Recently I saw a documentary on Mike Tyson, one of the longest standing heavyweight boxing champion of all time. With a total of 56 fights in his 20 years boxing career, Tyson won 50 times most of which was by a Knockout.
Nicknamed "Iron", Tyson had a reputation of knocking out his opponents within few minutes and sometimes within seconds into the fight with a few punches and at times, a single blow!
In an interview, he said his fight always began long before he got into the ring. And then his concluding fight happened just before the fight in the ring began. He would mostly keep an intimidating gaze on his opponent with the purpose of casting fear into his opponent's mind. If he saw a little drop in the eye of his opponent even if it was for a microsecond, he knew he already won the fight.
Tyson understood that all battles began in the mind and that the victory is actually won before the fight begins in the ring.
The physical fight people see is only to play out what has already taken place in the mind. The one who loses is usually the one who had more fear in his mind.
Fear paralyzes. Fear torments. Fear, sorts of, ties down your hands from within you and reders your 'blows' weak and ineffective.
This is exactly what happens when you face sicknesses and diseases as a believer. Seeing cancer healed isn't more difficult than seeing fever healed. But the condition of your mind when faced with the case is what determined how the battle will eventually turn out. That's where the victory is either won or lost.
Sometime ago I heard of a neighbor who was sick so I decided it was my opportunity to go minister to him. On getting to the hospital (UCTH) we were told it was a communicable disease, highly contagious and warned not to go close. Seeing the man from the window, his appearance looked scary. He was looking so weak, bony and pitiful. He looked like he was already dead.
We went back home that day.
I was unprepared.
That condition tried to intimidate me.
I knew I had to first win the battle in mind and conquer my fear for that thing, because I knew if I didn't, I might not be able to help bring healing to him. This is not done by will power. I did by prayer and fasting while letting God's word penetrate my being through meditation. When I felt I was ready, I returned, 2 days later.
This time, I went alone.
I didn't want to endanger someone else and since I wasn't sure of his faith at that point, I let him be. I went back to the hospital, went into his ward without a mask and laid hands on him without a glove (please do not try this type of thing unless you're drunk).
I wanted to let that infirmity know that I wasn't afraid of it. I wanted it to know I'm in charge here. To me, it was a battle. I was drunk with holy Spirit.
This wasn't to prove any point to anyone. I considered it a training of my faith in dealing with intimidating cases like these. I knew that no case is a big deal to God and Jesus didn't categorize sicknesses and diseases as 'hard category' and 'easy category'. He gave power to heal ALL MANNER OF SICKNESS AND DISEASE.
Matthew 10:1
[1]And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
Well, the man got healed and in about 5 days was totally well and discharged. This was someone that had been given up to die. Hahaha... Jesus is wonderful!
So here's my point: when next you are faced with an intimidating circumstance, before you go, like Tyson, ensure you win the battle in your mind by dominating that disease or that demon or that circumstance by faith in the place of prayer and meditation on God's word, so that when you challenge it, you do so fearlessly and when you lay hands or speak to it, it'll be like a Tyson blow, leading to a fatal knockout to that devil!
Not only sickness, I mean, ANY CHALLENGE that tries to intimidate you.
The victory of Jesus over demons and diseases is ours!
No fears!!
Written by
Rev Sam Chiaka
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