Wrestling and Reigning

We have been granted victory over the power of the enemy; Jesus has triumphed over Satan through His death and resurrection - He has given us tools that can be used to live out that victory.  2nd
Corinthians 10 states:
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

The Bible says to walk in the Spirit and we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh; we can combat evil desires by filling our minds with the Word and depending on the power of God's Spirit.  But, if we are viewing our struggles with human understanding, we can miss out on what God wants to do in our lives.  We can walk in triumph over sin as we appropriate His power and view our battles as spiritual ones.

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We can view the struggles we face through spiritual eyes, through the lens of Scripture, and recognize that it just may be spiritual warfare in which we're engaged. A pastor whom I'll reference a bit later used Ephesians 6:12 in a sermon. It, and the following verse, say:
12 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.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

I can't say that I am a fan of professional wrestling.  It is a popular form of entertainment, and there are certainly those that will argue whether or not it is a true sport.  Nevertheless, there are some names in wrestling who have also developed a faith commitment - I think of my conversation a few years back with the great Lux Luger, whose life experienced a turnaround through the Lord after He was overpowered by lewd living.  And, there is Steve Borden, also known as "Sting."

A Dallas-area pastor last fall actually did a sermon series on wrestling.  The Christian Post reports:

The senior pastor of Fellowship Church, a multisite congregation based in Grapevine, Texas, recently announced that the four-week series will begin on Sunday, Sept. 9.

Regarding pastor Ed Young, the article says, "In a Thursday interview with The Christian Post, Young explained that he had considered centering a sermon series on wrestling for years given how often it appears in the Bible."  The article went on to say:

"One of the most used metaphors in scripture regarding the Christian life is that of a wrestler," said Young, citing as examples Ephesians 6:12 and Jacob wrestling with an angel, as described in Genesis 32:22-32.

As part of the series, the pastor interviewed The Undertaker, Ric Flair, Sting, and "The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase. Now, I do not know that all of these are believers, but I do know that Sting's faith walk is well-documented, and that Dibiase was the subject of a documentary about his life and faith back in 2017.

There is a recent wrestling-faith connection that has emerged. According to Faithwire, "WWE star Roman Reigns shocked wrestling fans across the globe after announcing his immediate withdrawal from the sport due to the return of a serious blood cancer condition that had dogged him on and off for the best part of a decade."

At the time that he stepped aside, Reigns had said he would “take any prayer you can send my way."

Recently, Reigns returned to the ring.  The article states:

However, in a stunning return to the WWE stage Monday night, Reigns said he had “hit a home run” in his cancer treatment, crediting the power of prayer for helping him overcome the disease.

Reigns admitted that before announcing his grave condition, he was “terrified,” and “insecure.”

He cited the "utterly overwhelming" prayer support he had received. Reigns said, "I am telling you that so many people prayed for me that God’s voicemail was full … to the max..."  He is quoted as saying:

“I truly believe [God] was in His head thinking, ‘Man, what is going on down there? All for this one guy? All these people?'” Reigns laughed. “That was the magnitude. That was how strong it was to be surrounded by y’all’s love and y’all’s grace. To be able to feel that, the strength that you gave me. I can do anything with that type of strength and love.”

Faithwire also reports:

In an interview with Good Morning America, Reigns added that the unwavering prayer and support made him feel like he was “surrounded by guardian angels.”

Here you have yet another professional wrestler making faith statements.  And, we can consider the circumstances and content here: he is certainly grateful for prayers, and he is back in the ring.  You don't get a feel about his own personal beliefs, but you can certainly be reminded about the power of prayer.  And, perhaps just letting someone know you are praying for him or her can lead to conversation about more deeply spiritual things, like a relationship with Christ.  Much can be accomplished for the Kingdom when we unify our hearts in prayer.

Playing off Pastor Young's sermon series, we can consider with what we are wrestling.  He referred to Ephesians 6:12, which reminds us that we are engaged in a spiritual war against unseen forces of darkness.  2nd Corinthians 10 tells us that we have mighty spiritual weapons, not carnal ones, as we do battle against the strongholds of the enemy.  If we are struggling today, we can take care to identify the struggle, identify its source, and use spiritual resources, including the Word and the power of the Spirit, to begin to experience victory.   We know that we are wrestling with something bigger than human opponents.