If you are a believer in Christ, you are like a fighter in a ring (1 Tim. 6:12).  And every believer, just like a fighter, should have a trainer in their corner (if you don’t have a trainer you’ve probably been getting beat up.  Get one!).  A trainer is someone who teaches and motivates you and holds you accountable.  A trainer genuinely wants the fighter to win.  But a trainer cannot fight your battles for you.  He/she cannot even get in the ring with you.  The fighter has to fight.  As a fighter, you should listen to the trainer if you want to win but, in the end, you are responsible for your own effort.

And if you’re a trainer, there’s nothing more heartbreaking than being in someone’s corner and telling them what they need to know only to watch them give up. You feel sorry for them because you know how difficult it is to be fighting in that ring. You know that when YOU are in a fight your judgment can become distorted and the temptation to quit becomes so very strong.

For you Fighters (and we all are): Remember that during this fight you will get hit!  And you will make some mistakes.  But the biggest mistake is giving up!  The fight may not be going like you wanted, and you may not believe there is any hope to win, but with God all things are possible!  ONE PUNCH can turn this fight around!  The only way you can lose this fight is if you quit.  There is a false peace that comes when you quit (because it’s nice to not be fighting anymore!).  HOLD OUT for true peace, the kind that comes from the Holy Spirit, the kind that is still there even when all hell is breaking loose (Phil. 4:7)!  Also, be teachable and learn from your trainers.  God put them in your corner for a reason.  But this fight is yours and no one else’s, no excuses.  And last but not least, surrender to the Holy Spirit.  He is the only one who can be in the ring with you besides the enemy.  He can empower you with strength and strategy beyond what you are able to conjure up within yourself.

For you Trainers: I know how frustrated your fighters can make you.  They can be arrogant know-it-all’s, they don’t always listen and it seems like they give up way to easily.  But how will they learn to be patient if we are not patient with them?  How will they learn to listen to us if we don’t listen to them?  You will have some fighters that give up.  You were in their corner but you could not fight their battle for them.  God will continue to work on their hearts but even He will not make their decisions for them.  Let them go.  Paul had to let John Mark go but he eventually came back.  You never know.  Hang in there and keep training the ones that stick around.  All your hard work will pay off one day IF you don’t lose heart (Gal. 6:9)!  Set a good example because one day your FIGHTERS will become TRAINERS.

1 Timothy 6:12  “Fight the good fight of faith…”

2 Timothy 2:3-5 (Message)  “When the going gets rough, take it on the chin with the rest of us, the way Jesus did. A soldier on duty doesn’t get caught up in making deals at the marketplace. He concentrates on carrying out orders. An athlete who refuses to play by the rules will never get anywhere.”

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