Tag: fight
The good fight of faith!
Scripture reading for December 5: 1 Timothy 1-6
Do you sometimes feel that you are fighting to keep your focus on the goal of seeing Jesus Christ either when He comes or when you go to be with Him? Do the things of this world compete for your attention and sometimes derail your focus? Timothy, a young pastor, was encouraged to wage a “good fight” by the great Apostle Paul. What does this “good fight” look like today?
In Timothy’s day, as ours, one of the distractions happened to be money and riches. There were those who got caught in the pursuit of riches and wealth and were never content. The love of money became a driving force. As people let the love of money drive them and their choices, they fell into temptation and the trap of the Devil. This opened the door in their lives for ruin and destruction! (1 Timothy 6:6-10) Some had wandered from the faith and brought grief into their lives!
“But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:11-12
Paul encouraged his young pastoral protege to flee from this trap of the Devil. He was to pursue righteousness and all the qualities of godliness. We get what we pursue and focus on! What kind of fight are we really involved in? Is it a fight of faith or for money and material things?
The strategy for those who do have money and are rich in the things of this world is to fight the fight of faith by generous giving! (1 Timothy 6:17-19) Timothy was to be faithful to warn them not to put their faith in riches. Riches are very uncertain and can soon vanish or become worthless, particularly when you die. The only way to insure eternal value is to use your riches to win people to the Lord. A firm foundation for the future of life with the Lord will be eternal riches of those won to the Kingdom through generous giving!
“Timothy, guard what has be entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.” 1 Timothy 6:20-21
The war we are in is waged in every-day living. We must always be on guard. We must know the true Word of God and live accordingly to keep from being seduced. Fight the fight of faith in your life today! We win eternally!
Work and warfare!
Scripture reading for May 8th: Nehemiah 3-4
God’s people are wired for work! When a vision is present, focus of energy and teamwork can result in a miraculous amount of work being done. But it takes leadership and discipline to get people to work together. There are many hindrances that try to hold up progress and destroy the vision. The leader must assess the situation, cast the vision, organize the team of workers, and deal with the hindrances in a timely and effective manner. God will work with him and through him to complete the work.
Nehemiah was an effective leader. He was chosen by God as he prayed for the city of Jerusalem, burdened for it’s broken-down walls. Nehemiah was given favor, authority, and materials from the king to go and rebuild the broken walls of his beloved city. His plan of action was formulated as he assessed the situation for himself after arriving there. (Nehemiah 2:11-16) He decided on putting families in charge of rebuilding the section of wall nearest their own homes. (Nehemiah 3) This brought personal responsibility to bear on how the job would be done and how fast they would work. He knew they would work harder and smarter if their own family’s lives depended on it.
Nehemiah had to deal with opposition, both external and internal. This is spiritual warfare that is ever-present in the life of a believer seeking to do God’s will. He prayed first (Nehemiah 4:4-5) and then posted a guard. He armed half the men while the others worked. He kept a trumpeter by his side to sound the alarm if any family was attacked and needed help. (Nehemiah 4:17-20) Everyone worked together and kept ready to meet any opposition or force that might attack them.
This is a good plan for each person in God’s family. We are each assigned work to do by the Lord according to our gifts and talents. There will be opposition and it must be dealt with and watched closely to avoid setback and defeat. The Holy Spirit is the trumpeter in our lives who lets us know when trouble is coming. As we work and fight together the work gets done quickly. We remember that we are fighting for our own protection and that of our family. Personal responsibility and God’s grace insure the victory!
“Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” Nehemiah 4:14
Who can stand?
Scripture reading for December 8th: Nehemiah 4-6, Psalm 98, Revelation 6
Revelation 6: 12-17 “When he opened the sixth seal, I looked and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him Who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great Day of their Wrath has come, and who can stand?”
John is given a vision of the Lamb (Jesus Christ) opening the seven seals on the scroll He received from His Father. As the seals are opened, various judgments fall upon the earth and creation. As the sixth seal is opened, a great earthquake rocks the earth and causes such upheaval that the sun is darkened and the moon turns red like blood from all the shaking on earth. During this shaking, those on the earth from rich to poor hide themselves and call to the rocks to protect them from the wrath of the Lamb and God Almighty. This will be known as the great Day of Wrath. The question the earth-dwellers ask is “Who can stand?” Those so hiding have had opportunity to repent and turn to God for salvation but have refused and now rely on the rocks for protection. They cannot and will not stand on the Day of Wrath.
Psalm 98:2-3 “The Lord has made known His salvation; He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered His steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for revealing Your salvation and righteousness to me at the ends of the earth. Jesus Christ, Your Son and the Lamb of God is the last and complete revelation to all the earth. Help me today to fight for the souls of my brothers, my sons and daughters, my friends and my compatriots that none may be trusting in rocks but in The Rock, Jesus Christ. Thank You Lord!
Nehemiah 4:14 “And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, Who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”