Prayer as a Contact Sport - The Christian Online Magazine

The Christian Online Magazine -

When waves of despair sweep over you and you have difficulty in even forming the words of prayer in your mind, let alone voicing the words, God knows your heart’s desire. Before you can even utter, "Dear God", He has already heard your prayer.

In "A Dictionary of the Martial Arts", Louis Frederic advises that the principle element of "Ju-Jutsu" is the following:

"To conquer the enemy with any and all means, minimal force."

In Best Judo, Isao Inkouma further relates:

"The basic posture in judo is the natural posture….This simply means that you stand in a natural way."

As in the way of Judo, prayer is intended to be a natural form of communication between the Christian and God. The most basic posture is often the most effective. As Matthew 6:7 instructs:

"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."

As a man cannot number the days until his death, a Christian cannot predict when a spiritual attack will occur. In anticipation of unexpected attacks, Christians must be ever vigilant in their prayers.

Revelation 12:12 advises that Satan has only been given a certain amount of time to wage war:

"Woe to the inhabitors of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time."

As Satan has only been given a certain amount of time to operate on this earth, he is under constant pressure to fill Hell. Satan does not take vacations and he doesn’t operate under the precept that spiritual warfare is governed by rules of engagement, such as the sounding of a bell to indicate the start of a fight. For this reason, the Christian must be constantly alert to possible attacks by Satan and, as the practitioner of Judo, must attempt to evade attacks.

How is it possible to evade attacks? The Judo practitioner knows that if he extends his arm to an opponent, then this provides the opponent with the opportunity/advantage to grasp the practitioner’s arm and force the practitioner to the floor. However, by keeping his arms close to his body and positioned in an appropriate fashion, the Judo practitioner takes away the advantage and presents the front of being ready for an attack by his opponent.

Likewise, a Christian often throws his arm out to Satan by exposing themselves to sin. The images that a Christian views and the words that a Christian hears can serve as a prelude to temptation. Constant exposure to unclean images/words can serve to desensitize a Christian to the point, where they begin to internalize these images/words. The internalization of these images/words then serves to diminish the Christian’s holiness.

Can holiness co-exist with sin? Evade Satan’s attacks. As the smart person will avoid being robbed by steering clear of darkened alleys, the smart Christian will evade attacks by Satan by steering clear of sin. As 1 John 1:5-7 instructs:

"That God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

In Judo Strategy: Turning Your Competitors’ Strength to Your Advantage, David Yoffie relates:

"Movement is a critical skill in the judo ring. Top-level competitors use their quickness and agility to maneuver into a position of relative strength while simultaneously evading an opponent’s grip.

As in Judo, a Christian must not allow themselves to grow stagnate in their spiritual life. When one’s life is filled with joy and happiness, there is often the temptation to believe that praying to God is not as important: I have everything I want and need, why should I pray to God?

When a person prays the Prayer of Confession and receives salvation, they become as a newly born baby: They are without strength. It is through prayer and studying the Holy Bible that spiritual babies grow. As 1 Peter 2:2 relates:

"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby."

It is important to not only move, but to move ever closer to God.

To the spectator, a major visible element of Ju-Jutsu/Judo is the attempt by the grappling practitioners to unbalance their opponent and drive the opponent to the floor. As the two opponents grab each other and struggle, each is testing the other, in order to find a weakness that will allow them to capitalize on their opponent’s teetering balance. At the slightest indication of unbalance, the other opponent will drive the opposition to the floor.

When we grapple with the tests, trials, problems, troubles, sorrows, and decisions of this world, there is often the tendency to tighten our grip on these cares, much the same as the Judo practitioner doesn’t want to release his grip on the opponent.

However, as Christians, we have the assurance that if we bring these cares to God in prayer, then He will not only free us from these cares, but will also return balance to our lives, giving us victory. As 1 Peter 5:7 instructs:

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."

As the practitioner of Ju-Jutsu/Judo strives to maintain balance, despite the constant attacks by an opponent to uproot them, Christians must stand firm in their faith in God, letting nothing uproot them.