Faith
CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH
Jude 3; 1Timothy 6:12; Matthew 11:12
The kingdom of God is not apple-eating all-comers jamboree. It is a place of eternal
righteousness, peace and joy where entry is by fighting and winning wars. Therefore,
every Christian should get ready for war. There is a race to run, there is a battle to
fight and there is a victory to be won. We need to fight against the flesh, temptation,
Satan and the world continually and win before we can become a vessel of honour in
the hands of the Master. Daily victorious Christian living is paramount to all true
children of God. Hence, the Lord says “strive to enter ….” You don’t strive except
there is conflict to resolve, a barrier to scale, an opposition to overcome. This is a
proof that wars are waiting for all true followers of Christ. If we choose not to march
to the war, the enemy will move the war to us; we must be ready to take the war to
the enemy’s territory and fight until we win.
Unless we are ready to fight, and really fight, our services in the kingdom will be fruitless, our hope of eternal life will turn out to be a joke (Matthew 12:29; Mark 4:14-15).
THE FIGHT FOR THE FAITH
Jude 3; 2Peter 1:16-21; 2Timothy 2:2; Acts 2:42; Romans 1:16; 2Timothy 4:1-3; Jeremiah 35:3-14
Faith here refers to the sum total of what we believed. The whole counsel or word of God not a mere act of believing and trusting the Lord. The faith for which we are fighting is the bible timeless stand and standard on all areas of human lives. This faith encompasses the principles of conversion, standard of Christian conduct, character and service.
We are to strive to keep the faith, regulates our life by it, resist those who attempt to lure us away from it, oppose those who work against it, and prayerfully by words and deeds compel others to accept it.
2. THE FORCES AGAINST OUR FAITH
John 6:60, 66-67; Acts 20:28-31;; Galatians 1:6-9; 3:1-3; Philippians 1:15-16; Revelation 2:20; Acts 15:1; Deuteronomy 13:1
There are many forces of darkness that are fighting to weaken or destroy our faith. The head of these forces is the Devil himself (Revelation 12:12-13) whose tools are :
· Books of false teaching and revelations (Isaiah 8:20)
· Religions based on false beliefs.
· Practices of counterfeit professors
· Inability of people to endure sound doctrine.
· Misapplication and misuse of scriptures.
· Erroneous and malicious interpretation of the Bible.
· Deliberate attack on the Bible.
· Social disorders – worldliness in dressing and music.
· Other forces are: Protracted sickness, barrenness, poverty, fear of tomorrow, evil association or unequal yoke in marriage, business, friendship, recreation, worship or prayer.
Our k knowledge of these forces should help us in watching for them and getting ready to fight them off.
2. FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH
Jude 3; 2Timothy 4:7-8; Jeremiah 51:21; 1Timothy 4:13,15-16; 6:12-14,17-21; Deuteronomy 13:1-11.
The only way for evil to thrive is for those who know how to do good to do nothing.
Believers are to earnestly contend for the faith. To contend means to fight for something, to stand to defend a thing that is assaulted, which the adversary wants to destroy or steal. We are to fight, defending the faith so as to protect and retain it. For in doing so lies our hope of eternal life. We are to keep on fighting till the very end by:
· Enduring hardness (2Timothy 2:1, 3-4; 4:5)
· Preaching the word (2Timothy 4:2)
· Confronting false doctrines (Ephesians 5:7, 11)
· Spreading the truth aggressively (Acts 8:4; 17:6; Matthew 23:15)
· Insisting on sound doctrine.
· Dissociating oneself from all false teachers (1John 2:19)
· Supporting faithful minister
· Training others to teach the word (2Timothy 2:2)
· Standing firm in the faith whatever betides
· Praying fervently without ceasing (2Corinthians 10:5).
Akinbowale Isaac Adewumi
www.devinehome.blogspot.com
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