Author: Dr. Mark D. Flattery 

Chapter One

The Knockdown

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:10-12).

It was a typical sultry night at the gym in the tropics. The stench of sweat combined with the high humidity to make breathing a chore for anyone much less one struggling with asthma. A quick glance around the stands revealed a very disinterested audience of ten who had nothing better to do than to waste the night spitting betel nut juice on the seats in front of them. As I made my way to sit I was surrounded quickly by a gang of young boys who were selling coconuts and old soda bottles left by US soldiers in WWII.

I am not sure why anyone was present but the combatants as this was not a big name grudge match. There were no TV cameras, no worldwide Internet coverage, no reporters, and well, no one really cared what happened that fateful night. This was not going to be a fight for the ages and it would be forgotten before it could be recorded in the annals of pugilistic history. And yet, the gladiators inside the roped field of battle warmed up as if their engagement would indeed matter.

The boxer in the white shorts called himself “Champ.” The moniker fit for he exuded an air of self-confidence that one would associate with a champion. There were no markings on him from past engagements. He was well groomed and had a physique that was part God-given

and part chiseled from hours of tortuous gym work outs. But, while he made an impressive figure I doubted seriously that he was battle tested.

The opponent that night was an enigma to me. As he stretched in the left corner of the ring in his red satin shorts there was actually nothing physically imposing about him. In fact, he looked rather pedestrian. There was no reason to believe that his nickname, which loosely translated means “The Destroyer,” was anything but a wishful thought from a creative agent. But, as I looked in his eyes I realized that there was something deeply disturbing about him. He was not just a gym rat who had visions of grandeur. I saw a cold-blooded psychotic warrior who was out to maim and brutalize his opponent. This fight was going to get ugly and in a hurry.

As the boxers engaged just after the ding of the opening bell it became apparent that Champ was confident; actually overconfident. His playful jabs and overblown roundhouse swings showed me that he underestimated his opponent and that he assumed victory was assured simply because he bothered to make an appearance. This was a fatal mistake for Champ was not in control.

The Destroyer sized up his opponent and then in the third round unleashed a powerful right hand that surprised Champ so completely that he never saw it coming. His blow landed with such forocity that it caused the audience to gasp. Champ’s knees buckled and he crumbled as if shot by a high powered weapon. As he lay on the blood-stained canvass with the left side of his face seemingly crushed, he tried desperately to regain his senses. Somehow, as if by a miracle, he opened his eyes and sat up. As his right hand waved in the night air struggling frantically to find the ropes so he could lift himself to stand, he did something so strange that it will be embedded in my memory forever. He turned and glared at the third man in the ring. He

was unable to verbalize his thoughts and yet his piercing eyes glared at the referee as if to say, “How can you do this to me?”

I assume that you are considering this book because you experienced a recent crushing defeat that turned your world upside down. You were betrayed, humiliated, isolated, abandoned, embarrassed or a combination of all of these. These feelings are legitimate. But, there is a proven and time-tested response that will get you off the canvass and on the winning path. There are some points from my completely fictitious story that I want to emphasize as we start our journey together.

First, whether you want to recognize it or not, you are in a spiritual battle for your eternal destiny. I know that this sounds like religious verbiage. But, the truth is that the devil is out to get you and will do everything he can to rob you of the life that God created you to live.

The devil knows that he is a created being who was thrown from heaven due to his disobedience and pride. He knows that he cannot overpower God or directly impact God in anyway. So, instead he focuses his attacks on those who are most precious to God and those are God’s children; you and me. His strategy is to seek and destroy in a spiritual battle those created in God’s image as the means to hurt God.

The spiritual battle is manifested flagrantly in the religious persecution going on in our world today. We hear stories of believers who are tortured and whose families are killed simply because they declared their love for Jesus or they were caught with a Bible. Our hearts cry out for them. We know from God’s Word that He will not let them die in vain. He will balance the scales of justice as He rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked.

The battle that you face right now is probably not to the degree of religious persecution and for that we should all be humbled and thankful. I do not want to diminish in any way the

sacrifices that these believers make for the sake of the Gospel. At the same time, I suggest to you that your current battle is equally important to God because the eternal consequences are the same.

The spiritual battle you are facing may be due to a recent trauma or tragedy. You may be struggling to find a new job so that you can support your family. You are in a battle. You may still be in shock when your life turning into a nightmare because your spouse abandoned the marriage vows and had an affair. You are in a battle. You may have been devastated deeply by the death of a loved one. You are in a battle.

I believe as well that the spiritual battle is waged in the routines of life. You may feel like you are drowning in a sea of red ink when you sit at your desk to pay your monthly bills. You are in a battle. You are in a battle whenever you turn surf the Internet or flip through the channels. You are in a battle when you are in a conversation that turns into gossip or to speak of someone in ways that is demeaning or belittling. You are in a battle when you are tempted to be less than who God created you to be.

You are in a spiritual battle whether you recognize it or not. I hope that you will be alert to this fact and prepare for life’s encounters. Let me remind you right now that you will get hit. Life will knock you down. It happens all of us at some point in our lives.

Second, once you realize that you are in a battle you must identify who hurt you. One of the first questions you will ask when life knocks you down is, “why?” Oddly, the frequent first response for us is to get mad at God! It is amazing to me that when life falls apart we automatically blame God, wonder what He is doing, question His motives, and ask aloud if He really cares. This anger is misplaced for God is not the author of confusion or anxiety. He does not condemn or act rashly. While the one who hurt you may be your boss, your friend, your spouse, someone you do not know or even a natural disaster, the source of all things bad is the

devil. So, instead of turning away from God, get mad at the devil for ultimately, he is the one who punched you in the mouth.

Third, this constant battle deserves your serious attention and a strategic response. You can play around with your spiritual health and give it a half-hearted effort or you can engage the Trinity wholeheartedly and stand firm even in the most ferocious battles. The only genuinely viable course of action is to turn completely to Jesus Christ. Learned cultural responses, TV and talk radio psychology experts, tabloid magazines, self-help books, and dabbling into other recognized or false religions will fall woefully short in equipping you with a winning strategy to impact your future.

If you shared your story with me right now you would focus on the injustice done to you, the tragedy of the situation, and the resulting wounds. It is human nature for the focal point of your account to be the sins of your offender. As horrible as your offender was, and is, the only way that you will get off the canvass of life is to focus on you. Are you willing to regroup and rebuild? Are you willing to put aside your pain and pride and build a winning strategy around Jesus Christ?

At this point you might be thinking, “Hang on a minute! I am the one who was hurt and abused. What do you mean that I must put aside my pride and pain?” Well, the truth is that you cannot make your offender change. There is a strong probability that your avenue of influence to your offender is blocked and so there is nothing whatsoever you can do or say to make your offender repent or change his or her behavior. The only one you can change is you. You cannot change what happened to you because that is history. But, you can change your actions and reactions for today and therefore build a strong tomorrow. Let’s examine the Scriptures together and talk about how you can stand firm when life knocks you down.

For You To Consider

1. What happened that knocked you to the canvass of life?

2. How do you feel like responding?

3. How do you believe that you should respond and who is giving you this advice?

4. Are you willing to hear from God’s Word to help you right now?

Scripture for You to Pray Today: II Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (KJV).

What is the Lord saying to you right now?