Do you want to win? Learn how to fight!

A friend of mine in junior high got punched in the face by a bully.  His Dad was furious and scheduled boxing lessons with a professional boxing trainer.

My friend needed a sparring partner, and they chose me.

In our first lesson, we hit and swung at each other for the first 90 seconds after putting on the gloves. Then, we got so exhausted that our gloves fell to our sides!

Those gloves felt as heavy as bowling balls.

Our “fight” was gone.

Yours may be, too. 

Here are some ways to put the “fight” back in your spirit:

1. If you don’t fight, you are going to get knocked out.

A lot of Christians are too nice to the devil.

They think he won't continue to fight if they ignore him!

Wrong.

Jesus said, “The thief comes to steal, KILL, and destroy” (Jn. 10:10).

HE WANTS TO KILL YOU!

You had better straighten up, put your shoulders back, and put your gloves on.  He means to kill, and you HAVE TO FIGHT BACK, or it could be over.

2. Satan plays psychological games with your mind.

Satan has centuries of experience dealing with Christians. He has won many battles against them, almost every time winning the battle in the mind.

Goliath was so imposing that he scared the daylights out of every Israelite soldier.  David used a rock and took him down.

Tell those thoughts of fear, failure, and defeat out loud:  “Satan, you are a LIAR.”  

I heard about a bully on a playground.  He had a list of everyone he could beat up.  One frail, skinny boy saw his name on the list.  “YOU CAN’T BEAT ME UP,” he said.  The bully turned the pencil over and erased his name!

3. You have supernatural weapons for a supernatural enemy.

Paul said, “The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds” (2 Cor. 10:4).

David’s little sling looked puny!  Goliath’s armor weighed 125 pounds, and the tip of his spear weighed 15 pounds.

All it took was one rock.

Scripture is that rock.  Jesus defeated each of Satan’s temptations with just one verse.

One verse!

Find a verse that promises victory and quote it to the enemy until he gets tired of hearing it….and leaves.

4.  Don’t stop fighting just because Satan looks like he is leaving.

Satan left Christ “until an opportune season.”

You can never let down your guard.  Keep the armor of God on.  Watch for any sign that he is trying to re-emerge in battle against you.

Every day, remind him that he is defeated.  Put your foot on his head.  Say out loud, “Satan, you are defeated.  Christ defeated you when He rose from the dead.  You have no power over me now or forever.”

Now, you are talking!

My friend and I took a breather and kept sparring.  We got better.  I won’t say we won a Golden Gloves championship, but we were better prepared to fight.

FIGHT UNTIL YOU WIN.