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The
Good Fight Of Faith
How Do We Fight The Good Fight Of Faith?
(Follow These Steps)
Mark Altrogge
We are called to fight the good fight of faith.
Following Jesus isn’t easy. It is a fight. It is war. It is a
long, hard battle that requires endurance.
Paul told Timothy:
“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the
eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good
confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (1 Timothy 6:12)
Paul also told his young disciple:
“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 2:3)
And near the end of his life Paul told Timothy:
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I
have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)
Fight The Good Fight Against Satan
One reason following Jesus is described as a fight is because we
have a real enemy:
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil
prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
Our enemy is the devil. A horrible, powerful, wicked spirit
whose desire is to devour us. Paul tells us that the devil “schemes”
against us (Ephesians 6:11).
He tempts us, attempts to deceive us, lies to us, just as he
lied to Eve in the garden.
Fight Through Trials
Not only do we have an enemy to fight, but we must fight the
good fight of faith, because in his sovereignty, wisdom and love, the Lord
takes us through many hard things to conform us to the likeness of his Son.
Jesus told his disciples:
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have
peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome
the world.” (John 16:33)
We WILL have tribulation. Trouble. Believers suffer in all kinds
of ways.
Believers will be persecuted in various ways. We will be sinned
against by both unbelievers and believers.
We will love and receive hatred in return. We will be accused of
things unjustly. We will be misunderstood. We will get sick.
We will be rejected, even at times by those we love.
And in these times of suffering we have to fight. We have to
fight, especially to hold fast to our Lord in faith. We have to fight to
believe his word.
We have to fight not to believe the lies of the enemy.
Fight For Joy and Peace
We have to fight to have joy and peace. We have to fight to
trust the Lord. We have to fight to keep going.
We have to fight to love our enemies, to do good to those who
abuse us, to bless those who curse us. We have to fight not to grow cold in our
love for Jesus.
How Do We Fight The Good Fight Of Faith?
Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:10-20:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his
might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the
schemes of the devil.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but
against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over
this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
places.
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be
able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand
therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the
breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the
readiness given by the gospel of peace.
“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with
which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the
helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
“To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making
supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me
in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I
am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”
We Must Be Strong In The Lord (Ephesians 6:10)
We can’t fight the good fight on our own. We just aren’t strong
enough. We need the Lord’s strength. We need his might.
We need to depend on Jesus 24 hours a day, calling out to him,
asking him to help us, asking him for his strength.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of
God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on
him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7)
It’s humbling to admit that we are weak, that we need help. But
that’s exactly what God tells us to do.
He says don’t try to fight this fight on your own; cast your
cares and anxieties on the Lord. Humble yourself. Cry out to God!
In Ephesians 6 Paul tells us that to be able to fight the
good fight of faith and stand against our cosmic enemies, Satan and his demons,
we must put on God’s armor, including the “belt of truth,” “the
shield of faith” and “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God.”
Why? Because Satan’s primary weapon is his lies. Just as
he lied to Eve: “Did God really say?… You will not die.”
We Must Believe The Promises Of God
When we are going through a hard time Satan will whisper, “God
doesn’t care about you. God isn’t going to be faithful. God isn’t with you in
this. This is too big for God.”
It is in these times of temptation to doubt God’s word when we
must fight the good fight as Jesus fought the enemy. By knowing God’s word, by
believing God’s word, by reminding ourselves of God’s word.
When Jesus was tempted, his response was “It is
written…” and he quoted Scripture.
This is how we fight the good fight of faith. By reminding
ourselves of God’s promises, and by believing them. By fighting to believe
them.
When we are tempted to fear for our children or be discouraged
about their lack of faith, we must cling to God’s many promises to work in our
children’s lives, like (Isaiah 54:13):
“All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great
shall be the peace of your children.”
God’s word is the truth – “the belt of truth” – no matter
what our circumstances look like.
Our feelings aren’t the truth. The lies of the enemy are
his “fiery darts” which we extinguish by lifting up “the shield of
faith” – faith in God’s word, and brandishing “the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God.”
We Must Pray At All Times (Ephesians 6:18)
As we said earlier, by humbling ourselves before God, by casting
all our anxieties on him.
So, we fight the good fight by believing God’s word, his many
promises, and by praying. By constantly asking God to help us.
We need to pray for strength. We need to pray for joy. To pray
for wisdom and guidance. To pray for God to deliver us from temptation and
evil.
To pray that God will help us love those who hurt us. “With
all prayer and supplication.”
All kinds of prayers. Regular prayers, spontaneous prayers.
Prayer all day long.
Prayer is a form of “sowing” seeds. And like seeds,
sometimes it takes a while before we see the fruit.
But we must keep sowing in faith, for God promises us:
“Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He
who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts
of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.” (Psalm 126:5-6)
When we “sow in tears,” or pray “in tears” our
prayers will usually feel weak. Small. Like seeds. It will feel like nothing is
happening. But we need to keep sowing in faith.
Keep praying those “tiny” prayers. Because someday, and
we don’t know when, but someday we will “come home with shouts of joy”
bringing a harvest of “sheaves” of answered prayers with us.
Pray For Others and Have Them Pray For Us
“To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making
supplication for all the saints, 1and also for me, that
words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of
the gospel…” (Ephesians 6:18-19)
We’re not in this fight by ourselves. We need our brothers and
sisters to pray for us, and we need to pray for them.
The apostle Paul himself humbly asked for his brothers and
sisters to pray for him. He asked that they pray for him to be bold to proclaim
the gospel.
We fight the good fight of faith every day. We fight by dying to
ourselves and obeying Jesus.
We fight the good fight by serving, loving and encouraging
others. By sharing the gospel with others. By giving to the poor. And in many
other ways.
Fighting isn’t easy. War is hard. Following Jesus is work.
But what joy our fight will yield when we hear Jesus say, “Well
done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master.”
So don’t give up! Fight the good fight!
Mark Altrogge
I’m a pastor at Saving Grace
Church in Indiana, PA. I’m married to Kristi, have 5 kids, and a growing number
of grandkids. I enjoy songwriting, oil painting and coffee, not necessarily in
that order.
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