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)
We fight the good fight of faith with the knowledge of the Word of God and by believing and declaring the revelation of who we 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).
When we awake to the righteousness Christ has given us, we have His power to stand against the enemy. But we must submit our thoughts to God. The enemy battles us with lies—with deception—and even twists Scripture to deceive us. Don’t submit your thoughts to the lies of the enemy. Don’t give him power. “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7, NKJV).
We submit to God in our thoughts and our sins and failures because Christ has made us righteous. We are convicted by the righteousness He has given us—not by the unworthiness of condemnation and guilt. Our shame is not knowing who we are in Christ. When we understand how to fight sin from a position of righteousness, then we can understand how to fight the battle for our 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 we are filled with the Holy Spirit’s revelation of what Christ has given us and who we are as a result of it, we receive knowledge and wisdom to fight the good fight of faith (Ephesians 1:17-18). Awake to the righteousness He has given you. Allow the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s Word to 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 you is faithful (Hebrews 10:23).
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, and you cannot receive your promise if you don’t persevere in believing. Most often, time passes before the mountain moves (Mark 11:20-24). You take what the Word says by faith. 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 (Mark 11:24, 1 John 5:15). When you speak to your mountain—when you pray believing without a doubt—your promise will one day come to pass. The key is believing that when you pray for something 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 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 (withstand) 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 your understanding. You need the Holy Spirit’s revealed understanding of God’s Word. 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 righteousness is what empowers you to stand against the enemy’s deception and wickedness and attempts to kill, steal, and destroy your promise. It is His righteousness that empowers you to fight the good fight of faith.
God has given us free will. He doesn’t make us fight the good fight of faith. He doesn’t dress us for battle when we plead with Him to give us what we need. God has already given us everything we need to fight. We choose to believe His truth is greater than all we can think or imagine. We take the truth of His Word and stand and fight (Ephesians 3:20).
Do you want the abundant life Jesus died to give you? Learn who you are in Christ’s righteousness. Learn who God says you are. And stand and fight the good fight of faith.
© 2022 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2022/03/fight-good-fight.html
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