Fight the Good Fight

​Many people today are fighting the wrong fights.
Marriage fights. Family Fights. Custody fights. Legal fights. Financial fights. Political fights. Work fights. Church fights. Fights, fights, fights and more fights. The sad reality is most fights are being lost because they are the wrong fights.
Think about the spiritual, mental and physical energy, emotional frustration, time, and resources wasted fighting the wrong fights. Our culture has rapidly degenerated into a contentious, offense oriented, violence leaning society, where wrong fights are the order of the day. Pick a fight and someone will be more than happy to fight you back!  
It is biblical truth that you and I reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7-9). Fighting the wrong fight reaps the wrong fruit. Fighting the right fight reaps the right fruit.
The right fight is the good fight of faith.
How can I say that? The Bible says so. Paul wrote to Timothy, his son in the faith, the following words “But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance. and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” I Timothy 6:11-12.
The elder Paul instructed the younger Timothy what to flee from and what to pursue. As man of faith and man of God he was to pursue, seek after, righteousness, godliness, faith, love perseverance, and gentleness. Wouldn’t it be awesome and life-altering if you and I pursued these same things? May you and I aspire to do so with God’s help.
Then Paul exhorts, encourages his ministerial protégé to fight, that’s right fight. Fight what? The good fight of faith. Timothy was to fight, contend, stand up for his faith in Christ. Timothy was to be a faith fighter who took hold of, grabbed onto the eternal life he had been called to, and for which he had made a good, personal confession before many witnesses.
In other words, Timothy, fight the good fight of faith which you have confessed before the church and the world. Run your faith race as a faithful servant of the One who called you to eternal life. Don’t be distracted or sidetracked by the wrong fights son. Set your sights, keep your belief focused on the right fights, the good fight of faith.
Paul also reminds us followers of Christ that our struggle, battle, spiritual warfare, is not with flesh and blood, meaning people. (See Ephesians 6:10-20). Our fight is with Satan and his demonic forces in heavenly places. Sorry, fellas, she may act like it at times, but your mother-in-aw is not the devil! .
If you and I are fighting people all the time, we are fighting the wrong fight.
Throughout my life as a Christian and minister of the Gospel, I have been asked “Steve, what does Satan want from me?’ What is the evil one really after? My reply has been that the devil doesn’t want your stuff, your position, your money, your assets and not even your loved ones. He wants your faith.
Satan’s chief strategy is to deceive unbelievers from believing in Christ, and to discourage believers in Jesus from continuing believing in Him. Bottom line: the devil wants your and my faith
The good fight of faith is a faith fight against the devil who seeks to destroy faith in Jesus. The spiritual battle we wage is about maintaining, increasing, defending and sharing our faith in the Lord.   
Christian faith is of little value unless it is worth fighting for.
You may be struggling right now with a faith fight. I encourage and implore you to fight, yes fight, fight for all you are worth. Pushback doubt and unbelief with faith. Stand firm against lies and falsehood with faith. Stand courageously for what is right in God’s sight with unshakable faith. When tempted to doubt, knock doubt out with a loud shout of faith in Christ!
The good fight of faith is faith in Christ and His Word for our walk with the Lord, our personal life, our marriages, our family, our relationships, our employment, our finances, our health, our nation, our beliefs and our positive influence as light and salt in our society.
 Fighting the good fight of faith is the key to fighting for what we value most.  
My friend who and what are you fighting for? Who and what do you stand up for? Believe in? Support? Where do you invest your time, talent, treasure and testimony? Are you willing to die on the hill of faith? Would those who know you best say you are faithfully and victoriously fighting the good fight of faith?
Christians are called to be faith fighters. When you and I were born again, we enlisted in God’s holy army as good soldiers of Jesus Christ (see II Timothy 2:1-4).  Our Lord and Savior is our commander in chief in the battle for the souls of men and women, boys and girls.  
2020 has arrived. If you have been fighting some wrong fights, I encourage you to humble yourself before the Lord, repent, ask Him for forgiveness, receive a clean slate, then wholeheartedly commit yourself to fight the good fight of faith from now on.
Fight the good fight of faith will all you might every single day this new year.  
“But you beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.” Jude 20-21
A Word For Your Week: The good fight of faith is the fight worth fighting.