In 1 Timothy 6:12,
Paul instructs his spiritual son Timothy, to fight the good fight of
faith. Later on, near the end of Paul's life, he reflects on his own
journey and declares... I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: (2 Timothy 4:7 KJV)
As
I get older, I am becoming more reflective about my life and the
legacy that I will leave behind when I transition to glory. It is my
hope and prayer that at the end of my own race, I will be able to say
the same thing as Paul did. That I have fought the good fight, that I
finished my race and I have not lost heart.
If my life was a
15 round boxing match, I am most certainly in the last 5 rounds.
...And I want to keep on fighting right until the end. Now you may
surprised that a 'Fatherheart guy' like me would devote an entire
blog to fighting. What are we fighting? Who are we fighting? Isn't
the love of God meant to dismantle our need to contend and battle
like we used to?
To answer these questions, I first want to
point out that in this week's focus verse, Paul writes that the way
we fight as beloved sons and daughters is opposite from the ways that
the world fights. In the world, the biggest, strongest and richest
dominate. In the Kingdom of our Papa, it is the poor, the weak and
the foolish that God has chosen to be His champions (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). As a matter of fact, in Papa's Kingdom, the greatest is actually the one who is the smallest (Matthew 18:1-4). Go figure!
So
before we can have a good understanding of the fight that we are
called to wage, we need to understand what our weapons are. I think the
best description that we can find in one place to describe our
weaponry is found in Galatians 5:22-23 which describes the evidence of
the Holy Spirit's fruitfulness in our lives...
Galatians 5:22-23 The
fruit of the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its
various expressions. This love is revealed through: Joy that
overflows, Peace that subdues, Patience that endures, Kindness on
display, A life full of virtue, Faith that prevails, Gentleness of
heart, and Strength of spirit. (TPT)
If you have never thought of the fruit of the Spirit as being your biggest, best weapons, think again. In Romans 16:20, Paul writes that it is the God of 'peace' that will crush Satan's head. And it is the peace that passes our understanding (Philippians 4:7) that will help us sleep through even the greatest of storms (Luke 8:23). And it is perfect love that casts out all fear (1 John 4:18).
It is helpful to note that the Greek word for 'cast' is the same
word used when Jesus 'cast' out devils. Needless to say, it is a
pretty aggressive description of love's impact on fear.
In Ephesians 6:10-17, Paul makes a list of the armor that we are meant to go into battle with... The belt of truth that will set us free (John 8:32); Our heart protected by a breastplate that declares us righteous; Our feet fitted with the Prince of Peace's own shoes (John 14:27); A really big shield of faith (trust) that protects us from condemnation (Romans 8:1) and the helmet of salvation that shields our minds from the endless nattering from the father of lies (John 8:44).
The only offensive weapon in our arsenal is the sword of the Spirit which is the spoken {hray'-mah}
Word of God. It is important to remember that the armor we are
called to wear is not our armor, but God's. And the only offensive
weapon that we will ever need comes from God Himself when He speaks
on our behalf.
Whenever
I think of personally going into battle, I picture myself as a
little boy outfitted with oversized knight's armor roaring in the
face of his enemy. While the enemy is indeed terrified at the sight,
it isn't really this little boy that gives him the fright, but the
little boy's Dad who is standing behind him!
Just the thought
that Almighty God would have a protective, ferocious Father's heart
for me is enough to set my heart at rest and send even the most
formidable enemy running.
I think this picture goes along with Romans 8:31 which says 'If God is for us, who can stand against us?"
The picture of the biggest, best Dad in the universe watching over
me (as I think I am actually the one doing the fighting), is
absolutely heart warming and reinforces Romans 8:33 which says... Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. (NLT)
It is true that we all have been given weapons of righteousness to wield in our right hand and in our left (2 Corinthians 6:7) but ultimately the battle is The Lord's (2 Chronicles 20:15).
It is only when we realize this to be true that we can actually stop
trying to fight for ourselves and simply trust that He is fighting
on our behalf (Exodus 14:14).
When we begin to understand that we are the strongest when we are the weakest (2 Corinthians 12:9), we will be able to cease from our own works so that we can enter into the rest of our Abba (Hebrews 4:9-11).
I believe it is from this place of resting in the finished work and
ultimate victory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that we can
begin to believe that we are more than conquerors no matter what life
throws at us (Romans 8:37).
This
week's Scripture passage tells us that the weapons that our Papa has
given us have divine power to pull down strongholds. And where do
these strongholds exist? ...in our mind! In order to better understand
this battle, let's read the verses around this week's text...
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 For
though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the
contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish
arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the
knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient
to Christ. (NIV)
The fight we
are called to fight is not with people or even with orphan world
systems. What we are called to resist is the ultimate lie that tries
to convince us that we aren't who God says we are. Jesus told us that
the work of God is to believe in the One He sent (John 6:29) for it is in believing the truth that we will be set free.
Our fight is simply learning to stand (Ephesians 6:13) in our true identity as Papa's beloved kids so that we can live a life of love (Ephesians 5:1-2).
It is only when we stand firm in the truth (reality) of who we
really are in Christ, that we can resist the relentless lies that say
otherwise. The end result is that when we resist the devil, he has
no choice but to run the other way (James 4:7).
So
brothers and sisters, my prayer today is that you would continue to
fight the good fight, that you would continue to run your unique race
and that you would keep the faith in the One who has declared you
completely loved and accepted! Having done all to stand, my prayer is
that you would keep on standing, so that you can really enjoy the
fruitful life of love that your God and Father has secured for you this
very moment. (1 John 4:16)
Ephesians 6:10-17 Finally,
be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. Put on the
whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles
of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but
against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s
rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces
of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore put on the whole armor
of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and,
having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having the utility belt of
truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate
of righteousness, and having fitted your feet with the preparation of
the Good News of peace; above all, taking up the shield of faith,
with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil
one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God; (WEB)