Get Back Up: You’re Still the Champ 🥊
We all loved Muhammad Ali for so many different reasons. As we remember and celebrate his legacy this month — the month of his passing on June 3, 2016 — we’re reminded that he wasn’t just a boxer; he was a force of nature. He had an unshakable confidence, a voice that couldn’t be silenced, and a boldness that made the world take notice. Ali was famous not only for winning his matches, but for calling his victory before the fight ever began. Some would even say he spoke prophetically about what round he’d knock his opponent out.
One of the most famous examples of this was his fight with Sonny Liston. Ali (then Cassius Clay) started taunting Liston almost immediately after the fight was announced. He even bought a bus and had it painted with the words “Liston Must Go in Eight.” On the day of the contract signing, Ali drove that bus straight to Liston’s home in Denver — with the press right behind him — and woke him up at 3:00 a.m. yelling, “Come on out of there! I’m gonna whip you now!”
Liston, who had just moved into a quiet neighborhood, was furious. But Ali didn’t stop there. He drove that same bus to Florida where Liston was training and shouted, “After the fight, I’m gonna build myself a pretty home and use him as a bearskin rug! Liston even smells like a bear. I’m gonna give him to the zoo after I whip him!”
What boldness! What confidence! And the thing is — Ali didn’t just say it. He did it.
That same boldness reminds me of how our enemy, Satan, operates. He studies us. He’s watched our past victories and our past mistakes. He taunts us just like Ali taunted Liston. Sometimes he lands a hit — and yes, sometimes we get knocked down. But God wants you to know today: you are not defeated just because you fell.
Get. Back. Up.
It doesn’t matter how many lies he throws your way:
“You’re not worthy.”
“You’ll never be forgiven.”
“You’ve messed up too many times.”
“It’s too late.”
Those are all lies from the pit of hell. The enemy wants to distort your image of yourself because if he can defeat you in your mind, he can defeat you in your life. Muhammad Ali understood that principle — if he could get in his opponent’s head, the fight was already half-won.
But here’s the truth: you are not who the enemy says you are. You are who God says you are.
Repent, turn back to Him, and get back up. You are beautiful. You are forgiven. You are the redeemed of the Lord. You belong to God.
So many in the body of Christ have been knocked down and don’t know how to recover. But Proverbs 24:16 reminds us:
“For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.”
Falling isn’t failure — staying down is.
God has a prophetic word for you today: It’s not too late to redeem your title. You can still finish strong. You can still win because the victory was already secured for you at Calvary.
Romans 8:37 declares:
“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.”
So, rise up, champion. Dust yourself off. Step back in the ring. You’re still the champ — not because of your strength, but because of His victory.
You win because He won. 🥊
Now get back up!