"Fight
the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also
called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many
witnesses."
1 Timothy 6:12
This command to Timothy is given to all soldiers in
God's army. All of God's children are enlisted in His army—not only spiritual
adults but also spiritual infants. As soon as we are born again, we find
ourselves in spiritual warfare, and we will remain on the battlefield for the
rest of our lives. Soldiers of Christ do not take vacations, nor do they
retire.
What Jesus foretold is unfolding before our eyes: we
hear of wars and rumors of wars. Nations rise against nations, kingdoms against
kingdoms. These wars are driven by evil motives, executed through evil methods,
and bring forth evil outcomes—death and destruction.
In contrast, our war is a good one, for we battle
against evil itself. We have a good motive: to spread the Word of God, by which
people will be freed from the power of sin. Our method is good: we fight with
the Word of God, wearing the armor of God, and through prayer. We wage war
under the guidance of the Good Commander, Jesus, and the result of our war is
good—eternal life.
Our enemy never rests, never sleeps, never pauses in
his efforts to draw us away from God.
This is why I must remain vigilant, practicing the
principles of this good fight. I must remember that there can be no truce, no
peace treaty between the spirit and the flesh.
Our rest awaits us in heaven, but for now, we are called to the fight.
From my diary,
October 28, 2024