Round #3 - The Knock-out Punch!

     The knock-out punch is another one of those gruesome. gory and yet glorious moments to watch.  Those reading who lack the testosterone pumping through their veins of their male counterparts may be missing the glorious part of the equation.  It is glorious because it is the ultimate sign of victory.  Their is no doubt who is the winner when a knock-out punch is thrown.  The winner throws up his hands in victory and walks away knowing the fight is over.
     So many times in my journey with Christ, I have looked for that "knock-out punch"  when it comes to certain sins that I find myself consistently struggling with.  I think that there must be a certain fervent prayer that I can pray, a book I can read, a class I can attend, or a magic scripture verse that I can quote over my life that will forever settle the struggle.  The problem is that those things seemed to be effective punches but not the "end the fight, knock-out punch" I was looking for.  Because after each punch, my sinful nature continues to fight me and dog me at every step.
     GREAT NEWS!!! I found the secret knock-out punch in Galatians 5:24 "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them their."  For those of you reading who are followers of Jesus Christ, the moment you placed your faith in Jesus and gave him control of your life the knock-out punch was thrown.  Your sinful nature was nailed to Christ's cross.  The problem with our sinful nature is that it is extremely stubborn and will try to get back up off the mat if you let it.
     When you commit your life to Christ he gives you a new identity and a new spirit.  The struggle comes in the fact that we still have the same old desires, old mind, and old habits.  Those are changed over time.  This is where are faith is totally different than a cage fight.  The only way you will win this fight is to give up, surrender, or "tap out."  The only way God can change your old desires, habits, and ways of thinking is continual surrender to his will, his ways, and his word.
     This is why prayer, reading the word, hearing the word, and quoting the word are so important in our lives, but ultimately they are not the knock-out punch.  They are just reminding ourselves of the knock-out punch that Jesus threw when he died on the cross in our place.  Our sinful natures died with him.  But here is the rest of the good news, Jesus didn't just die for us.  Anyone could have done that.  No, he was raised back to life, symbolic of how we can be brought back to life through the power of his Spirit.
     So I challenge you today, whenever your sinful nature tries to get back off the mat, remind it "you were nailed to Christ's cross and crucified with him there."  Maybe you have never surrendered control of your life to Jesus.  If not I challenge you today to "tap out."  You will never win without Jesus.  It is only through the power of the Spirit that anyone of us can become the Champion God created us to become.