Fight the good fight
By Evangeline Unity Esaaba Folson
I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air.
But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway
There is a hymn that say:
Fight all thy fight
With all thy might
Christ is thy strength
And Christ thy right
Lay hold on life
And it shall be
Thy joy and crown eternally
Faint not, nor fear
His arm is near
He changeth not
And thou art dear
Only believe and thou
Shall see
That Christ is all in all to thee.
In the passage above and the hymn. The Christian life is being compared to a fight or battle.
Why?
As we try to live according to the principles In the Bible, Satan and his hosts of angels are placing obstacles and trails before us, so that we get frustrated with the Christian life and leave. When this happens we will join the evil one’s camp.
The process of trying to avoid and overcome these obstacles and trails is like fighting in a war or battle. Sometimes you win at other times you may lose.
How can we “fight the good fight” we can do this by:
- Recognizing who our enemy is
Genesis 3:1-2
1 Peter 5:8
- Putting on our armour
1 Samuel 17:45-46
Ephesians 6:10-18
- Living by faith
Psalm 37:5
Hebrew 11:1
- Fighting with all thy might
Ecclesiastes 9:10-11
1 Corinthians 9:26-27
Recognizing who our enemy is
Genesis 3:1-2
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the women, yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
And the woman said unto the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
In the passage above, the serpent is being portrayed as the enemy, the one who deceives eve and convinces her to disobey God and convinces her husband to do the same thing.
The serpent, is working against the will of God and is therefore, the enemy. In this context, Satan is being portrayed or represented by the serpent. It is only Satan and his host of fallen angels (demons and principalities as Ephesians 6:12) who love to disobey God. Satan or the devil is our greatest enemy and we must do all we can by the grace and power of God to overcome him.
1 Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
This verse clearly states that our enemy or adversary is the devil. It also cautions us to be always “on guard”, ready to wrestle and win the victory, by frustrating every plan of his through prayer and confession of the word of God. This will prevent him from getting us to disobey God and joining his camp. Fight the good fight of faith to destroy the evil agenda against your life.
Putting on our armour
1 Samuel 17:45-46
Then said David to the philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou host defed.
This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thire head from thee, _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
In normal warfare, you need an armour that consist of several components that protects various parts of your body and helps you attack the enemy. The components of an armour are listed in 1 Samuel 17:45 sword, spear, shield etc.
Proverbs 18:10 says
The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run into it and are safe.
In 1 Samuel 17:45, David refers to the name of the Lord as his armour, his protection, defense and attacking weapons. That is His armour for the battle.
Ephesians 6:10-18 gives a list of spiritual weapons we need to fight our adversary. We cannot see the devil with our physical eyes, he is a spirit, and therefore we need spiritual weapons like the sword of the sprit, which is the word of God, our shield of faith, the belt of truth to hold the other parts of the armour in place and the breastplate of righteousness.
With these spiritual weapons in place and the incomparable power of the name Jesus at our disposal we can fight the good fight of faith successfully.
Living by faith
Psalm 37:5
Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.
To trust God is to have faith in Him. Believing without any doubt that God is able to do whatever you commit to Him. That is living by faith.
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
The verse above defines faith as having a mental picture of what you are trusting God for and praying and waiting patiently until it is done.
As you put on your spiritual armour to fight your adversary, believe without doubting that God will give you the victory.
Fighting with all thy might
Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor wisdom, in the grave, wither thou goest.
This verse from the New Testament says we should do whatever we do, with all our might, for a time is coming when we cannot do anything. The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:26 that
I therefore, so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air.
Do not fight anyhow, fight to win the good fight of faith. Fight to destroy or quench the enemy’s power.
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