Fight the good fight
by Annie Duarte
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Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses (1 Timothy 6:12).
Read 1 Timothy 6:11–21
Clinging to your faith will be a kind of fight. At times, it can feel like everything in life is aiming to destroy faith. Our culture certainly does not foster faith in God. You likely even have some relationships or personal circumstances that test your faith. We have all had moments when it is tempting to ask, ‘What are you doing with this God?’ It can be difficult to be assured of his nearness in those times. Even a great servant of the Lord like Mother Teresa said there were periods of her life when she felt as though God’s loving presence had left her.
Christians must play a long-term strategy. An eternal one. Yes, there are moments when it is easy to question God’s goodness or presence. But we have to get outside of our moments and start living with an eternal mindset, or as Paul put it, ‘take hold of the eternal life’ to which we are called. If a situation does not reflect the goodness and glory of God, God is not finished working on it yet.
I have two toddlers. My son sometimes gets so frustrated waiting for me to prepare his bottle before bedtime that he throws himself onto the floor and then refuses to take the bottle once it is ready. The moment of ‘despair’ is just too much for him! So, he misses out on the good thing I prepared for him. It is silly, but it is a tiny picture of how giving up the good fight of faith can cause us to lose sight of the eternal life of glory that awaits us.
What circumstances are tempting you to give up the good fight? How can you be reminded of your eternal destiny in these moments? A small shift in perspective may just give you the will to press on in faith.
Holy Spirit, come and remind me that I have an eternal home where there will be no more testing of my faith. Strengthen me with your loving presence while I wait here in this life. Amen.
Annie Duarte is a wife, mum, worship leader and preschool Bible teacher. She and her husband serve in ministry together in the United States. Annie loves seeing God’s word come alive to people of all ages.
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