February 28, 2020 – Click here to listen
I boxed when I was in high school and later after I got married went on to become a boxing judge for several years. I actually judged Evander Holifield when he boxed Golden Gloves and “Smoking” Joe Frazier’s son who got knocked out in the first round. Smoking Joe hopped into the ring to check on him and was laughing as he did so.
One thing I learned about boxing is that when you step into that ring you better stay focused. Becoming distracted in any manner can result in someone landing a solid punch or even a knockout blow.
I had a very good record as a boxer and had never been KO’d; however, I was not undefeated. I lost a few fights along the way and I understand just how hard it is to go undefeated. Whether we are aware of it, or believe it, or not, we are all engaged in spiritual warfare and we face a formidable opponent who has gone undefeated except for one fight. Satan is his name. He was soundly defeated by the only undefeated champion of the world Jesus Christ whom we put our faith and trust in.
Thankfully the Apostle Paul provides believers with a winner’s manual of how to defend ourselves from Satan and all his minions. He taught that Jesus equips us with six dimensions of spiritual armor. He is our truth, our righteousness, our peace, the object of our faith, the source of our salvation, and is the living word of God incarnate. When we put on this full armor of God, we are protected by the only person Satan has never defeated, Jesus Christ.
Paul wrote about this subject when he was a prisoner in chains in Rome. He spoke fearlessly and boldly and remained focused on Jesus though the worst fiery darts that Satan possessed that were hurled at him from every direction, including being repeatedly flogged, beaten, stoned, imprisoned, shipwrecked, bitten by a poisonous snake, and despised by all of his family and former friends, not to mention the Sanhedrin and the Roman Empire.
He could not have survived it alone; he would have been KO’d. He needed Jesus Christ and Paul put his complete faith in him to get him through each day. Today we are inundated with evil in the world. Just last week the United States Senate passed a bill that gave the green light to abortionists to kill babies that somehow miraculously survive an abortion. Infanticide got the blessing of the United States Senate – Can you believe it. This after hearing testimony from countless survivors of abortion.
We see the crazies running for President under the Democrat banner and their anti-God platform, crime is exploding, pornography is getting into elementary schools, violence, wars, earthquakes, and the world is quaking in its boots over a flu virus.
Satan pulls no punches as he fights with reckless abandon, but we need not fear him. As I said in the beginning of this piece, we simply must remain focused. What do we focus on? Jesus Christ. It’s all we need and there is no fear when we have faith.
My financial advisor called me yesterday and unbeknownst to him paid me the highest compliment I have received lately. He was calling all his customers to soothe and calm us down about the stock market plunge stating that it was merely temporary and if anything would provide some good opportunity to purchase stocks at a bargain. He asked what I thought about the panic, but before I could answer he said, “Bob your faith is so strong you don’t worry about anything and I’m sure you aren’t one of those panicking.”
I told him he was correct; God is still on the throne and He was not allowing the sky to start falling just yet. There is plenty of work to be done in reaching untold billions for Christ. Let’s focus on Jesus and get it done and Satan, well, he needs to focus on packing up because soon enough he will head to the deepest darkest loneliest hole in hell where Jesus will throw him and lock him up.
Romans 8:38
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Have a great weekend and go to church this Sunday!