Fight, Fight, Fight
The Christian life is a life of war. Jesus Himself declared that the kingdom of heaven advances by force—that it is seized by those who will not yield to sin or slumber. Every believer is called to spiritual battle, to lay hold of eternal life with holy determination. You cannot sleep in the enemy’s camp and still expect to march toward heaven.
John Bunyan warned of this very danger in The Pilgrim’s Progress as he himself lies in prison for preaching the gospel. Christian and Hopeful, weary from the narrow way, wandered into Bypath Meadow, thinking it offered an easier road to heaven. There they fell asleep and were soon captured by Giant Despair, who locked them in Doubting Castle, where many pilgrims had died in hopelessness. Bunyan’s lesson is clear: spiritual drowsiness leads to captivity, and compromise opens the door to despair. Only when Christian remembered the Key of Promise—God’s unfailing Word—did he escape the darkness and return to the path of life.
Jesus said that His followers would be hated, attacked, and reviled by the world. “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.” In this passage, Jesus is speaking about John the Baptist, the final prophet who prepared the way for the Messiah. Since John’s ministry began, the kingdom of heaven has been advancing forcefully—and those who truly enter it must do so with spiritual determination.
John was now imprisoned for boldly confronting Herod’s adulterous lifestyle. He was a flaming fire who spoke truth and refused to compromise, even in the midst of religious leaders who had gone astray and a wicked king who would soon take his life. Jesus described the intensity of the gospel’s advance: the message of repentance and the coming kingdom stirred both fierce opposition and fervent pursuit. The “violent” are not those who harm others, but those who wage war against sin—who press into God’s kingdom with urgency and holy resolve.
The great Puritan Thomas Watson wrote concerning this: “He that would be saved must offer violence to his sins. The flesh cries out for ease and pleasure; the world cries out for conformity; but we must either lay violent hands upon these, or they will lay hold on us to our ruin. He that would get to heaven must run counter to the tide.”
The Apostle Paul charged young Timothy to live with courage and conviction: be a soldier— engage the fight and resist the snares of the world. Be an athlete—train with discipline, setting firm boundaries around your passions for God’s glory. Be a farmer—work the soil of your soul daily, sowing truth and faithfulness until your life bears fruit. And remember Paul’s exhortation: “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David,” for He too walked the weary road of travail and set His face toward Jerusalem, where He would lay down His life as a living sacrifice.
Jesus came in the flesh for sinners, bearing our punishment. Look upon the thorns that crowned His brow, the sweat and blood that fell from His face, the hands once pierced that now welcome you home. He has conquered death and opened heaven’s gate through the covenant of grace. He has triumphed over hell and death, and now places in our hands the sword of truth, that we may wield it in the hour of battle. “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also.”
Now is no time for spiritual laziness. Too many have been swept away by compromise, lulled to sleep by comfort. Stand up, Christian, and reclaim your post. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Turn to God with weeping, bombarding heaven’s gates with petitions for strength. He who reigns upon the throne will endow you with courage to continue on. The kingdom advances through those who fight on their knees and labor with their hands. The battle is not over— God is to be glorified in your life, holiness is to be laid hold of, and souls are to be won for the kingdom. Therefore, keep yourself unstained from the world.
Life will not be easy—Christ never promised ease, only His presence. The road to glory runs uphill, and no one rides to heaven on a bed of comfort. But those who fight on in faith will one day lay their armor down and hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
“From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.” Matthew 11:12 NASBS