Can you take a punch?

Just the other day, my brother and I were talking about our prayer walk and how when you first start out with the Lord, everything seems easy.  You pray, He Answers...BOOM, it's Done!  It galvanizes your prayer walk and you can't wait to pray again!
Then as more time goes by and you pray, it seems as though the LORD answers back and says things like, "umm, you need to get that right first."  So we repent, and as soon as we get our heart right, we see the manifestation.
Then more time elapses, and as you pray, you hear....NOTHING!  You feel....NOTHING!  So you get before God and check your heart and wait to hear if there is some area that needs adjusted and you wait.  You wait. You wait and Y.O.U.W.A.I.T.
Then you start to question.  "Daddy God, is everything all right?"  Did I do something I'm not supposed to be doing?  "Can you hear me Lord?" 
Crickets are chirping and your heart is falling flat and you feel as if you are drifting alone in this wilderness called life.

I likened it to a boxer learning the ropes.  Now, I don't know much about boxing, only what I've seen in the movies but it's enough to illustrate my point.  The boxer doesn't start in the ring, he starts his training on a bag...it doesn't hit back.  Then he graduates to a sparring partner, who hits back, but the boxer has on a helmet so the hits sting but don't usually take him out.  He learns to take a punch before he finally steps in the ring with an opponent and the pads are off and he is on his own.  His trainer is in the corner yelling out encouragement and will be there to fix his cuts and send him back into the fight. And finally, if he trained hard enough, he will be the last one standing when that final bell dings.

Our faith walk is like a prize fight.  We have the Holy Ghost in our corner, but we are in the ring by ourselves and the enemy is going to be throwing his best combinations at us to take us out.  The best fighters seem to be the ones with a plan.  They don't swing aimlessly and wear themselves out.  They are meticulous in their punches.  Sometimes, they even take a few because they know that this will wear their opponent out. The best fighters seem to know when to duck and when to cover themselves under the protection of their gloves. The best fighters also believe that they will be the one still standing, regardless of what they see coming at them.  That is what Faith is according to Hebrews 11:1 NLT

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

Walking things out in Faith is not for the faint-hearted.  I always laugh when I hear non-believers refer to being a Christian as a crutch, like it's a bad thing.  Years ago, I broke my leg badly and believe me when I tell you, that crutch was a life-line.  It was hard at first; but eventually I got the hang of it and I was grateful for it.  Trust me when I tell you that when something is broken in your life, you lean on your Faith with all your strength and you rejoice that you have something that holds you up so that you don't end up flat on your face, more injured than you were before.  Paul explains it well in 2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT:

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

When I am weak in my own ability, I lean on my Faith in God and I use it to carry me through until I am strengthened and I can make it to the next mark in my journey. Because my friend, life is about the journey and we are to continue to keep pressing forward, despite the pain, despite the loss and as we continue each leg of the journey we celebrate the small victories because in reality, there are no small victories in Christ.

I love this time of the year! It enables me to reflect on what our Lord accomplished for us.  He began this week with a triumphal entry into Jerusalem with shouts of "HOSANNA" ringing in his ears and he ended it lying buried in a borrowed tomb, after suffering the death of a criminal.  To the world, he had failed miserably. He had been abandoned, by all but a few.  I don't know about you, but I can relate to his sorrow.  I have failed.  I have been abandoned.

However, we know now that it was NOT over.  The best was yet to come! On the first day of the new week, the Earth trembled, the stone rolled away and Jesus conquered Death, Hell and the Grave!

He did it for me.  He did it for you. He did it for all.  I remember hearing years ago, a song by Carman called, The Champion.  It had a huge impact on me.  (If you have never heard it, click on the link.)  By the end of it, you will be cheering and declaring the Victory won by the Champion of the Ages...

“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” I Corinthians 15:54-55 NLT