Fight
“This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight,”
1 Timothy 1:18 NASBS
The Christian life is a life of war. It is a life of continually setting down carnal desires and yielding to God’s Holy word. The nature of war assumes violence, fatigue, and perseverance. The word fight used in the passage above carries the sense of performing a military duty, to be active in service. My fellow brothers and sisters of faith, we have been called to a great military expedition. The Great Commander of the hosts of heaven, Jesus Christ, has summoned us in tbattle. We are called to take possession by faith, a life of purity and holiness, being set apart for Him alone. This is no small task Christian, it entails taking holy violence against anything that raises a standard against our Master’s word and assaults His beloved Son Who was crucified upon the cross.
This is something that cannot be achieved in your own strength. Therefore God, upon your faith in His beloved Son, has caused His Holy Spirit to live and dwell in each of you, bringing forth righteous convictions against the sinful affections that become aroused in the heart and mind. God has commanded you, as His beloved Child, to take mastery over these fallen desires through the strength of the indwelling Spirit, Who has equipped you with the battlements of royal apparel. This is spiritual armor that will not only protect you against the wicked assaults of the enemy, but for the tearing down of wicked fortresses raised up by Satan. Come now Christian soldier, prepare for war, gird yourself with the belt of truth. Devotion and discipline must govern your path, hypocrisy cannot stand, for upon your heart you must treasure God’s word so that you may not sin against Him. Let the light of His holy word shine in the darkened crevices of your heart, guiding you in the pathways of truth and repentance. Now soldier, equip your feet with the gospel of truth, Calvary lingers constantly upon your mind, for in the death of Christ you have been justified through faith and now have peace with God.
Strap on the breastplate of righteousness, for His cleansing blood has purified all of the faculties of the soul. The imputed righteousness of Christ has freely been bestowed upon you through faith and it is as if you have never sinned. For though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool. “So let your cry spring forth from thy soul, Shoot those fiery darts you serpent of old , for I will trust in God, In God alone.” As the cry of Isaiah the Prophet would say, “When I pass through the waters, He will be with me; and when I Pass through the rivers, they will not overflow me. When I walk through the fire, I will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn me, for I am the Lord’s.”
Oh my brethren do not rest just yet, for the helmet of salvation must be put on. Our minds must be prepared for action, for the enemy will not lay down. He advances toward you with weapons of destruction. His desire is to have you and to take claim of your heart. The fiercest battle is yet to be fought, and the battleground is your mind. Apollyon comes ready for war seeking to destroy the believer’s assurance of salvation with the weapons of sin, doubt, and discouragement. He is the accuser of the brethren. So valiant warrior, do not be found without the helmet of salvation on, unsheathe the sword of God’s Holy word and fight. For though you have sinned, and feel it raging and rebelling in your members, yet, in Christ, you have gained a sacrifice for it, and redemption from it. He has put away sin from you, and the wrath due to you has been appeased, thus it stands recorded in the courtroom of heaven. “The mighty Judge has passed His decree, Through His blood the declaration of righteousness has set you free. Go forth oh child of God for fear shall have no place in thee, for the battle is won in Christ Who has the victory.”