“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 NIV 2:12
Have you ever seen a fighter’s preparation before a big fight?
Or have you seen any films that show people getting ready to go to war?
My son and I watched an old movie called Rock, The fighter. Do you know this movie? This guy in the movie gets himself ready for a fight, a competition… He is there to win… Of course in this case it’s only a movie, but in real life, real fighters they train very hard like that too.
Before the competition, the fight, he wakes up 4am, he prepares himself! He starts to run around the city, he eats well, he works out, and trains a lot. He has a goal! He lives for that.
Before the fight, he keeps the focus. Nothing distracts him from his goal, he is sure he will fight, and he will win….
The bible says to “Fight the good fight of the faith”.
So, today I am here to tell you: You are a Fighter, so FIGHT!
This is the message today: FIGHT!
The first thing you need to know: You are a fighter!
The bible says you have to fight the good fight of the faith. So, if you have to fight, you are a Fighter!
You are a fighter! Say: I am a fighter! Yes, the bible says it…
And if you are afraid of the fight you are going through right now in your life…listen to what God says:
The bible says:
“Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”
Isaiah 35:3-4
My role today is to tell you:
Strengthen your hands, Stand up! Be strong! Do not fear! Your God has come to save you! He will help you. You are not alone! You are a fighter!
Now that you know you are a fighter, you have to know which battles you have to fight!
Look what the bible says:
“The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.” Galatians 5:17
First battle: You have to fight against your Desires!
The first enemy we have is our self! Yes, the first enemy you have to conquer lives inside of you… It’s your desires…
Sometimes you receive a word from God, you know what you have to do, but a voice inside of you says: Come on, you are tired! You worked hard this week… You don’t have to go to Church, or you don’t have to spend time in prayer… This time only. You deserve it!
Or, the temptations come and a voice says: Come on, no one is looking at you right know… do it. Only once…
The bible says, there is a fight between flesh and spirit at all times! Every day you have to fight against your flesh…if you stop fighting, the evil one wins… you cannot stop fighting. Let yourself be Led by the spirit
Second battle: You have to fight against Hell!
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”
Ephesians 6:12-13
We are in a spiritual war! Our fight is not against people! No! Our fight is against Hell!
Jesus said that He built his Church and the power of hell will not prevail!
We have to go on war against hell! We can’t just defend ourselves, we have to attack!
And we attack hell when we pray, when we fast, when we declare the world of God upon lives!
You have to fight against hell.
So, now you know: You are a fighter! You have to fight against your flesh and against Hell.
And now, I’d like to show to you the weapons that are available for you to use in this war!
“Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armour so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armour of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” Ephesians 6:13-18
When Apostle Paul wrote this, he had the Roman warriors in mind, how they dressed and how they got ready for war.
He said:
Put the full armour of God!
You cannot fight without armour.
Some People trust in their own strength, they say: I don’t need help! I can do it by myself! They reject the armour of God and they fail…
Armour here means protection!
You cannot go to war without protection! And God is your protection! He made this armour to help you in the battle against flesh and against hell! With His armour, you will be able to resist the enemy in the Time of evil.
The armour of God represents the defences we must take up in our spiritual lives. We must take action and put on God’s armour. It can be very dangerous to forget to equip ourselves with the armour of God and allow the enemy to take control in our lives.
So, listen up to what you have to use in order to win this battle:
First: Belt of Truth (Be honest)
The belt is where the Roman soldiers stored their weapon, without a belt, they could not carry a weapon!
Do you get it? If we wear the belt of truth, we will carry the weapon close to us. Our weapon is the word of God, and Jesus is the truth! So, Paul calls us to walk in truth. Say no to lies!
Jesus said:
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”” John 8:32
My brothers, walk in truth! Do not give space to lies in your life. Be honest!
Some people walk in lies, and to keep the lies alive they tell even more lies. But this is like a castle of sand….one day the truth comes out and the lie is destroyed…
Do not live with lies… Walk in truth! And when I say walk in truth, I am saying: Walk with Jesus, because He is The Truth! Let’s be honest!
Second: Breastplate of Righteousness (Be pure)
The breastplate of a soldier was sometimes made of woven chain and used to cover the soldier’s vital organs. For us Christians, the breastplate represents righteousness.
We have to keep our hearts pure before God!
I have seen many attacks from the devil against the Church, and many people are losing their purity, their innocence!
I am still working on a profound message about that, maybe next time I will preach about it. But during war time many have their breastplate broken because of the way they are living… protect your heart from evil! The devil is looking for cracks in your armour… do not let him come in…Be pure! Stay away from hateful things, from sin, from bad behaviour, bad language, Be pure!
God told: “for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”” 1 Peter 1:16
Third: Shoes of peace ( Be peaceful)
Roman soldiers’ would have hobnails on the sole, very much like football cleats because when they were fighting they needed solid footing from which to move on.
Unless you have solid footing, you can never go on war.
Yes, you have to walk in peace, don’t make enemies, make friends brothers and sisters!
If you have something against someone, you have to fix it… if you don’t, you cannot go to war… You have to be in peace to fight the good fight! In peace, you will be able to fight the good fight and to proclaim the good news for the world, the good news that Jesus saves, amen?!
Be peaceful!
Forth: Shield of faith (Be convinced)
A Roman soldier’s shield measured approximately two by four feet and was made of wood covered with leather. Before a war, they would soak their shields in water tanks. On the day, soldiers would dip their arrows in oil, light them up and shoot them at the enemy. That is why they would soak the shield in the water to protect themselves from the flames in the arrows…These shields were vital to the protection of solider.
The same way, we have to use the shield of faith that God given us! We have faith and we have to use it.
Just as the soldiers soaked their shields in water, I invite you to enter God’s river and let Him fill you up with the Holy Spirit. If you are filled with The Holly Spirit, you will be able to fight the good fight and be convinced that you will conquer the battle against the enemy! Be convinced that you have the Holy Spirit and you will be able to conquer the battle!
Fifth: The helmet of Salvation (Have a Renewed mind)
Soldiers would wear a helmet to protect their heads because if their head was wounded, he couldn’t think straight anymore. Every believer needs to have a mind of Christ under the control of Almighty God.
When a person is first saved, they have their minds set right for the first time. The most important thing you should have at all times is an assurance of your salvation. Do you know that you are saved? If you aren’t, then you cannot win the battle. How are your thoughts? You have to cleanse your mind.
You have to renew your mind through Christ.
The bible says:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2
Protect your mind and you will be able to think straight, to remember that Jesus saved you, and now you are a child of God.
Have a renewed mind!
Sixth: The Sword of the Spirit (Obey the word of God)
We have the best weapon in the world.
Nations like the United States, Russia, China, they try to have good weapons in case of a war breaking out, but they miss out on the best one: The word of God!
The bible says:
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.”
2 Corinthians 10:4 -6
Obey the word of God, and we will demolish strongholds in our lives. Amen?!
So, my brothers and sisters, now you know:
You are a fighter!
You have enemies to fight against (Your flesh and The Hell)
You know the armour of God is available for you.
You can use the
Belt of truth / Breastplate of righteousness/ Shoes of peace/ Shield of faith / Sword of God.
So, now I invite you to GO TO WAR!! GO TO WAR!
Fight for your faith!
Doubts … unbelief… Attacks from the enemy….
Fight for your family!
Wives, husbands, children…
Fight for The Kingdom of God
Church, projects, ministries, leaders, brothers and sisters…
“Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”
Isaiah 35:3-4