I box almost daily, and I have sparred at local gyms, but I’m not a competitive fighter. I never pursued boxing as a profession or even as an amateur. Boxing, for me, is more of a philosophy and a way of life – or at least, this is how I came to appreciate it as a sport and as an art form. Boxing fulfills a carnal, spiritual need that I think is common to most humans, although perhaps to some more so than others. Ultimately, it is a universal truth that everyone has to fight – either someone or something – at some point in their lives.
While most of man’s battles are psychological and spiritual in nature, physical combat is always going to be at the core of our existence. Consider this: If there were no men willing to fight with fists and weapons, there would be no America. There would be no individual liberty at all, because freedom is not mankind’s default; it is the exception. Much of human history is comprised of various forms of slavery – of all races, and in all countries. But I won’t go into a history lesson here. I assume most would agree that might may not always make right, but it makes a damn good case for itself in certain situations.
The truth is, we live in a fallen world and evil runs rampant. Self-defense is a necessity, and few would argue that point. Boxing is an excellent form of self-defense, among many other martial arts. But it’s much more than that. It’s a dance. It’s a righteous celebration of the human body and its strength and beauty. It’s poetry in motion. Boxing is self-control, mind control, wit, will, determination, and skill. Most importantly, it is a means by which we can test what we’re really made of, and find out who we really are.
There is Biblical truth in boxing, too, and this is a subject I have spent many hours reading about and contemplating as a Christian. I will share those truths in my newsletter, to which I hope you’ll subscribe, and occasionally on this website. One of them is this:
'For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm therefore, by fastening the belt of truth around your waist, by putting on the breastplate of righteousness, by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace, and in all of this, by taking up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.'
-Ephesians 6:10-17
I’ve noticed that sometimes, what manifests in the flesh can be a mirror reflection of what is happening in the spiritual realm. This is applicable to our individual lives as well. For example, when I have experienced times in my life of extreme difficulty and spiritual battle, I’ve noticed that by imitating the battle, so to speak, in the physical sense, through boxing, I find answers. A slip to the right, a slide to the left, a step to the side – these are also the steps I’ve needed to take in a spiritual struggle. If all of this sounds like a lot of nonsense or is confusing to you, that’s okay. I didn’t always understand it myself.
Just as a fighter must train for years and undergo intense conditioning to prepare for a fight in the ring, it takes training to fine-tune your spiritual eyes and ears. And it takes conditioning and discipline to understand and apply what you learn. It’s a lifelong process, and everyone is on a different timeline.
When I first attempted to hear God, I would finish praying, ask to hear a word from Him, and wait. And wait and wait and wait. Did I hear Him speak back to me? No. Not for a long time. And when I finally did, it didn’t happen in the way I expected. Of course, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. God is not human, and He doesn’t communicate in the same way humans do. His ways are not our ways.
God is THE Master Storyteller. The greatest storyteller of all time. He’s constantly weaving stories through man and throughout the Earth. He often communicates this way, through storytelling, directly to individuals.
More often than not, He communicates to people through whatever medium they’re most responsive to, and that is most meaningful to them. For me, because I’m also a storyteller and I care about books and words, God often communicates with me through that medium. Especially the Bible.
If you’re new to hearing from God, you may not know how to hear what He’s saying to you, or even what to look for. You may not even know that He wants you to look! God doesn’t feed us like baby birds. He wants us to seek Him, follow His storyline, and interact.
Sometimes God weaves a complex story you have to seek very hard to understand, and other times it is much simpler. Sometimes it comes in the form of a riddle, or a hint.
Here is an example of when I’ve heard from God in a simple way, but I still had to do some work to “get” it. I had to try.
I asked God to give me a book of the Bible to read that would speak to this time in my life and what I’m going through. I’ve had success hearing back this way before, so I tried it again. And I heard from Him right away: Galatians 9 (by “heard” I don’t mean I heard a voice, but rather the still, small voice, which is much like a thought impression.
I eagerly opened my Bible to Galatians, only to be disappointed. There is no Galatians 9. Galatians only has 6 chapters! So I closed my Bible and felt disheartened. But I didn’t give up!
A few days later, I asked God once more. Again I heard ‘Galatians 9 – NINE.‘ The word NINE was repeated and was louder this time (in my head).
So, even though I knew there was no Galatians 9, I didn’t want to miss whatever it was God was trying to show me. I opened the Bible, turned to Galatians, and read all of it. Then it jumped right out at me.
In the introduction to Galatians in my copy of the Bible, there is a chart that defines the 9 fruits of the spirit. I excitedly counted them out – 12345678 NINE!!!
If you’re curious, they are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
So, this time God didn’t weave a complex story for me; He told me directly. But I had to interpret it, and I had to put in effort to find the meaning.
Other times the path to understanding what He’s saying is longer, and requires more work, more investigation, and more patience. I will give an example of that in a future newsletter. If you’d like to subscribe, you can do that HERE.