FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY MAY 15, 2022.

SUBJECT: FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH!

Memory verse: "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." (First Timothy 6 vs 12.)

READ: Second Timothy 4 vs 6 - 8:

4:6: For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.

4:7: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

4:8: Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will give me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

INTIMATION:

Christianity is religion that anchors on our faith in God the Father and Jesus Christ—His Son, and the exercising of that faith in our day to day life. It is not a passive religion that advocates waiting for God to act while we watch. Your believe or faith must be active; training, working hard, sacrificing, and doing what you know is right. 

Christianity is a faithful calling by God into relationship with Him, and fellowship with His Son. He is calling you to come and walk with His Son, to live with Him, to carry on the Son's work in His absence. Our discipline and obedience largely define whether or not we will be contributors or merely spectators.

The obedience and discipline associated in this “calling” is hard work. But the beauty of the work is that you are not alone; an Helper—the Holy Spirit, has been freely given to us by God the Father and the Son to help us in the fight. To fight the good fight of faith is to allow faith do its work in you. It’s to contend perseveringly against opposition and temptations of your faith in God. 

As Christians, we are running toward our heavenly reward. The essential disciplines of prayer, Bible study, and worship equip us to run with vigor and stamina. Don’t merely observe from the grandstand, don’t just turn out to jog a couple of laps each morning. Train diligently—your spiritual progress depends upon it.

The main elements of faith in its relation to the invisible God, as distinct from faith in man, are (1) a firm conviction, producing a full acknowledgement of God’s revelation or truth; (2) a personal surrender to Him; (3) a conduct inspired by such surrender. In fighting a good fight of faith, all these elements are given prominence in the life of the believer.

As followers of Christ, our goal is to know Him, to be like Him, and to be all He has in mind for us. This goal should take all of our energies, and not let anything take our eyes off our goal—knowing Christ. With the single-mindedness of an athlete in training, we must lay aside everything harmful and forsake anything that may distract us from being effective Christians. When you are totally committed to serving Christ, sacrificing to build the faith of others brings a joyous reward.

The Christian life takes hard work, self-denial, and grueling preparation. Anyone who is lazy and timid cannot carry out the struggles of warfare in which a disciple is constantly engaged. Godly passion is having goals and energy to accomplish those goals. It requires us to give up whatever endangers our relationship with God, to run with endurance, and to struggle against sin with the power of the Holy Spirit. To live effectively, we must keep our eye on Jesus. We will stumble if we look away from Him to stare at ourselves or at the circumstances surrounding us. We should be running for Christ, not ourselves, and we must always keep Him at sight.

The winning streak in our faith fight is self-discipline, and it requires an honest look at your strengths and weaknesses, with emphasis on the latter. It means building the will to say no when a powerful appetite inside you screams yes. For example, when you have self-discipline, you can (1) say no to friends or situations that will lead you away from Christ, (2) say no to casual sex, saving intimacy for marriage, and (3) say no to laziness in favor of “can do” and “will do.” 

Self-discipline is a long, steady course in learning attitudes that do not come naturally, and also channeling natural appetites toward God’s purposes. We can lose our privilege of telling others about Christ in our self-disqualification by not living rightly. It is easy to tell others how to live, then not to take our own advice. We must be careful to practice what we preach.

The Scripture, in Hebrews 12 vs 1 - 2, is a perfect reference to encourage us in the fight. It says, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” 

We have read in the Bible of many that fought the good fight of faith and prevailed (See Hebrews chapter 11), and have so many great cloud of witnesses around us today. This simply tells us it is doable. To effectively run the race that God has set before us, we must not let anything deter us; life’s circumstances, worldly pleasures, and pressures. We must strip off the excess weight that slows us down. 

How can we do that? (1) Be God-focused, “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.” (2) On worldly pleasures and pressures, drop certain activities that are distractions to your heavenly race, choose friends who are also committed to the race. Wrong friends will have values and activities that may deter you from the course. Much of your own weight may result from the crowd you run with. Make wise choices. (3) Get help for addictions that disable you. For instance, if you have a secret weight such as photography, gambling, or alcohol, admit your need and get help today.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of obedience and steadfastness that I will fight the good fight of faith, putting my hope in my desired final destination—eternal life with You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!