What's A Good Fight of Faith?

Day 290

Reading: 1 Timothy 1:1 - 1 Timothy 6:21

Welcome to the first letter written to Timothy. I believe God has something ordained for you and me in this season that can be found in the instructions, advise and wisdom Paul wrote to Timothy. Remember that Paul and Timothy went on a missionary journey together. However, Timothy remained in Ephesus and became the overseer of the flourishing church. Ephesus was a busy trading town with a flourishing economy with people from many different cultures. 

Whenever we start a new season we find ourselves hopeful of making greater progress more than ever. We look to a new day as an opportunity to change our fortunes of yesterday. We experience this either at the start of the new year, new month, new week or even in the morning when starting off a new day! Developing the right mentality to see what we desire established and the pain we suffer eradicated we need to understand that we need to understand the value of a good fight of faith.  You see a good fight of faith is what God is teaching me right now. For many years I allowed fear to imprison my mind. While dealing with seizures and growing up I allowed fear to rule my life. I looked down on myself and didn't realise that the enemy had succeeded in ruining my life. Every day is a fight against fear and I know that I am an overcomer. Thanks be to God whose shedding light to me of the areas I need to uproot the plantings of fear!

I used to think that once I became a believer all would be rosy. You see that's how the gospel was presented for many years that come to Jesus and all your problems would go away. There is truth in it however it didn't tell the whole truth. Many believers believed in God and became His children but never learnt the importance of fighting a good fight. You see the life of a believer is one of a warrior, not a worrier. Worriers don't fight they allow the situation to overcome them with thoughts of defeat. Warriors instead take the weapons of our warfare which are not carnal, implying they are not natural but spiritual, and they fight. They dig in and don't give the enemy an inch instead launching into the offensive and taking back their land. 

What then goes into a good fight of faith?

• Have a solid understanding of your faith. Imagine a policeman chasing armed robbers and doesn't understand how or when to use a gun. That's how many believers. They don't understand their faith is a weapon to quench the fiery darts of the enemy. Many believers agree with sickness. How many times I hear believers personalising their sickness as if they bought it in a shop. I once was there as I dealt with seizures for many years. Jesus already paid the price, don't become a dustbin for the enemy to dump on you what is not yours.
• A pure conscience. This one thing we are losing today. Today's society lying is so easy. Hey, am not exception God has been showing me that when a person's conscience is dead you become dead to the pains of others and compassion is not found in you. Having a pure conscience means that your integrity is unquestionable. 
• Patience. Abraham waited 25 years, David waited 13 years, Joseph waited 13 years and even Mary had to wait 9 months before giving birth. My friend, God is a God of process and process requires patience. Never forget Abraham rushed and had Ishmael. How many of us have Ishmael's in our lives and I don't necessarily mean children? Don't allow the microwave age we are living in to think that God has changed. God never changes, we are being changed into His likeness. 
• Joy. Without joy, you cannot access the benefits of salvation. Paul while writing from a jail admonishes the Phillipains to rejoice and keep rejoicing. He repeated it also to the Thessalonians. God told his children in the Law of Moses that when joy was absent they would serve their enemies. Don't allow the report of the enemy to cause you to lose your joy in God. Maintain your joy. Do everything possible to walk away from joy killers. 

Fight a good fight of faith and rest assured that God's word is settled and cannot be changed. Yield to God alone and watch as He makes you over. God is faithful and I know victory is yours and mine too. Let the WARRIOR arise don't be a WORRIER.

Memory Verse: 1 Timothy 2:1-4

Decree: 

1 Timothy 6:12

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. (italics mine)