1 Timothy 6:12 - Fight the Good Fight
Food for Thought
An all-creatures.org Guide to Kingdom Living

By Marni Montanez

1 Timothy 6:12

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

12. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

What is the good fight of faith? It is to press on through the wind of adversity that is blowing hard against us. It is to stand in the face of opposition and remain confident that the Lord can and will deliver us. It is to boldly declare the victory even when it looks like defeat. Victory is always ours. It is to say yes and amen to the plans of God without wavering in obedience or hesitating with fear.

The enemy will not stop putting obstacles in our way to divert our attention from God. When our focus is taken off of God we lose our peace. If the enemy can get us focused on our problems we will become paralyzed and stagnant in a negative or dark place. This can stifle our growth and cripple our walk both spiritually and emotionally.

We must stay focused on the eternity of our existence. This time on earth is momentary and the more we fight against something it directs us away from fighting for or toward something. For example, If we are worrying, or feeling anxious because we can't figure things out we are wasting our energy and giving away our joy and peace to the very one who is trying to destroy us. This enemy lies and deceives us into believing that we will be destroyed and defeated. If we give in to this belief we are giving him territory.

As believers in Christ our life is warfare. There is a real devil and a real war going on all around us.

In the Spiritual world of good and evil, we as Christians, need to know how we are fighting the good fight. What is the fight?

Obviously it is not a physical fight. The sword we carry is spiritual. Our fight is in the unseen realm. The human part of us does not have access to this realm and yet it affects us heavily.

Our fight is also something that is good and produces good results. It is about speaking truth and walking in victorious peace. We have to keep our eyes on God and what He is doing in and through us.

When we choose to press through even when we don't know the outcome this is when we stand in faith. It is in these times that we have surrendered to God’s wisdom and let go of control. This is very hard for us finite beings who feel powerless.

So many times we have been forced in a corner because of circumstances that look bleak. It feels like there's no way out. But through persistent prayer and believing for an answer, divine intervention shines brightly and reveals hope in these times. Once that intervention happens we see that God is not only well aware of our issues, but He already had an answer.

These hurdles build the muscles we need to continue on.

Challenge: Through hard times through good times, keep on praying and believing and hoping in God.

God bless

Marni

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The purpose of this series is to encourage people to live as loving, compassionate, and peacemaking children of God: Jesus tells us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) God tells us through Micah (6:8), "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God." And we know from Revelation 21:4 that there will be no more mourning, or crying, or pain, or death. Thus, Christian living requires us to set the standards of these conditions here on earth for our fellow human beings, and for the other animals, as a witness to the rest of the world. To do otherwise is not Christian.