Shadow Boxing

There he was…coming down the street.
The motion of his arms was the first thing to catch my eye.
I had to look…but as nonchalantly as I could.
I didn’t want to stare.

He was boxing.
Shadow boxing.
Punching the air without an opponent.

Shadow boxing got its name from the practice of standing close to a wall and pretending to punch the shadow your body projects on it.

I have no idea if this young man is a boxer, but he appeared to be training for something.
His opponent was receiving some serious punches.
Soon his feet were not walking…they were dancing.
I heard the sound of the gravel being disturbed beneath his sneakers.

Little children saw him shadow box as well.
We were all spectators.
They giggled.
I did not.

His shadow boxing made me think.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

Athletes train for a prize that will not last.
How much more should Christians train for the prize that will last…forever?

Athletes need self-control, determination, and focus.
Christians should have their eyes turned towards Jesus.

Athletes cannot afford to run aimlessly when a finish line is in sight.
Christians need to press on towards our eternal home.

What this young man was doing is not terribly different from what we do every day.
We shadow box an unseen opponent.
The enemy of our souls is always looking for an opportune time to box with us.
An opportune time to tempt, to accuse, to discourage.

Our opponent is not just a shadow on the wall.
He is real.
He is fierce.

Praise God…He is defeated!

The children giggled at the absurdity of the young man fighting someone unseen.
But, as Christians, we know that kind of fight is very real.
The devil is unseen…but he is playing for keeps.
He is fighting to the death.

The devil is trying to win our souls.
There is no neutral corner.
You can’t sit passively by and hope everything will all turn out fine.
You will find yourself lying on the mat…down for the count.

The devil has a Formidable Foe.
ONE that did fight to the death.
ONE that gave His knockout punch on the cross.

Death has been swallowed up in victory. “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
(1 Corinthians 15:54-58)

The knockout punch.
The boot on the neck.

God had a plan…in the beginning.

And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. (Genesis 3:15)

The devil tried to fight but all he could do was bruise our Lord Jesus.
Jesus submitted to His Father’s will in the garden and willingly died on the cross.
Jesus, our Victor, won the battle when He rose from the dead.
By His death and resurrection, Jesus crushed the head of the devil.

We fight an unseen opponent every day…this side of heaven.
Unseen…but DEFEATED!
Praise God!

The devil makes a lot of noise.
The devil causes a lot of trouble.

It is the devil who is beating the air.
He has already lost the fight.
The devil is the one who is shadow boxing.
We, who are in Christ, have no reason to fear.