I grew up a boxing fan and loved watching Sugar Ray Leonard (The greatest boxer in my opinion of all time)...Greatest fight ever was Sugar Ray Vs. Marvelous Marvin Hagler! Sugar Ray took it to the heavily favored beast Hagler. Sugar was sweet to watch that night as he looked untouchable and made Hagler look old, slow, outclassed, outboxed and just outsmarted. One of Sugar Rays trademark moves is when he DROPS his guard, shuffles his feet, swings one arm in circles and then out of nowhere.....BAM he hits his opponent with a fast and furious jab. Complete SWEETNESS and I am sure a complete psych job on the poor opponent who just got owned and made to look like an amateur.
Sugar Ray was sweet and fast enough to drop his guard in the ring and get away with it and make the other guy look bad to all who watched. But....But....You and those of us who face a much more deadly, vicious, bad intentioned, looking to destroy everything about you enemy; cannot afford to drop your guard and hope it all works out in the end. Satan is your enemy and has bad intentions for you at every turn. He is looking to knock you out and ruin who you are as a follower of Christ. We as Christians have got to wake up and get in the fight and be smart about Who we are, What we represent, Who our enemy is, What his strategy is, How he attacks, When he attacks and Who he attacks.
Iron Mike Tyson was also a great boxer before his complete debacle and utter self destruction as a boxer. He was fierce, smart, dangerous and very good. His power was feared among opponents and his skills in the beginning were amazing to watch. He is mostly remembered for his amazing punches that could knock a guy out, a guy who was a professional boxer, with one punch. Tyson would look to knock his opponent out every time his fist left his guard. Bad Intentions was his goal, bad intentions being unconsciousness for the unlucky recipient of his punch! He was feared. Your enemy, satan, has Bad Intentions for you....every time....he wants to take you out.....he want to hurt you and leave you spiritually unconscious.
1 Peter 5:8
New International Version (NIV)
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Sounds like somebody who has bad intentions for you....right?
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
Keep your GUARD up....you are not Sugar Ray....you are not Mike Tyson.....spiritually speaking of course! The World, the Flesh and the Devil will always try to get you to take your eyes off of God and get your attention, your focus, your affection on the wrong things. All this is, is a jab by satan to get you to drop your guard so he can go for the knockout. Your affection is meant for God, your passion is meant for Christ and anything else is a design to make you drop your guard. Be proactive on your daily walk to protect your heart from the things that are a trap for you. Be smart and keep your focus on Christ and be ready for an attack from satan. Unlike Mike Tyson and Sugar Ray....we do not have to fear satan....he is a defeated foe! Our fear is for God alone and not for a fake substitute. Satan only has power over you when you give it to him, when you give him opportunity to rule your life with affections that oppose Christ. When we are walking in Truth and living for Christ...we have no reason to fear satan....he is POWERLESS against Christ. Let your life represent Christ and let Christ RULE your life and I guarantee you satan will flee from you as you submit to God daily!
1. Submit to God (everything)Sounds like somebody who has bad intentions for you....right?
Proverbs 4:23
New International Version (NIV)
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
Keep your GUARD up....you are not Sugar Ray....you are not Mike Tyson.....spiritually speaking of course! The World, the Flesh and the Devil will always try to get you to take your eyes off of God and get your attention, your focus, your affection on the wrong things. All this is, is a jab by satan to get you to drop your guard so he can go for the knockout. Your affection is meant for God, your passion is meant for Christ and anything else is a design to make you drop your guard. Be proactive on your daily walk to protect your heart from the things that are a trap for you. Be smart and keep your focus on Christ and be ready for an attack from satan. Unlike Mike Tyson and Sugar Ray....we do not have to fear satan....he is a defeated foe! Our fear is for God alone and not for a fake substitute. Satan only has power over you when you give it to him, when you give him opportunity to rule your life with affections that oppose Christ. When we are walking in Truth and living for Christ...we have no reason to fear satan....he is POWERLESS against Christ. Let your life represent Christ and let Christ RULE your life and I guarantee you satan will flee from you as you submit to God daily!
James 4:7
New International Version (NIV)
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
2. Resist the devil (guard your heart)
3. He will flee (look for somebody else to attack)
You can be VICTORIOUS, You can be the one in your family, church, school, youth group, neighbourhood, to be different and be an example for others to see. Keep up your guard and keep your heart on God and loving Him and His Son above all else. Don't drop your GUARD!
WORD!
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