We may not wrestle with flesh and blood, but that doesn’t mean we don’t fight.
Now, if you’ve been around for a while, you might recall that I’m a big fan of good fight movies and can recite the scripts for Rock I-IV in their entirety on demand. So, in addition to solidifying the fact that I must see this movie, that knife-fight line has been rolling through my head over and over in the days since I first heard it.
I won’t speak for you, but the last time I found myself engaged in a knife fight was probably around the 12th of Never. Although, I have been known to sleep with a butcher knife on the nightstand when I get a little spooked. I’m getting my money’s worth out of that chef’s collection in my kitchen.
However, even though I won’t be hosting Fight Club, Knife Edition anytime soon, I think there’s a reason this line resonated so much. We may not wrestle with flesh and blood, but that doesn’t mean we don’t fight. You have an enemy, and he has one mission: steal, kill, destroy.
So what are you going to do about it?
The proximity of the enemy is a deciding factor in how the battle will be fought.
There’s something I learned from Scripture that is echoed in J.Lo’s dialogue: The proximity of the enemy is a deciding factor in how the battle will be fought. “A knife fight means your enemy’s close.” Let’s go back to that verse I referenced earlier:
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12
We are fighting against spiritual hosts of wickedness. We are fighting the darkness of this age. And according to this translation, we are wrestling. You have to be close to wrestle someone. You can wrestle from a distance. Wrestling means your enemy is close.
When the enemy is close in proximity, we are vulnerable. But so is he. Within striking range. My ability to land a punch increases exponentially when the enemy is so close – so prominent – that I can’t miss.
When the enemy is close in proximity, we are vulnerable.
But so is he.
I have a kid-safe version of a dart board in my office where you throw ping pong balls wrapped in velcro at the felt target, aiming for the center. When my 5-year-old goddaughter plays, she gives me the felt target board and stands no more than 1.25 steps away as she tosses the ball.
Why? Because the closer she is, the higher her chances of hitting the target.
When it comes to these wrestling matches, you gotta be close to make a hit.
“You can’t hit him just once. You can never stop hitting him until he can’t hit back.”
Another principle seen in scripture. Look at this passage from 2 Kings 13:17-19, featuring the prophet Elisha talking to the king of Israel:
Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped. The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.”
You have to be bold enough to take a swing and tenacious enough to keep hitting until the enemy can’t hit back.
Did you catch that? When the king stopped striking, the outcome changed. He should have had total destruction, but instead, he only received temporary victory.
You have to be bold enough to take a swing, and tenacious enough to keep hitting until the enemy can’t hit back. But none of that matters if you aren’t close enough to wrestle.
I’ve been speaking in metaphors, but there’s another aspect of this that is quite literal. The only way to win a spiritual battle is to be closer to your ally than you are to your enemy.
The only way to win a spiritual battle is to be closer to your ally than you are to your enemy.
“The victory of one battle will become the experience you need to be victorious in the next”. Amen! This stood out to me as this is something that was transformational for me when I learned it in my younger years. Battles may not be easy, but they’re necessary. You referenced the fact that the fight won’t end on this side of eternity, which can be exhausting to think about, but I know it’s a part of the walk. Through it all, I want to be one of the children referenced in 1 John 2:28 who remains in fellowship with Christ so that when He returns, I will be full of courage and not shrink back from Him in shame.
This is so good, friend. He gives us strength for the fight and then bids us “Come to me, all who are weary.” Victorious Savior and good Father 🫶🏼