The Good Fight of Faith

In 1 Timothy 6:12 we are exhorted to fight the good fight of faith, and lay hold of eternal life.

We need power; we must have weapons with which to fight if we want to fight. We read about this power in Acts 1:8, where they were promised power after the Holy Spirit had come upon them. “For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Verse 5. We need this baptism in order to lay hold on eternal life. Of what use are our previous experiences if we are not hot and fervent today?

The devil has mobilized practically everything that is visible in order to ensnare our hearts and minds with worldly things and hin­der us from laying hold on eternal life. However, when we are filled with the Spirit of God, we possess such strength and power that none of the powers of wickedness are able to gain the upper hand, even if they come as angels of light.

We must be conscious of the seal and guarantee of the Spirit in our hearts; it must be an established fact in our life. We must be completely surrendered and have forsaken everything in order to ex­perience rest in God. Then the Word will become living to us, it will taste like the most precious honey. This is the result of the work of the Holy Spirit which is experienced by each one who presses in.

“The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:14. This was the promise to the children of Israel as they stood before the Red Sea with the Egyptian army behind them. Hu­manly speaking, it was a hopeless situation. However, by holding their peace, they experienced a most glorious liberation. They could stand there peacefully and watch the entire Egyptian army perish in the water. The ungodly cannot be at peace (Isaiah 57:20), because that requires a great fear of God. The Lord Himself will fight for us if there is quietness and confidence in our hearts.

The children of Israel fought to no avail at Ai. In this case it did not help them to be quiet, because there were accursed goods in their midst. Joshua 7:10-12. All the conditions have to be met before the Lord can help us. There must not be anything in our life which we are not willing to give up, neither must there be any situation in which we are not willing to humble ourselves. In times of war it is quite common that fortified strongholds have to be stormed. Jesus exhorts us to use this same tactic in our spiritual warfare. Matthew 11:12.

Simeon was in the Spirit’s leading when he took Jesus in his arms. The devil is trying to hinder such leading with all his might. He has come to murder, to steal, and to rob people, leaving them devoid of all life in God, without eternal life abiding in them. 1 John 3:14-15.

The power of the Lord’s might is at our disposal. Ephesians 6:10. Let us fight the good fight of faith in this power, and lay hold on eter­nal life, so we can stand, arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright. Revelation 19:8. May God give us grace to this end, for His name’s sake.