Fighting Well

I was sitting at the computer in our family room perusing the headlines at chron.com to see which one might grab my attention when the title that struck me most was not on the computer screen, but on the cover of a book MeKenzie read for her History class last semester.  The book was entitled, What They Fought For 1861 – 1865 by James M. McPherson.  By reading and studying personal letters and diaries of Civil War Soldiers, the author states his intention in the book is to divulge “what Civil War soldiers believed they were fighting for.”

My mind began to ponder, “What do people fight for?”  I remember as a kid Superman fought for “Truth, Justice and the American way”.  Although that is a great motto, it was coming from a cartoon character that wears red tights and according to Action Comics #900 has renounced his American citizenship.  What does he really know about what to fight for?  Then my mind caught a glimpse of all those Muhammad Ali and Howard Cosell interviews when Ali would taunt Cosell and state when he fought he would “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee”.  Not sure that is applicable either since I am not vying for the Heavyweight Championship of the World.  Although I do feel like I am in a battle on a daily basis, a battle for my time and family and service to God.  So what do I do to make sure I am fighting a good fight?

I Timothy 1:18-19 “Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.   

“I give you this instruction.” Paul is writing to Timothy, but God is using this to speak to us today.  “So that by following them (Paul’s instruction) you may fight the good fight.” Here we see that we are to always keep in front of us the idea that we are soldiers, fighting for the cause of Christ in our personal life, our family’s life and the life of our church.  Jim Elliot was an exemplary Christian missionary, martyred in Ecuador over forty years ago. When asked for his autograph he would write down his favorite text.

And as Christ’s soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army” 2 Timothy 2.4

The sound of spiritual battle was always ringing in Jim Elliot’s ears.  Each day we must remind ourselves, we are on the front line and in the thick of the battle. We are facing a very adaptable enemy on many fronts, principalities and powers (Romans 8), a roaring lion (1 Peter 5), snares of Satan (Hebrews 12) and the hatred of the world (John 15).  Around every corner, society organizes itself for the discomfort and the embarrassment of the Christian faith by attacking our family values, belief in the Scriptures and acceptance that Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal life.

Here are Paul’s (3) Instructions for fighting well:

1.  Hold on to your faith (v.19)

For Paul to make this statement, our faith is obviously something we must hold on to, guard and adhere to quite deliberately and consciously. Paul is concerned that Timothy’s faith might cease to control his life. Timothy lived in Ephesus, a town in conflict, with the clamor of Greek philosophy and pagan religions and Jewish Pharisaic traditions sounding out, sometimes violently, day after day. It was one of the dark periods of human history characterized by calamitous and accelerating change. Not much different from the societal landscape of today. 

Our neighborhoods and office buildings are filled with people who both in their youth and when they were first married held to the faith. But then they got involved in their careers and began to prosper and embraced the ideology of the masses . . . extracurricular activities for the kids, a mortgage to pay for and certain standards to maintain.  Both the husband and wife are so busy they hardly see one another or the children during the week and Sunday becomes their only free day. So they start to miss services, their daily Bible reading and eventually they let go of their faith.

Paul reminds us, don’t let that happen to you . . . hold on to your faith!

2.  Hold on to a good conscience. v.19

Maybe we can consider these as two weapons a Christian soldier uses, faith and a good conscience. Don’t lose your grip on them; don’t let them fall to the ground. There is a very interesting and important verse about the conscience.

“The lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being.” Proverbs 20:27

The Lord is shining a light upon our lives. Are we being obedient to God’s expectations for our lives as believers? or Are we deliberately and willfully disobeying God’s requirements? Our conscience impels us to do what is right and deters us from doing wrong. It affects our understanding, our feelings, our desires and affections.

Paul is urging Timothy to be conscientious at all times, no matter what the flesh cries out, no matter what your friends say, no matter the power of the enemy, hold on to your faith, listen to the Holy Spirit and you will have a good conscience!

3.  Pay attention to the failures of others (vv.19 & 20)

“Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.”

God has given us salvation and the Bible to study so we can hold on to a fighting faith and good conscience.  Without these we will make shipwrecks of our lives.  Lapses of judgment will cause us to stumble and bring conviction by the Holy Spirit.  But listen to how the Apostle John instructs is to deal with those mistakes.

“But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.” 1 John 1:9

However, if these are not confessed and given over to God, they open the door for us to navigate into tumultuous waters where Satan has submerged mines and gigantic icebergs hungry to cause a shipwreck in our life.  Through the example of two erring individuals, Paul reminds us that to deliberately and intentionally let go of one’s faith combined with refusal of repentance will cause great pain both emotionally and spiritually. 

I write these words with individuals and couples flashing through my mind’s eye that one day were fighting for their marriage and children and relationship with Christ.  Today, they are trying to patch the holes left when they were not careful to hold onto their faith and a good conscience.  I am sure you have some of those in your life as well.  Let’s remember to pray for these, but let’s also allow them to be an example of why it is so important to be good soldiers in the Army of Christ and never stop fighting well!