The Good Fight of Faith

 

The Good Fight of Faith

 

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.

—1 Timothy 6:12 (NKJV)

 

You fight the good fight of faith with the knowledge of the Word of God and by believing and declaring the revelation of who you are in Christ.

 

“Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. This is to your shame” (1 Corinthians 15:34, NKJV).

 

The enemy battles you from within with lies—with deception—and even twists Scripture to deceive you. “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7, NKJV). Don’t submit your thoughts to the lies of the enemy. Don’t give him power. Submit your thoughts to God. Resist the enemy. He will flee, and you will escape his manipulation to kill, steal, and destroy. 

 

We submit to God—even in our sin and in our failures—because Christ has made us righteous. We are convicted by righteousness—not by the unworthiness of shame and guilt. When you understand how you fight sin from a position of righteousness, then you can understand how to fight the battle for your promise from a position of victory in Christ.

 

Many believers don’t have a knowledge of God in regards to the righteousness Jesus purchased for them. When you know the power of the righteousness Christ has given you, you are filled with spiritual wisdom in your knowledge of Him. Awake to the righteousness He has given you!  Allow the Word to teach you! Jesus has won the total victory over hell and sin and sickness and death! It is a finished work! You fight the good fight of faith from a position of victory! You never fight from defeat! Lay hold of all the promises that are yours in your assurance of the new life Christ has given you. Have you confessed and declared your hope to others? Well, keep confessing the Truth of God’s promises. And hold fast the confession of your hope without wavering, for God who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23). 

 

^“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:23-24, NKJV).

 

How do you fight the good fight of faith and hang onto your promise when you are battle-weary? You have to stand and trust God. You can’t stand and trust God if you don’t know His Word. It may be a while before you experience the manifestation of your promise. Most often, time passes before the mountain you told to be gone is removed. You appropriate by faith the Truth of God’s Word. You believe and take His promise as your own.

 

Believing doesn’t happen when you have received the answer to your prayer. You must believe that when you pray for something that you have already received your answer. When you speak to your mountain—when you pray believing without a doubt—your promise will come to pass.  The key is believing that when you pray for something that nothing will keep you from receiving what you have asked for. When you believe this Truth, you are able to stand—declaring what you believe in God’s realm is true for you. You will receive the manifestation of your promise—if you will not give up.

 

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:10-11, NKJV).

 

These verses tell you how to stand. Be strong in the Lord and in His power—not your power. Don’t look to yourself. Don’t be the author of your faith. You will only confuse the faith that you have. Look unto Jesus, the author, and finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2). Put on the whole armor of God so you can stand against the enemy who lies, deceives, accuses, and creates issues. 

 

Notice in these verses in Ephesians 6:10-11 we are told twice to stand so that we can “withstand” in the heat of battle. Things are not always going to go easy when you are standing. You have to learn to withstand the attacks of the enemy because he wants to tear you down—to make you believe your promise is not true and convince you that God does not care. God’s armor is what empowers you to stand against the enemy’s deception and wickedness and attempts to kill, steal, and destroy your promise.

 

During the next few devotionals, we will look at how to stand believing for our promises by putting on each piece of God’s armor. It is God’s righteousness that empowers us to willfully choose the armor. God doesn’t dress us. We allow His power to dress us for victory. You want abundant life? You have to stand and fight the good fight of faith.

 

© 2021 Lynn Lacher

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