“Fight the good fight of faith,” Paul urged (1 Timothy 6:12 NASB) because a war rages. This war is spiritual and more of a rebellion led by a defeated rebel (Rev. 12:11-12). This fight is not God versus the devil because the devil is not equal to God. That is how Hollywood paints it, but Satan is a created being and cannot truly stand against God. However, Satan does intend to pervert, distort, and keep God’s will from the earth. How does he accomplish his goal? Through men and women. That goes back to the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). When sin entered, it appeared that Satan temporarily thwarted God’s righteous will on the earth. What seemed like a victory for Satan was something God had figured out from the foundation of the world (Hebrews 4:3). Before we came to Christ, you and I were enemies of God and in danger of facing God’s wrath (Romans 5:9-11). Too many people think that once they accept Christ, then the struggle will be over. There are even some heretical teachings out there that tell people those lies. Coming to Christ did not mean that the war was over but that we were no longer enemies. In Christ, we have only changed sides, and our enemy is no longer God but the rebellion’s leader.
War is raging. That is the first thing that you need to realize. There is nothing more the enemy would want you to forget or overlook. We have victory in Christ, but if we don’t know about the battle, Satan can defeat us. The second thing that you need to understand is where we are. We are living behind enemy lines. I know you may not like to hear that. However, you and I are not supposed to fit in and align with what we see. Peter said, “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11 NASB). As aliens, we long to be at home with Christ. That is why we get excited when we sing about heaven, but it is not about heaven but about being at home with Him. Behind enemy lines is not a comfortable place.
Safety is hard to come by when you are on the enemy’s turf. Many would rather not be in the enemy’s camp, but what better place to be when you are fighting a war? If we are fighting that good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12), it is behind enemy lines that we get the opportunity to do the most good. Behind enemy lines, we see lost people found, bound people set free, sick people healed, dead people raised, and many other beautiful things. Remember, sick people need a physician (Matthew 9:12, Mark 2:17, Luke 5:31). The battlefront is not in heaven but behind enemy lines. This war is spiritual, so guns and bombs are useless (2 Cor. 10:3-4). What are you doing to help those around you? Are you armored and armed (Ephesians 6:10-18), ready to fight in this war? There are people out there in need of the Gospel, in need of hope, in need of peace, in need of love, and in need of Christ. Are you doing what you can behind enemy lines to help these people? Jesus came behind enemy lines “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10 NASB). He reached for you and me and anyone that will believe. Let’s follow His example behind enemy lines. Don’t forget; we are fighting in a war behind enemy lines! How we live matters, how we pray matters, and how we love matters. “Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3 NASB), and “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1 Timothy 6:11b-12 NASB).
Fighting the Good Fight In Christ,
Pastor Josh May
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