The Good Fight
Did you know we have God’s permission to fight? In fact, we are commanded to do so. But before you go and punch your neighbor, boss or even friend and say “God told me to fight you” and start quoting Scriptures…let me add some clarity. The fight I speak of does require us to fight something physically, but Ephesians 6:12 tells us the battle is spiritual.
I know you are thinking it’s impossible to fight a spiritual battle with anything physical, and that I contradicted myself. But, notice I said we are required to fight something physically, not that we fight the spiritual battle physically. The something that I’m referring to is comprised of many things. Things that prevent us from being victorious in our spiritual battle. Things that put dents and holes in our armor, which causes us to be easy targets, easily wounded, and ultimately defeated by the enemy.
I’m convinced that the reason many Christians are losing the battle, is because we don’t realize that we are in battle, and if we do realize it, we are not actively and aggressively fighting. Well at least fighting the things necessary to be victors in this Christian war. We fight for social justice, political issues, to accumulate worldly possessions. We even fight in church over who gets to lead the songs in praise in worship, why so and so was asked to head a certain ministry, against the Pastor and leadership, and against other church members. We are failing to fight the good fight of faith, 1 Tim 6:12. The good fight, the Christian fight to advance God’s Kingdom, to win souls for Christ, to proclaim and defend the truth of God’s Word and spread the Gospel.
We have lost our focused. We are killing ourselves over things that have no heavenly value, and we are losing the spiritual war. We are being deceived by false teachers who promote us to fight for things that benefit self. To chase after God only to get His stuff. To pray harder and longer so that you can get your blessing, your house, that job, that car. Give more money so you can get more from God. To love and esteem yourself more so others can see your value. To elevate yourself, so that your haters can bow down and call you blessed. These false teachers are promoting that as a Christian you deserve all of God’s blessings, just have enough faith and you will receive. That once you become a child of God, you are guaranteed a life of peace, prosperity and abundance. Yet, the Bible paints a different picture, for it says that once you become a child of God, you have just enlisted in the army of God, you are a soldier fighting in a spiritual battle, (1 Tim 6:12, 2 Tim 2:3). That we will be persecuted for His name sake (Matthew 5:10-12), that the world will hate you (John 15:18), that life will be filled with many trials and tribulations (John 16:33), and that the devil is prowling around seeking to destroy us (1 Peter 5:8).
There is nothing easy about being a Christian. We will forever be harassed by the devil. So what are we to do? FIGHT BACK! Well actually we are to resist the devil and submit to God (James 4:7) . But there are some things we can fight, that will help us resist the enemy and defend ourselves in spiritual warfare. We can…
1- Fight our selfish desires and deny ourselves- Matthew 16:24, Galatians 5:16
2- Fight pride- 1 Peter 5:6, James 4:10
3- Fight to obey God and do His will- John 14:15
4- Fight against worldliness and falling in love with material possessions- 1 John 2:15
5- Fight to forgive others- Matthew 6:15
6- Fight to love others unconditionally- Mark 12:31
7- Fight sin- Romans 6:12
8- Fight the devil by resisting him- James 4:7
9-Fight our worldly mindset- Romans 12:2 and 2 Corinthians 10:5
10- Fight to stay focus- Matthew 6:33
Like the great Apostle Paul, may we all say at the end of our lives that we fought the good fight, we finished the race, we kept the faith, 2 Tim 4:7.
Your fellow soldier,
Kesha Griffin