The 9th Grade Version of WrestleMania

“You must wrestle with your sin, but the major part of the wrestling must be done alone in private with God.” – C.H. Spurgeon

When I was in 9th grade, our gym teacher decided that we should learn how to wrestle and so, he taught us some basic moves and then paired us up according to weight. My problem was that I was very small for my age and in 9th grade, I was only about five feet tall and weighed less than 100 pounds.

Our teacher did his best to find someone close to me in weight, but the best he could do was a classmate that was about six inches taller and who outweighed me by more than 30 pounds. Needless to say, I didn’t fare too well that semester and couldn’t wait until we changed sports to something I was better suited for.

I use that wrestling analogy to tie in with Charles Spurgeon’s quote today. As the “Prince of Preachers” reminds us, the key to overcoming sin in our lives… especially a besetting sin that is deeply entrenched… is fervent one-on-one prayer with God. Pouring our heart out before Him – and like Jacob, not giving up until we have an answer – is the path to deliverance and victory.

Here are some more pearls of wisdom from Spurgeon’s heart, mind, and pen…

“Whenever your prayer loses vigor, let faith support one hand, and let holy hope lift up the other, and prayer seating itself upon the stone of Israel, the rock of our salvation, will persevere and prevail. Beware of growing faint in your devotion.”

“It is far easier to fight with sin in public than to pray against it in private. It has been observed that while Joshua never grew weary in the fighting, Moses did grow weary in the praying; the more spiritual an exercise, the more difficult it is for flesh and blood to maintain it.”

“Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, ‘Let Me go, for the day breaks.’ But he said, ‘I will not let You go unless You bless me!’” Genesis 32:24-26 (NKJV)

“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 (NKJV)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President