FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT

Time with Jesus - Tuesday, 05 March 2013

Jim & Phyllida Strickland at home in Jo'burg South Africa

Hi all,

My wife and I have just begun reading one of Philip Yancey’s book, “The Jesus I Never Knew”! I was touched by the fact that, like Philip, the Jesus I “grew up” with in junior school, is vastly different from the Jesus we know now. We grew up with “Gentle Jesus, meek and mild.” Of course that is still true. But He is so much more than that. He is the Lion of Judah; the King of Kings and Lord of Lords; at His feet every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. He is the One who will separate the sheep from the goats. How is it possible for Him to be both at the same time? I don’t know. But since He is God, it should not be too difficult for Him.

Today we are at a time in history when we are expected to “fight the good fight of faith”. Paul deals with our preparation for this battle. But we don’t fight against a physical foe. Our foe is in the spirit. There will come a time when He will “take over” the battle. Then singlehandedly, He will defeat His enemies with the sword of His mouth. God’s Word will annihilate the enemy. You and I will watch this in grateful amazement.

In the meantime we must fight the good fight. This fight shapes us and forms us into the spiritual warriors He desires. Today’s meditation looks at fighting the good fight in more detail.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland 

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Tuesday, 05 March 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	These devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it is for non-commercial Christian purposes					©
INTRODUCTION			DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	Fight the Good Fight
Christianity, or being a follower of Christ, is not for wimps. This is another of those things we aren’t told, when we decide to follow Him. Maybe it’s just as well. I suspect that if we could have seen the future at that time, we would have wondered if we could possibly cope? As a child in primary school I remember singing “Onward Christian Soldiers, marching as to war; with the cross of Jesus going on before”. An easy song to sing with easily remembered lyrics. I had no idea how accurately, the hymn depicted our walk in Jesus! Some years later, I recall a dear friend of ours, who is a Methodist Minister, mentioned in one of his stories, from the history of Methodism. It concerned a rather headstrong couple, who loved each other, but revelled in minor scrapes and arguments. For the opening hymn in their marriage service, they chose “Fight the good fight with all thy might”. He told us that the closing hymn was, “Abide with me”! I rather suspect he was pulling our leg! He had one or two similar stories we thought were rather dubious. Fighting in a war can sometimes present difficulties for Christian people. Whether or not to take up arms can be very controversial. Many have refused to join the army and carry a gun. “Conscientious Objectors” are usually convinced that to shoot and kill the enemy is wrong. Sometimes this can produce some fascinating situations. I well remember the 1956 movie “Friendly Persuasion” starring, among others, Gary Cooper and Dorothy McGuire. Set during the American Civil war, the topic was dealt with in a very light-hearted way. It contained humour and pathos. It showed how difficult it can be, to be a consistent consciences objector, in times of war. Yet men have served their country in war carrying only a Bible as a weapon. Paul told Timothy to fight the good fight of faith. Paul knew what he was talking about. He’d been there! All his life, after his dramatic conversion to Jesus Christ on the Damascus Road, was one succession of confrontations after the other. “Fight the good fight of faith”, is what he wrote to Timothy. But Paul also indicated that God has equipped everyone to fight this fight. In his letter to the Ephesians he wrote: 13 Therefore take up the whole armour of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. Eph. 6:13-18 ESV There’s little doubt in my mind, that Paul was sharing with the people of Ephesus, his own experience and method in prayer. As far as he was concerned, this was warfare. These “Prayer tips” may not be in 21st century language. But guess what? They are more up to date than tomorrow’s newspaper. This is his recipe for fruitful Christianity. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			12 Fight the good fight along with all other believers. Take hold of eternal life. You were chosen for it when you openly told others what you believe. Many witnesses heard you. 1 Tim 6:12 NIrV 5 When we arrived in Macedonia, there was no rest for us. We faced conflict from every direction, with battles on the outside and fear on the inside. 2 Cor. 7:5 NLT 15 When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. "Oh, sir, what will we do now?" the young man cried to Elisha. 16 "Don't be afraid!" Elisha told him. "For there are more on our side than on theirs!" 17 Then Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!" The LORD opened the young man's eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. 2 Kings 6:15-17 NLT 10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11 Put on all of God's armour so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. Eph. 6:10-11 NLT 45 David answered, "You come at me with sword and spear and battle-ax. I come at you in the name of GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel's troops, whom you curse and mock. 46 This very day GOD is handing you over to me. I'm about to kill you, cut off your head, and serve up your body and the bodies of your Philistine buddies to the crows and coyotes. The whole earth will know that there's an extraordinary God in Israel. 1 Samuel 17:45-46 MSG 33 This God is my strong refuge and has made my way blameless. 34 He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. 35 He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 2 Samuel 22:33-35 ESV 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 2 Cor 3:5-6 ESV 7 The angel of the LORD stands guard around those who have respect for him. And he saves them. Psalm 34:7 NIrV 32 How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. 33 By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. Heb. 11:32-34 NLT	The moment you’re a Christian, you’re fighting in a war. You cannot see the enemy, and you’re a little raw. You haven’t had experience in battling this way. But there’s no way of quitting, no matter what folk say. The opposition’s sneaky; they operate through friends! They listen to your comments and focus on your trends. Their purpose is to stop you from what you may achieve. If you continue standing in the faith which you believe. Their tactics are deception; to push you to the side, Where they can make you stumble into any form of pride. Their army looks intimidating, powerful and huge. But it is just a method of evil subterfuge. They usually begin by attacking from the front. They threaten they are powerful and call on every stunt, To keep you from resisting and make you fall away. Anything that they can do, to keep the Lord at bay! Their techniques are so tricky; they’ll fight you from the rear. Anything that they can do to fill your heart with fear. They know that if you’re terrified, you’ll turn around and run; Then all of your resistance will be surely overcome. But you have a weapon that cannot be dismissed. The Word of God to fight with and they cannot resist, Its double edged action as it sweeps them all away. You also have a helmet to wear into the fray. A breastplate of God’s righteousness, the enemy can’t pierce. A shield of faith to stop the barbs, which seem to be so fierce. A belt of truth, to recognise the devil’s wicked lies; With sandals on your feet resisting your demise. We have all of this armour. At first we do not know. But as you gain experience, your confidence will grow. For you have one more weapon to keep away despair. That weapon is invincible and it’s the power of prayer. Even if you’re naked and all your armour’s gone, It’s prayer that gives ability to keep on keeping on. You have the blood of Jesus. It’s God’s atomic power. To bring His people victory each day and any hour. So Christian, take courage. Defeat will not take place. Not while you are looking into the Master’s face. Ask for just a little glimpse of how the chips are stacked. There’s many more with Jesus and Satan’s seat is smacked. You can’t be defeated and you must surely win, Against the devil’s army and the crushing power of sin. Jim Strickland Written 5th March 2012