1 Timothy 6:12
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
Many struggle with the desire to be rich. God warns the believer that your desire should not be to become rich or to focus on being rich, but to fight the good fight of faith. God says in verse 11, But thou, O man of God, flee these things. What things is the man of God to flee? He is to flee the desire to be rich. Instead, the man of God is to follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Following after these things is how you fight the good fight of faith. Now, just because God is talking to the man of God does not mean that the lay Christian is not to do these things. Rather, the man of God is to do these things to be an example to show every believer how they are to live. If fighting the good fight of faith is by following after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness, then let me share what these things are so you will know how to fight this great fight.
First, righteousness is more than just being right; it is doing right. Many believers can tell you what they don’t do, but they also don't do right. So many believers are so focused on not doing that they don't do right, just like they don't do wrong; in reality, they don't do anything. You cannot fight the good fight of faith by sitting; you fight it by doing right.
Second, godliness is being like God. In other words, it is doing right by reflex. There are times when we do right because it is right to do, but we also ought to do right because it is who we are. God does right because He is God. You will always struggle to do right if you only do right because it is right. You need to move on to doing right because it is your character to do the right thing in the right way.
Third, faith is attempting great things for God. We cannot fight the good fight of faith if we are not attempting great things for God by faith. The purpose of what we believe is to attempt great things for God to show the world the greatness of our God and the worthiness of believing in Him and living how He tells us to live. You are not in the fight for faith if you are not attempting great things for God.
Fourth, you are to love people as you fight the great fight of faith. To love people is to reach people. We are to reach the lost as well as the fallen. John 3:16 shows that God loved us so much that He gave Himself to reach us. You will only be in the fight of faith once you make it your life to reach the lost and fallen. In other words, make it your life to restore people back to God.
Fifth, you must have patience in the great fight of faith. Patience is not being quick to give up on people. The great fight of faith to reach people can be frustrating, but you must never give up on people because you never know when the work God is doing in their hearts will finally cause them to change their lives.
Sixth, you must have meekness in the great fight of faith. Meekness is not making yourself the issue. You will never reach people successfully if you make God’s work about you. You will only reach people when you die to self and make your life’s work about reaching people. When these six things are part of your character is when you will win this great fight of faith.
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