Keep Fighting

"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." 1 Timothy 6:12

Have you ever considered what it means to "fight the good fight of faith"? I don't know about you...but what I have discovered is that the fight is very different than what I thought.

Who are we fighting?
- The Bible teaches us that our fight is not against flesh and blood. In other words, people are not the enemy. We are actually fighting against principalities, powers, and anything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. I realize that who you consider to be your enemy looks like a regular person. However, what you and I have to consider in this fight of faith is that there is a greater enemy at work. Somewhere along the way we have considered that anyone who stands in opposition of what we do to be our enemy. But our fight IS NOT against flesh and blood.

How are we fighting?
- Paul told Timothy to "fight the good fight" by "laying hold on eternal life." The greatest weapon that we have is the security found in our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. This isn't about degrees or education. It's about being grounded in who you are in Christ. What you have experienced in this relationship is far greater than what you have learned. I can choose to be a man with a theory or I can choose to be a man with an experience. As long as our experience is grounded in biblical truth and the leadership of the Holy Spirit then we are never at the mercy of a man with an argument. It's time for the Body of Christ to lay hold of that which God has given us.

What are we fighting for?
- This is where the fight has changed for me. I once thought that I was fighting to preserve what I thought was right: the way we do church, all of our doctrinal stances, etc. However, what I see in the ministry of Paul is that he was continually fighting to preserve the message of the Gospel. He longed to ensure that the Gospel would be held in ALL of its purity and ALL of its power. He didn't want Timothy to give in to those who would pervert the message.

When do we fight?:
- We fight continually!!!

The PURITY of the Gospel is always under attack. Paul's message to the church at Rome was to believe and confess. Anything outside of that message can begin to create a works righteousness. It was God's design that we would believe in the finished work of Christ and confess Him as Lord. Once that happens, then we can live this "Good News" out to the rest of the world.

The POWER of the Gospel is always at stake. Anytime we allow this message to be perverted then we have stripped the Gospel of its power. We can not allow this message to fall under the persuasive words of man's wisdom. This isn't a man-centered gospel. This is a God-centered Gospel!!! The "Good News" has always been about the heart of God being revealed to a lost world. It was God who chose to send Jesus into the world. It was God who determined that He would die for the sins of man. It was God who reconciled the world to Himself through Jesus Christ. It is simply our job to proclaim this powerful message to them.

Ways to Prepare Myself for the Battle:
Lay Hold On Eternal Life
Confess who you are in Christ
Stand Firm in the Promises of God
Live out that faith
Maintain the Purity & Power of the Gospel

Keep Fighting!!! The world is in dire need of this message.