Fight the good fight
By Evangeline Unity Esaaba Folson
This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them ……war a good warfare.
Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck.
The New living Translation (NLT) says
Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles. Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear for some people have deliberately violated their conscience; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked (destroyed)
The following phrases will be explained further:
- Fight well in the Lord’s battles
Ephesians 6:10-18
- Cling to your faith in Christ
Hebrews 10:23
Hebrews 10:35
- Keep your conscience clear
Philippians 4: 8
- Deliberately violated their conscience
1 Timothy 4:2
- Their faith has been shipwrecked
James 2:17
2 Peter 2:21
Fight well in the Lord’s battles
Ephesians 6:10 – 18
Ephesians 6 : 10 – 18 talks about
Putting on the armour of God. It also describes the spiritual equivalent of the various parts of the armour soldiers in the olden days used:
- There is the sword of the spirit
- The breast plate of righteousness
- The helmet of salvation
- The belt of truth
- The shield of faith etc.
To be able to fight well in the Lord’s battles you have to put on your spiritual armour.
As the spiritual armour is not made of physical components or tangible components, you need to put them on through prayer and study of the word of God.
Once you have your armour on, the evil one cannot harm you because you can defend yourself by counteracting attacks and destroy all his evil plans and imagination.
The bible says in Isaiah 54: 17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn…
Cling to your faith in Christ
Hebrews 10 : 23
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without unwavering; for He is faithful that promised
Hebrews 10:35
Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.
The two verses above are talking about clinging to our faith in Christ. According to the first one if we hold fast to the profession of our faith (or cling to our faith) without wavering or having any doubts or second thoughts about our faith, God remains faithful to His promises to us.
The second one says we should not cast away, or throw away or denounce our faithful in Christ, because we will be greatly rewarded if we remain faithful and true to the end
Keep your conscience clear
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise think on these things.
If we want to keep our conscience clear then we have to think or put our attention only on the things listed in the verse above.
Other thoughts that do not fall in line with the ones listed above defiles our thoughts or conscience.
Whatever you think about directs or controls your life.
Matthew 12:34 says
Out of the abundance of the heart (or conscience) the mouth speaks (or a man acts)
Deliberately violated their conscience
1Timothy 4: 1-2
Now the spirit speaketh, expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.
Some translations replace “their conscience seared with a hot iron” with “lost their capacity for truth” or “destroyed their conscience”
When your conscience is seared or destroyed your natural tendency to hate evil or wrong no longer exist. In fact you begin to like sin and evil instead of loving what is good and pleasing in God’s sight.
You seem to find pleasure in harming and hurting other people or destroying things.
Guard your conscience and heart carefully for the bible says in Proverbs 4:23 that guard your heart and all diligence for out of it flow the issues of life.
Their faith has been shipwrecked
James 2:17
Even so faith, if it hath not works is dead, being alone
2 Peter 2:21
For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
The two verses above, point out how you can destroy your faith (shipwreck your faith)
- The first one says if your faith is not backed by works or manifestations then it is dead or destroyed.
For example, if your faith is alive, you pray according to God’s will and you receive results.
Isaiah 53: 5 says
… by this stripes we are healed.
This implies that we have already been healed. Therefore if you pray for someone with a headaches based on this scripture he/she should be healed, if not instantly it would be done sometime later.
- The second one says if you surrender your life to Christ and go back to your old life because of challenges and difficulties you have destroyed your faith.
Conclusion
Let us hold fast to the profession of our faith always for He who has called us is faithful.
References
