey ahead.

Boxing is all about commitment, determination, consistency, and work ethic. No man confidently steps into the ring without rigorously training his body to withstand the pain and suffering his opponent wishes to unleash upon him to defeat him. Therefore, why would we assume we can subdue our spiritual enemy without similarly training our minds?

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:24–27).

The challenge is there’s a distinct difference between training for combat and being able to withstand the enemy’s onslaught. For we can discipline our minds and train our bodies to the best of our abilities, but if we let down our guard and assume we’re “all good” without properly shoring up our weaknesses and insecurities, we’re likely headed for defeat.

BODY BLOWS:

Keep in mind, the enemy will always look to exploit the cracks in our armor. He already knows what they are. Therefore, acting as if we can hide them from his knowledge is foolish. We are better served working tirelessly to strengthen our defense, so we’re not easily exposed to attack.

“In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood” (Hebrews 12:4).

However, what the enemy is more focused on than anything is strategically wearing down what we assume are our greatest strengths, because he knows if he can destroy our foundation, all that we’ve worked hard to build upon it will come crashing down as well.

“And he told them a parable, saying, ‘The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, “What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?” And he said, “I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’” But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?”” (Luke 12:16–20).

Assumptions are typically the #1 reason most of us fail in our faith journey, for we think we’re further along in our spiritual maturity than we truly are. Therefore, we allow laziness to creep into our spiritual disciplines, and before we know it, our guard is down, and our heart is exposed for the enemy to exploit and conquer.

That is why most boxers deliver body blows time and again to wear down the core stamina of their opponent. Granted, virtually no trained boxer gets knocked down by a single punch to the abdomen, but consistent onslaught round after round to a man’s core will wear down his opponent and present an opportunity for a potential knockout punch.

The same concept applies spiritually. There are an infinite number of credible demands on our lives which exasperate our minds and draw us away from quality time with God. Therefore, it should come as no surprise when trials overwhelm our psyche and drive us into a state of despair, hopelessness, and depression.

TRAINING:

It goes without saying that examining how prepared we are for battle is critical. For if we have desire to endure seasons of trial in our lives, we must take inventory of what knowledge, skills, and tools we have at our disposal rather than take them for granted.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

Keep in mind, a boxer is merely setting himself up for failure if he is only training his body and avoiding the psychological training he must master as well. For mental stamina is key to surviving constant attack, which in the spiritual realm means daily discipline abiding in God’s Word for wisdom and discernment and communicating with Him in prayer.

We are wise to comprehend how valuable Scripture is to every man determined to live for God’s glory and not his own. That is why Paul emphatically warns us in 1 Corinthians 10:12 to recognize if we’re leaning more on facts or assumptions. Why? So that when the enemy attempts to overwhelm our minds, we are prepared with facts to stand our ground and launch a counter-offensive in return because we’re guarding our flank from assumptions.

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31–32).

Make no mistake, any man who does not train his mind will never last 12-rounds with his opponent. He’ll likely not last 1-round, all things considered, because once the first punch from his opponent connects, his mind will begin to shift into self-protection mode rather than offensive attack.

That is why it is critical to recognize we’re in the middle of a spiritual marathon, not a sprint. Therefore, our greatest asset is endurance, not strength, because victory comes to those who can discipline themselves to train for the long haul, come what may.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1–2).

12 ROUNDS:

Oftentimes, we enter the ring of spiritual warfare intent on knocking Satan out with one punch. We’re not necessarily prepared for 12-rounds, but we assume we’re in pretty good shape to hold our own, so we roll the dice and start swinging with all our might once we hear the bell ring.

The problem is our enemy is smarter than we are and a true master of the “rope a dope” technique. He simply leans back against the ropes and allows us to swing all we want because he knows our punches are virtually ineffective to inflict any harm upon him. His strategy is all about tiring us out, because when we are tired, we let down our guard and allow him ample opportunity to exploit our weakness and knock us out in return.

That is why pride, in many ways, is our greatest enemy because it baits us into assuming we’re more well equipped than we truly are. Pride says, “I got this!” However, pride is the predominant reason we find ourselves lying on the ring canvas (more often than not) battered, bruised, and likely down for the count.

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11).

If only we would stick to our Biblical training, we would stand a far better chance of remaining upright in faith rather than getting knocked down repeatedly. Again, boxers lean heavily upon keeping a consistent rhythm to their movement. They want to keep their guard up, breathing in check, punch sequence smooth, and footwork balanced so they’re working off muscle memory rather than momentary thought.

The same goes for us in our spiritual disciplines. Keeping a frequent and consistent rhythm in Bible study and prayer is key, but knowledge will only get us so far if we’re not applying what we’re learning. Therefore, endurance comes when we invest our blood, sweat, and tears by allowing the Spirit to refine our character in Christ’s image and keeping in constant communication with God in prayer.

BOTTOM-LINE:

Undoubtedly, pain comes with building spiritual endurance and persecution is real for those who live unashamed of the Gospel. So how then should we respond in faith?

Keep in mind, what separates a good boxer from a great one comes down to how trained and prepared he is to take a punch, not deliver one. For any man can walk into the ring and begin throwing haymakers till exhaustion takes over, but what happens when his opponent strikes back and knocks him to the canvas in return?

At times, the enemy will knock us down and bait us into believing all hope is lost, so why get back up again? Satan likely held the same position when Jesus accepted defeat at Calvary and died on the cross. However, what the enemy did not anticipate was that three days later, Jesus would rise from the grave and defeat death once and for all. Our Savior was down for the count, but He got back up again!

“For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity” (Proverbs 24:16).

Therefore, despite how many times we get knocked down by pride and temptation, we can turn back to God in repentance and rise again to see another day because that is the beauty of the Gospel’s redemptive message. In other words, we are never down for the count because Jesus is on our side.

Truly, only the hopeless remain down for the count, but we are alive in Christ and have eternal victory in our grasp because of Him, not us. Therefore, we must embrace our born-again identity and learn from our mistakes, so we are well-equipped to go another 12 rounds with the enemy until the Lord calls us home to eternity in heaven.

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:3–5).