March 1 Bible Reading Plan

I must break you.

-Ivan Drago

It is a classic quote from what many believe to be the best of all the Rocky movies (I'm not one of them, but this is a debate for another day). Rocky is in the center ring, in the heart of Russia, touching his gloves before the fight with the Russian giant.

Towering over Rocky, Drago, the Siberian Bull, pounds his gloves against Rocky's gloves, stares him in the eyes, and coldly, emotionlessly says those four intimidating words.

"I Must Break You."

They are more than just words. Months earlier, Drago had not only broken Apollo Creed, but he had actually killed him in the ring! Now Rocky, standing almost a foot shorter than the giant Drago, must pull off the ultimate David vs. Goliath victory.

Rocky goes 15 rounds against the giant in an amazing act of valor, eventually knocking him out. It was a victory no one expected, a twist in the tale as Rocky, like a modern-day David, chopped down the enemy, wanting to destroy him.

Rocky took a beating, but he refused to be defeated. In the end, he stood victorious as an unbreakable boxer.

Men of God, we have

an enemy that wants to break us. Satan wants to destroy us. He wants us in Hell with him at the end of the battle. He will throw everything he has at us throughout life to try and keep us away from God.

He is vicious!

But as men of God, we can gain victory! All we need is available to us! We can gain victory against every attack.

The Bible promises us victory.

 "No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord." (Isaiah 54:17, ESV)

"In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." (Romans 8:37, ESV)

These are just two of the many verses that tell us we can gain victory. But there is one thing you must remember: To win, you have to fight!

Rocky didn't gain victory by just taunting or talking. He had to fight, giving everything he had to the battle. He was bloodied, and he felt pain, but he fought with everything he had, and in the end, he stood victorious.

Too many men of God are running from the fight, or worse yet, just surrendering and settling for defeat.

Fight! Stand Firm! Give it everything you got! This is the attitude of an unbreakable man, and when he fights like this, he will gain victory.

The enemy wants to break you…will you run in fear or fight to victory?

Bibliography:

1. Rocky IV. Directed by Sylvester Stallone , performances by Sylvester Stallone and Talia Shire , MGM/UA Entertainment Co., 1985.