It Is Time To Fight The Good Fight Of Faith And Defeat The Enemy

You can’t win a fight if you are not in it. That is why Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 6:12  ““Fight the good fight of the faith…”  The Christian world has lost many political battles simply because we didn’t go to the polls and let our voice be heard.  We weren’t in the fight. We have lost ground in the culture war because believers simply remained silent on issues we should have spoke up about. We weren’t in the fight.  I want to ask you this question: Do you fight the good fight of faith?

The testimony of many is found in the first three words of Ephesians 6 where it says -we wrestle not. I believe many modern day believers are content to sit on the sidelines of life while the battle rages around us.

I know that there is a theology that’s going around today that says that you don’t really have to pray, that you don’t have to engage the enemy, that Satan has been so completely defeated by Jesus, that you don’t have to do a thing. It is not really necessary to pray.  You don’t have to resist the devil. You don’t have to fast.  You don’t have to fight to win because we already have won.

That goes against all of Ephesians 6:12 that says “We wrestle…against principalities and powers.” If we have already won the battle why would Paul say we must wrestle.

Now I am from Worthington, MN.  In Worthington every year when I was a young man there was the national Junior college wrestling championships. I used to watch the wrestling matches. I used to watch the winners receive the honor for winning that tournament. And there was never anyone who got the reward for not wrestling.

Why put on armor if there is no fight? Now I am going to tell you something, when Jesus died on the cross, he defeated Satan, there is no doubt about it.  Jesus is complete victor. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have a fight spiritual battles.  What it means is that because Jesus won we can win.  The good news is when Christ returns, He will cast Satan into a bottomless pit.  But until then we have to engage the enemy of our soul in prayer and daily resistance to his schemes and plots.

Paul was a man who really knew what it was to fight the enemy. From the moment he surrendered completely to Christ until the time of his departure, this was his testimony. 2 Timothy 4:7-8  “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:” Paul told everyone around him to engage the enemy as well.  He told his protégé Timothy in 1  Timothy 6:12  ““Fight the good fight of the faith…”

But even with all that Paul did, his faithfulness, his consecration, his suffering- even Paul saw his prayers and plans hindered.  He recognized the battle and that from time to time Satan hindered him and his ministry.  I believe that scripture is inspired by God and has meaning.  1 Thessalonians 2:18  “Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us.”

My mentor, Steve Weaver, shared with me won day that word “hindered” in the Greek literally means blocked our way. To cut into like blocking off a road. To introduce an obstacle that stands sharply in the way of moving object. To sharply impede by cutting off what is desired or needed. To block or to hinder.

Do you mean to tell me that a man as dedicated to God as Paul was, found himself in a place where Satan hindered him? Yes! He found himself in a place where he recognized the interference of the enemy. The devil had blocked his prayers, hindered his plans, fought against him.

Does the enemy block our answers? Of course he does!  Does the enemy try to hinder our way? Of course he does! Does Satan try to put stumbling blocks in our path? Yes of course he does. But can he win? Only if we sit back and don’t engage the fight. But can he prevail only if we grow weary in well doing.

This is why we must fight the good fight of faith!

He may be able to delay the answer, but he cannot deny it. Are you a believer that used to pray but now you would rather spend your time doing something else?  Maybe your answer has been delayed as Daniels was in Daniel 10.  Maybe you have forgotten who you are in Christ! Maybe you have grown discouraged or feel as if God won’t answer your prayers. As you fight the good fight of faith and pray and fast and believe and declare and bind and loose, you will see victory!

Listen, you can’t win a fight that you aren’t in.  It is time for the church to get back to praying. Get up in the morning. Write your prayers in a journal. Call out to God. I wonder what victories await you. You are called to be a warrior in the battle.  So let’s go to a deeper level of praying. Let’s continue to be faithful in the battle of resisting Satan.

I encourage you to place your prayer request in the comment section so that I and others can pray with you. Let’s fight the good fight of faith together.