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Rick Renner
“Fight the good fight of
faith…” —
1 Timothy 6:12
But the Bible teaches quite the opposite in First Timothy
6:12.
In that verse, the apostle Paul wrote, “Fight
the good faith of faith….”
According to this verse, the path of faith often requires a
fight to see it through to completion.
The word “fight” is the Greek word agonidzo, which refers to a struggle, a fight, great exertion, or effort.
It is where we get the word agony —
a word often used in the New Testament to convey the ideas of anguish, pain, distress, and conflict.
The word agonidzo itself
comes from the word agon, which is the
word that depicted the athletic conflicts and
competitions that were so famous in the ancient world.
It frequently pictured wrestlers in a wrestling match, with each
wrestler struggling with all his might to overcome his opponent in an effort to
hurl him to the ground in a fight to the finish.
The very fact that Paul would use this word, a word that was very well known in the
world of his time, alerts us emphatically that when we step out to do something
by faith, it often pushes us into a previously unknown fight.
It throws us into some type of agony — anguish, conflict, pain, distress, or a struggle.
It isn’t that God wants us to struggle. Instead, this is a
fight that results from:
· The flesh that
resists the will of God.
· The mind that
struggles to understand what God has told us to do.
· Circumstances that
seem to stand in the way.
· People who oppose us.
· The devil himself who
throws his weight against each step of faith we take.
The point you must see is that Paul recognized when we step
out in faith, we don’t just effortlessly glide to the destination God is
directing us toward.
We must fight the good fight of faith to reach the
victorious position that allows us to one day hear those cherished words, “Well
done!” from our Commander-in-Chief.
But rather than shrink from the match that is before us, the
apostle Paul urges us to give this fight our best effort!
He tells us, “Fight the good fight of
faith…”
The word “good” is from the Greek word kalos, which denotes something exceptional, of the highest quality, outstanding, or superb.
In the context of a fight, it pictures
one who has given his best effort to
the struggle in which he is engaged; hence, he is one who is doing a first-rate or first-class job
at resisting his opponents.
Then Paul repeated the word “fight” a second time in
this verse.
He wrote, “Fight the good fight of faith...”
This second usage of the word “fight” is also from
the Greek word agon — the same word he used
when he referred to a “fight” at the first of the verse.
It conveys the idea of one who is giving his complete concentration to the conflict and
is totally focused on engaging
the conflict at hand and achieving victory, regardless how long
it takes or how much agonizing effort is
required.
It is the picture of total commitment to victory.
This is a far cry from simply gliding to God’s destination for your life with no
hiccups or headaches along the way!
As Paul told us in this verse, anything that is done by
faith will require a fight of some sort in order to win.
So if you are experiencing a struggle along the path to your
personal victory — if you’ve been fighting off some very real mental or
spiritual assaults along the way — don’t be taken off guard or by surprise.
The Holy Spirit warned in advance through the apostle Paul
that you must commit yourself to giving the pursuit of God’s will for your life
your very best effort and to doing whatever is necessary to finish the goal set
before you!
God is calling upon you to stand up and fight — giving your concentrated efforts to
stand firm for what you believe.
Fight in a manner that is noble, admirable, and worthy of
the reward that awaits you.
And remember — the greater reward usually requires a greater fight.
Keep this in mind as you press forward to be first-class in
your determination to overcome every obstacle and resistance along the way.
Stay in the fight until you can
shout, “The fight is finished and victory obtained!”
MY PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father, I admit that I’m in a fight. I need
grace and strength to stay in this match and finish it to completion. I didn’t
realize how much would be required of me.
But I am determined and committed to keep up
the good fight of faith until I can say the fight is finished and victory is
accomplished.
Holy Spirit, I ask You to fill me with a fresh
supply of Your power, strength, and resolve — a supernatural level of
commitment — so I will stay in the fight till my assignment is fulfilled.
I pray this in Jesus’ name!
MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY
I boldly declare that God knows exactly what I
am facing. I am not fighting this good fight of faith by myself!
The Holy Spirit lives in me and fills me with
His power — enough power to resist any opponent that would try to stop me from
fulfilling God’s plan.
Today I yield to the Holy Spirit and allow Him
to fill me to the brim with His power that resists every opposing force and
endures strong to the end so I can stay in this fight until it is over and I’ve
won the victory.
I declare this by faith in
Jesus’ name!
QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER
1.
Think of a biblical
example of someone who fought a good fight of faith and stayed in the battle
until his fight was complete and his victory was won. Can you name more than
one?
2.
Can you call to mind
some contemporary examples of individuals who fought a good fight of faith?
What did they achieve by staying in the battle? How long did it take them to
attain victory? What would have happened if they had given up and not followed
through to completion?
3.
How long have you
been fighting your good fight of faith? What is in jeopardy if you give up your
fight and throw in the towel?
OUR VISION… Is to take
the Gospel both to our nearby world and to the ends of the earth, proclaiming
Christ, and warning and teaching every man with all wisdom, in order that we
may present every person fully mature in Christ Jesus. – Colossians 1:28
Rick and Denise Renner
Rick and Denise met while they
were each on an individual quest to wholeheartedly follow God’s plan for their
lives. Rick was a college student, growing in his teaching ministry. Denise was
a talented vocalist. She chose not to pursue a course that held the prospect of
performing with the Metropolitan Opera so that she could instead pursue a
relationship with Rick and fulfill her heart’s desire to enter full-time ministry.
Rick and Denise’s friendship
has led to a lifelong love and a powerful partnership in building the Kingdom
of God. After a decade of ministry, first as pastors and then as itinerant
ministers, Rick and Denise Renner embarked on an adventure of a lifetime. In
January 1991, the Renners and their sons — Paul (then 8), Philip (then 6), and
Joel (then 2) — left behind all they knew to relocate their family to serve the
region that only weeks earlier had become the former Soviet Union.
Rick and Denise remember
kneeling together as a family and kissing the ground when they arrived at the
airport in Latvia on that cold January day. In that moment, they all committed
their lives to the will of God and to the people of their new homeland. The
following year, Rick moved forward to launch and establish the first of its
kind — and eventually the largest — Christian television network in that region
of the world.
Over the years, Rick and
Denise pioneered three churches, a Bible school, and a ministerial association
that serves thousands of Russian-speaking pastors throughout the former USSR as
well as parts of the Middle East. As Rick began training and mentoring leaders
in the early days, Denise also developed a women’s ministry that is actively
involved in changing the lives of women and their families today. Specifically,
they minister to the needs of orphans, women prisoners, the homeless, and
drug-and-alcohol addicts.
Rick, Denise, and their
children began as a small circle of five, willing to go beyond their comfort
zone to reach the uttermost parts of the world. Today that circle includes
their sons’ wives, eight grandchildren, and a large ministry staff that helps
the Renners extend their reach as they exalt Jesus Christ as the Hope of all
nations.
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