1Fight

Initially, I thought that the title for this post would be "Shadow Boxing", but now that I've had time to think on it, I think that shadow boxing, while conveying the right idea that it's only ourselves that we fight against - shadow boxing promotes the idea of training, but fighting promotes the idea of endeavoring to win.

So, what’s your fight?

You probably have more than one, but usually there’s one in particular that leaps to center ring as first on our minds.
Our fights are as wide and varied as we are as individuals. It could be as seemingly benign as household chores, or as relentless and frustrating as trying to love difficult people in a Godly way. There's no shortage of contenders.
We know we should be better about these things, but somehow they come with a flurry of jabs that make you want to throw in the towel. So what do we do?
We usually avoid these bouts altogether. Either that or we end up altering our personality in order to deal with it long enough for it to go away...we rarely become the fighter that we need to be to win.
I'm not knocking resistance: However, just as there are some urges that we need to resist, there are some that need to be dismantled altogether.

Who are our opponents? How do we recognize them? How do we know when we have a fight on our hands? The Spirit will let us know. If we’re growing in sensitivity to His leading, there will be instances where making the same old jokes just aren’t as funny anymore, or when our usual responses to common situations feel strangely different. When our actions are met with an inner tinge of conviction or a reflection that your behavior or response isn’t as godly as you know it ought to be – there’s your fight. Now don’t mistake the guilt of a bad choice with condemnation. There’s a big difference between conviction and condemnation. The Spirit uses conviction to draw your attention to your weaknesses. Its then up to you to appropriate The Spirit’s strength to fight for the peace of obedience.

Here’s The Word;

1 Corinthians 9:27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

I wouldn’t say that I’m KJV (King James Version) only but it is my preference. However, in this case, the NIV does a better job contextualizing the intent. The internal subjection we need to stay under is a fight. A fight against ourselves. It’s a fight against the death throes of our old man of sin. In the power of Christ, we're able to turn the tables and put "flesh" on the ropes. We keep him in the corner in order that our new man of Life can shine the light of Christ for the whole world to see.

Christ doesn't train contenders, He produces champions! Look at Romans 8 and tell me what you see. It's all about victory over the flesh.
We know that we’re being transformed into the image of Christ, and as this new nature becomes more and more real IN us, So many things need to take root – patience, peace, temperance, stability, contentment and the like. None of these things happen quickly and they hardly happen at all if we’re not honest about how old things still affect us. But if we can grab ahold of the truth of the matter - the victory in Christ - we can see that our old man is not even a worthy competitor and that this fight can be a round 1 knockout.

Father, you know my weaknesses.
the strength of all of my might.
You know my easily besetting sins
and all the battles that I fight.

Teach me to use Your power, God,
To stand against my flesh.
When it tries to revert to old dead ways,
Breathe on me afresh!

When my words lack encouraging grace,
Help me enslave my tongue.
I want to be faithful in running this race.
I fight that Your Will be done.

I fight to shield evil from my eyes.
It's a battle I sometimes lose.
Help me to gaze on your holiness.
I'm wholly Yours, what wonderful news!

Old wants and desires fight for control.
The only option is defeat.
I fight and die daily, enslaving my flesh.
To be spiritually minded. Complete.


Be encouraged. Be trained. Be ambitious. Be humble and be ready.
Your fight is winnable, but it's not for the faint of heart. The flesh has deep roots, strong influence and a wide stance.
Just when you think you've got one issue beat, here comes a sneak attack from another angle that catches you off guard, causing you to stumble. The flesh is a relentless opponent with weighted gloves, he doesn't fight fair.
The flesh also has a strong corner and a vicious coaching staff - he works with the world and the devil to distract, disrupt and destroy. That's why we stay in shape. We stay on our toes and we stay aware that the counter-punches can come at anytime from anywhere.
We can't control what the devil or the world does but The Bible has answers for that - For the devil, we resist
James 4:7 - Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
For the world - We take heart that Christ has already beaten that bully. John 16:33 - These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
and for the flesh, that's where we appropriate Christ strength, prove our allegiance and grow in righteousness...we fight that one fight.

In Him,
Cros