The Boxing Ring – Fixing your Eyes on the Prize

The Sufferings

Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing. (James 1: 2 – 4, AMP)

Recent months, James 1: 2 – 4, stood out to me. Not a great verse in human eyes, for who wants to be tested and falling into various trials, but what stood out as an encouragement to me was:

• Joy

The oxymoron of having joy in the midst of storms, is not an easy feat. It’s not reliant on just feelings, but knowing that God is in control, God is able, God is strong, God is good, God is loving, God is kind, God is our protector, God is sovereign, God provides, God loves us. It’s the knowing of who God truly is, and fixing our eyes on His true character that we are able to have joy and rejoice in Him, to continually praise Him even through our trials. 

• Endurance

Endurance is a word that used to be a bane of my life. When I was in NCC (youth army uniformed group), it was training and scolding all day. Running, push-ups, marching and drills under the scorching sun. Each time we were made to hold in push-up positions, with our hands on the oven-baked tiles, the seniors would ask us to ‘Endure’. Over time, I equated the word ‘Endure’ to punishment, with sadistic masters taking pleasure in seeing someone else suffer. 

With this tainted lens, I applied the same understanding to the things of God. In the past, when the Bible mentioned ‘Endurance’, I used my wrong perspective and viewed God as a sadist, who delights in suffering. It was until I recognised this wrong equation / wrong belief system which I have held onto and renounced it, that I started to see things from the right perspective. Truly, how can a good God be a sadist? It does not add up. Either God is a sadist or God is good. One of these statements must be true. Thankfully, the latter one stands true. The truth has indeed set me free. 

With a renewed mind, I learnt that in God’s eyes, endurance is supposed to lead us to spiritual maturity and inner peace. God wants to give us good things! He wants to move us from being a child to being a son / daughter of God. He wants to give us an inheritance, His gifts, His blessings of peace. It’s unlike what the world’s endurance would give us. 

In other translations, endurance is akin to perseverance and patience. Oh, what great patience is being developed in us during trials – when we have to be patient to wait for God to move, even though we are anxious within or even want to use our own strength to orchestrate things. When we have to be patient with other people’s idiosyncrasies, be patient when our neighbour is annoying and frustrating. When we wait upon the Lord to vindicate us when we are hurt. When we need to have a lens of faith that God will truly show up and deliver us from our situation. When we need to have faith that God hears our cries, and will act on our behalf. When we need to have faith in God’s goodness and character despite what we see. When we need to cling on to His peace in the midst of storms. When we need to have patience when things don’t go our way or even southward but still have faith that God is in control. Looks like faith and patience really go hand-in-hand.

• Perfect, complete, lacking in nothing

I don’t think we’ll ever be perfect until we see Jesus face to face. But since God says ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’, He truly wants us to become like Him. Every trial and every suffering is a moulding season, for us to shed a little bit of our old self. That anger that snaps so readily. That pride that rears its head every now and then. That jealousy, that selfish ambition, that evil of every kind. That wilfulness, that controlling spirit, that fear and worry, that work of the flesh. You name it, you have it. All the ugly little things, even those that may even be wrapped up beautifully under the disguise of good intentions. All our little plans. God is stripping them away with the furnace fire. The refiner’s fire. So that indeed, we may be mature, perfect, complete, lacking in nothing. 

Lacking in what? Lacking not in the fruits of the Spirit – Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control. 

God wants us to be whole and holy like Him!

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The Inheritance

Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour. But resist him, be firm in your faith [against his attack – rooted, established, immovable], knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being experienced by your brothers and sisters throughout the world. [You do not suffer alone.] After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace [who imparts blessing and favour], who called you to His own eternal glory in Christ, will Himself complete, confirm, strengthen, and establish you [making you what you ought to be].
(1 Peter 5 : 8 – 10, AMP)

I love how these verses sum up my journey with the Lord thus far.

Truly, from an infant, when I was hopelessly unaware of the works of the enemy, to me learning how to be sober physically and spiritually, being cautious and alert. And now, learning how to withstand the attacks of the enemy, resisting him and being firm in my faith in God. 

These verses re-emphasises the correlation of suffering with the inheritance of God’s glory – where we are complete, perfect, lacking in nothing. Not lacking in knowing who He is. Not lacking in having Him in our lives 24/7. Not lacking in the assurance that we are known by God. Not lacking in becoming who we ought to be. Not lacking in fervent love for His people and desire to make Him known.

God’s glory is even greater than God’s presence. Let us soak in His presence and behold His glory. His glory can only manifest in holiness. Let’s be clean and pure vessels, ready to be carriers of His glory. To God be the glory!

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Read Part 1 of Xiao Yun’s story where she sets the scene for the spiritual battles every believer will eventually face. It’s raw. It’s real. And it’s a reminder that we are not alone in the fight.

About the author:
Xiao Yun started her spiritual walk as a teen, fervent for the Lord. But as she went into her twenties, she started walking down a slippery slope. One that was tainted by worldly ways, lured by temptations and leading an ungodly lifestyle.

When God brought her back to His kingdom, it wasn’t all smooth sailing.  Thoughts of doubts, fears and guilts of past mistakes still lingered. She easily bought into the lies of the enemies and often felt defeated, struggling much to live out a victorious Christian life. 

At times, she would also pick fights with people to vent her frustrations, being in contention with those in His family. Little did she know that while she was busy fighting in the flesh, all this time, the enemy was prowling around like a lion, ready to devour her. She was being attacked spiritually, yet in her naïveté she even tried to run away from any form of spiritual engagement, assuming that if she didn’t poke the bear, the bear would be asleep and wouldn’t come near her.

Thankfully, God didn’t design her to have an ostrich mentality and trained her up to be a fighter. And not just a fighter, but one who becomes more like Him.