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hello every1 i,ve been saved now 4 the last wks but i was wondering i have a passion 4 combat sports like muay thai and so on and was thinking is it ok 2 do them or even compete when u have been saved
Your passion for exerting yourself in competition and tests of strength and skill and tactic and strategy -- these are not wrong in and of themselves.
Competition is not wrong. In fact Paul uses boxing analogies in 1 Corinthians (9:26) when talking about spiritual matters. Combat sports aren't specifically excluded.
Blood sports were massively more prevalent in Roman times and did not stop at the damage or death of the combatants. Yet Scripture only makes a glancing blow at this kind of truly immoral sport: Scripture condemns sport or work-for-wages for the harm and death of another person, and for no redeeming purpose.
Note that. We use "no redeeming value" so flippantly in modern conversation. But that's really what we're looking for.
If your sport truly loses its redemptive value to you, then it is not good. If it heightens, deepens your impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these (Gal 5:19-21) -- then your non-spiritual man is exploiting something that's good, to advance its own corruption and evil.
If your mind can't avoid this evil, say because of your newness to Christ, it's best to stop. Don't engaging in activities until you're strong enough spiritually to advance the good, and be redemptive. Remember that it is indeed possible to do combat sports and grow in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control (Gal 5:22-23) due to the skills you develop there. It all lies in the nobility and high calling of how you apply what you've learned. But it may take a new attitude toward your combat sports. And that new attitude may cause you to lose further interest if God doesn't want you being tempted by this sport.
So try to develop strength in your spiritual man through the combat sports you engage in. If after a few months it has taught you nothing spiritually, you may want to reconsider your spiritual exercise in this side -- or consider your spiritual man is becoming a weakling for the sake of your ambition for this sport. That's obviously not a good thing!
Maybe your strength and tactic and prowess are meant for something greater than the combat sports you're engaged in, too. One of the kids in my youth group is truly exceptional -- he has completed at least two exercises of strength that were not supposed to be accomplished by one man (they were supposed to teach teamwork -- and ah, he finished them on his own). So your exceptional abilities could be meant for much more than you see now. Look for it. For it's not your skill, strength or your tactical ability that is a problem in and of itself.
__________________ "... not an unconcerned sitting of God in heaven, from which He merely observes the things that are done in the world; but that all-active and all-concerned seatedness on His throne above, by which He governs the world which He Himself hath made." John Calvin
To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you.
Last edited by heymikey80; 9th October 2009 at 05:10 PM.
Here is the NLT translation of 1 Timothy 4:7-8 which I find easier to understand myself.
"Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives' tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. Physical training is good, but training for godliness is better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come."
If your combat sport causes you to sin, you should stop. However, in and of itself there is nothing in my humble opinion inherently evil about sports. As for time in the gym, my medical doctor flat out told me to go, to make my body healthy. I don't let that interfere with my time spent with Jesus in prayer, study, or anything else the Spirit is calling me to do, and it is definitely better than sitting around watching the carnality of most forms of television. So it all depends, but only you know in your heart as inspired by the Holy Spirit if this is good for you, neutral, or is causing you to sin against God.
If you are saved, the you must follow the Word of God. The Holy Spirit will show you through God's Word, and you will change more and more throughout your relationship with God. He will be the one to convict you of these things, because they are not clear cut. Otherwise, if it says no in the bible, then don't do them.
__________________ Oh Lord, my God. My life is in your hands. You placed me in your lap during my days of trial, calmed my soul when I was afraid. You showed me the power of the Word Lord, for I was too stubborn to believe. Even in my stubbornness you saved me. I was weak, but you cared for me...was lost, but you found me. You freed me from the devil's chains, and told me the Truth, much more than what that liar told me. Your presence makes me smile Holy Spirit, I love you...O, King of kings, and Lord of lords....
but i was wondering i have a passion 4 combat sports like muay thai and so on and was thinking is it ok 2 do them or even compete when u have been saved
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