Spiritual Wrestling Matches

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  

–Ephesians 6:12 (KJV) 

You wouldn’t know it to look at me, but I have done quite a bit of wrestling in my time.  Well, I have to confess at this point that I never did any official wrestling on the team in High School or college, but I did my share of wrestling my brother and some of the boys on our street.  Back when I was a boy we were being influenced by the wrestling stars of the day: Wild Bull Curry, Tex Mackenzie, Bobo Brazil, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, and Chief Jay Strongbow, to name a few.  Are any of these names ringing a bell?  Believe me when I say that they were legends to me and my childhood friends.

So influenced were we by the above named persons that we would conduct matches in the yard of our home.  Body-slams were disallowed due to the danger of a broken neck on the grass which served as the matt, but pretty much everything else was perfectly legal.  We sustained a few bloody noses and a number of bruises, but somehow no one was ever seriously hurt.  After all, we were all friends in the first place and I believe someone has said that that imitation is the highest form of flattery; we were simply trying to be like our heroes.  During inclement weather my brother and I would often wrestle in the family room, much to the dismay of our mother who once informed us that we sound like “a couple of rhinos crashing around the house.” Actually, that was probably a fair assessment of the racket we made. 

When I look back on those childhood wrestling matches I consider that in order to maintain a solid witness for Christ and to live lives that honor Him we must still do some wrestling.  As the Scripture says, however, we don’t wrestle with flesh and blood, but with the dark forces that exist in the world.  The follower of Christ must stand firm and wrestle against temptation, discouragement, bitterness, anger, and anything else that hinders our walk with Christ.  Thankfully, the Lord will empower us daily to win those struggles as we trust in Him and rely upon His blessed strength. 

What are you wresting with today?  What have you been wrestling with lately?  Is it some temptation?  Are you contemplating going some direction that would take you out of God’s will?  Perhaps yours is a struggle with discouragement and sorrow, and even as you read this you feel overwhelmed with the weight of it all.  The promise of God is that He is greater that any problem we will ever face.  Stand firm, do not give in, and never give up.  That standing firm will involve wresting with some dark forces that can creep into our lives.  Rest assured that the Lord is with us and victory comes through faith in Jesus Christ. 

The troubled soul will find strength, power, and renewed hope through trusting Christ.  Look to Him and never give up.