Fight and stand

Fight the good fight of faith; lay hold of the eternal life to which you were summoned and [for which] you confessed the good confession [of faith] before many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12 AMP

Fight the good fight of faith. What does that mean? The Message Bible puts it this way...

Run hard and fast in the faith. Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12 The Message

When I read this scripture I think about what Paul says in Hebrews ....

But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved. Hebrews 10:39 NIV

Fight is a verb - a doing word. It requires us to make the choice to not shrink back, or as The Message Bible says, to not quit.


But we're not quitters who lose out. Oh no! We'll stay with it and survive, trusting all the way. Hebrews 10:39 The Message

We have to make the choice to continue to trust in God no matter what the circumstances look like.

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see. Hebrews 11:1 The Message

Sometimes the fight is just that - a fight to keep trusting in God, trusting that He has the situation in hand. 

Often God asks us to fight differently to how we think we should fight.

You won't have to lift a hand in this battle; just stand firm, Judah and Jerusalem, and watch GOD's saving work for you take shape. Don't be afraid, don't waver. March out boldly tomorrow - GOD is with you. 2 Chronicles 20:16 The Message

Now that doesn't mean we don't do anything. On the contrary, God asks us to:
1. Stand firm and watch
2. Don't be afraid
3. Don't waver
4. March out boldly

None of these things are easy to do when the heat is on. They all basically require us to 'not stress' but rather to take all the fearful thoughts captive and replace them with God's words of life; and have complete confidence in His sovereignty over the circumstance.

You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you. 2 Chronicles 20:17 NKJV

Question for today, is God asking you to fight for something? If yes, how is He asking you to fight? What specifically is He asking you to do? If you are not sure, spend some time with Him today, asking and listening for His guidance. And always remember,

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:27 NKJV