Stop Fighting the Air

Stop Fighting the Air and Start Fighting What Matters

You know what’s more tiring than a real battle? Swinging your fists at the air. Any boxer will tell you: shadowboxing has its place, but it never builds the same strength as striking a real punching bag. Resistance develops muscle. Real engagement develops skill. And in the same way, spiritual resistance builds spiritual strength.

Paul said, “I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.” And yet, so much of what we call “spiritual warfare” today is exactly that—fighting the air.

So what is “the air”? It’s assumptions. It’s false perceptions. It’s imagined battles.

You thought someone was frowning because they were angry at you—that’s fighting the air. You assumed someone didn’t like you anymore—that’s fighting the air. You let someone’s opinion define your worth—that’s fighting the air.

Too many people, even leaders, are battling things that aren’t even real. They don’t know what they’re fighting anymore. They’re just swinging.

Some even do deliverance where there are no demons, or declare healing where there is no faith or connection to God’s heartbeat. It becomes performance instead of purpose. Noise instead of authority. Show instead of calling.

Paul warned us: stop fighting the air. Stop battling what is not. Fight what is.

Your calling is where the real battle is won. Your position in Christ is where your strength is found. We must learn to move with God—not with our assumptions, fears, or imagined conflicts.

Moving Forward Means Rebuilding

We are always doing one of three things:• Moving forward• Standing still• Falling behind

And for months now, I’ve been saying: We’re not broken—we’re rebuilding.

Rebuilding doesn’t look glamorous. I listen to Jacob talk about construction—how you work hard and see almost no results at first. You think you’re nearly done, only to discover another layer that needs repairing. That’s the reality of rebuilding a life, a ministry, a heart, or a church.

Rebuilding takes time because you’re not just patching things; you’re laying down stability where storms once damaged you. Not a new Jesus—just a new foundation built upon Jesus. A foundation that can withstand the next storm.

To move forward, you must rebuild. And to rebuild, you must build stronger than before, even when conditions aren’t ideal, even when progress is slow, even when no one sees the work beneath the surface.

Fight Your Fight of Faith

One day, every one of us will stand before God. And like Paul, we should be able to say:

“I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.”

If today were your final day—could you say that?

Your calling matters. Your calling is sacred. Your calling is the life God designed you to live.

And that calling includes everything He’s given you—marriage, children, family, ministry, purpose. You don’t have to give up anything God has placed inside your calling. But Jesus must remain at the center of it all.

Walk your race. Fight your fight. Finish your course with joy.

And at the end be able to say, “Lord, I ran the race You gave me, and I finished it well.”