“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life…to which you were also called…”
1 Timothy 6:12 (NKJV)
Paul uses active and forceful verbs to describe the Christian life; run, pursue, fight, hold tightly, etc. Some think Christianity is a passive religion that advocates waiting for God to act. On the contrary, we must have an active faith, obey God with courage, and do what we know is right.
Paul told Timothy to fight the good fight of faith and lay hold on eternal life. Faith is more than a battle; it is a war that all Christians wage throughout our lives. And it is not an easy war that can be won by victory in a single battle. It involves many battles.
We need the very faith that Christ had when He walked on earth. That means we are to live by everything He did and taught, including abiding by the laws of God. Thus, we live by believing and not by seeing only (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Faith is not merely something you only exercise during life’s moments of crisis. It is not just something to consider when “things aren’t going well”. It is a full-time practice, completely inseparable from the entire spiritual understanding through which you are to confront all the issues you face in your Christian walk.
Where faith is lacking, God is not pleased. God will test our faith, and the devil will tempt us to abandon it. Even from Jesus’ standpoint, He did not allow the shame and humiliation of the crucifixion to deter Him from accomplishing what He had set out to do (Acts 8:32-33). He believed all the way.
God will always take care of you. Do not doubt; only believe! Trust Him! Wait on Him! Expect Him to keep all of His promises, and He will! Faith is your evidence! The very faith with which He performs His miracles is placed in us and acting in us. We can exercise it to be witnesses to the world.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Word. We ask that You pour Your Holy Spirit into our hearts so that with steadfast faith, we may cling to You in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read: Hebrews 11:6; James 5:19-20
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 82; Acts 27:13-44; 2 Kings 18; 2 Kings 19:1-13
