Fight the good fight

Fighting the Good Fight. 1st Timothy 6:11-12

intro: It seems in the news today that everything is a Crisis . everything is hyperbole, its the worst its ever been, the worlds going to hell in a handbasket, what’s a handbasket anyway and who’s carrying the handbasket? isn’t it exhausting to try to be spiritually vigilant when our attention is pulled in 10 different directions? i am not saying that there aren’t causes worthy of our attention. But what if the devil wants us going in 10 different directions.

How effective is an army if its soldiers are spread out over multiple battlefields rather than one. spiritual battle is the same. Don’t let yourself be misdirected. when was the last time to talked about spiritual things or something you read in the Bible that could help a coworker regardless if their a believer or not?

Its easy to be digital sheep and let news notifications shape our opinions. but we must be careful as believers to not let our thinking, our beliefs and values be shaped by the culture rather God’s Word. No matter what age we live in and wherever we are at in the world there are some things that remain the same. The Apostle Paul gives his protégé Timothy a reality check in his pastoral letter.

Cultural Crisis and Paul’s Warnings

2 Timothy 3:1–5 (NLT) 
You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! 

these things have always been true of humanity its just that the internet has put it on display for all to see. Nothing is considered sacred or off limits. Slander has replaced responsible journalism. and conspiracy theory has replaced reasoning and rational thought. people act religious or say their Christian but is it merely a ploy to get in places of power?
so what do we do? here’s Paul’s advice

1 Timothy 6:11–12 But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses

How do we Fight the good fight?

The Two Fronts: War Out There vs War Within

• A. The War Out there– against the lies and evil influences in the world. the hostility towards towards the gospel.
• B. The War within– defeating the worlds influence on us.
  • to live righteously in a self centered culture.
  • To not be conformed to worldly patterns of behavior and thinking.

If we are to be effective at fighting the War Out There. we need to be more effective at waging the war within. the temptations in this world are many. some are not so obvious. 

The Devils Weapons of Mass Distraction

Distractions-The Christian’s schedule is one of the easiest targets in spiritual warfare. Some things we can’t help like work and medical appts, taking care of family. but we can easily fill our schedule so full of obligations that our spiritual life gets choked out. Suddenly, there’s no time for devotions, no time for Bible study, no time for church and no time for meeting up with fellow believers or doing ministry together. if its for our good we procrastinate or push it off. whether its diets, exercise, education or spiritual growth. Jesus said the cares of this life, the lure of wealth and seeking after these things will literally choke out any growth within.

Anything that will ultimately improve our lives or bring us closer to God comes at a price of self denial and patient cultivation

just like an athlete prioritizes their diet and exercise by carving out the time needed to prepare themselves for competition. the spiritual warfighter. must make prayer, study, fellowship and ministry priorities. like the athlete or the soldier when we purposely prioritize these into our schedule it will create a firm foundation for spiritual growth so that when hard times come we aren’t thrown off or taken unaware.

only when you internalize this truth and will you be able to cross over from your spiritual walk feeling like an obligation to feeling like a privilege.

Discouragements-Sometimes the pressures of life mount and we don’t feel we are getting a break  and may begin to question if its something we did. When the reality is that life is hard. Jesus said that we will have troubles in this world but not to worry because he has overcome the world. That means no matter how bad it gets Ultimately he has a plan. when you get discouraged because things aren’t going your way. Its hard to feel verry spiritual. and often we open ourselves to these negative thoughts that come from a dark place. How do we counter this.

When the devil reminds you of your problems begin to Quote God’s promises.

Deceptions– false teachings and ideologies that oppose God are in full force today to draw people especially young people away from the church. When we don’t recognize the reality of spiritual warfare and the enemy’s efforts to distract us and discourage us we open ourselves to doubts and deceptions by those who would twist scripture or question our faith. False teachings come in a package that promises to lessen the pain of life. of course this is very attractive to the Christian under fire.

The Weapons of The Spirit

What weapons do we fight with? We are not of this world, we live by a different set of rules.

Faith -In a world where many are led by feelings we are called to be led by Faith. our faith is not blind faith but is a hope based in what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 11:1 (NLT) 
Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.

Faith is more than just intellectual assent. True Faith places trust that God is going to do what he said he’s going to do.
Love -requires a boldness to do what is best for the other person not what is most comfortable for you. love sacrifices for others. it is the very opposite of self centered living.

Perseverance– means to bear with the difficulties of life. patience in suffering is not easy but it produces Godly Character.

Gentleness– this one I have had to develop over the years. There have been times in the past where i let my exhaustion get the best of me i have not been gentle.  Now when I am tempted not be gentle in my correction but I merely have to look at the grace that God has shown me. on the inside this voice is telling you gentleness shows weakness. or there is this fear that you wont be taken seriously.  God’s Word is powerful enough we don’t have to add our Emotions to the mix.

Our Victory has already been Won

remember that you are not alone in this fight.  Christ won the victory over the powers of darkness in this world by his death on the cross. We have access to his strength, his peace and his joy no matter what we are going through.