Today I want to share agaion from Rick Renner's "Sparkling Gems From The Greek - Volume 2:
Fight the Good Fight of Faith!
Fight the good fight of faith.… — 1 Timothy 6:12
Many believers have the misconception that walking by
faith means they should be able to effortlessly glide all the way to God’s
destination for their lives with no hiccups or struggles along the way. But the
Bible teaches quite the opposite in First Timothy 6:12. In that verse, the
apostle Paul wrote, “Fight the good faith of faith….” According to this verse,
the path of faith often requires a fight to see it through to completion.
The word “fight” is the Greek word agonidzo, which
refers to a struggle, a fight, great exertion, or effort.
It is where we get the word agony — a word often used in the New
Testament to convey the ideas of anguish, pain, distress,
and conflict. The word agonidzo itself comes from the word agon,
which is the word that depicted the athletic conflicts and
competitions that were so famous in the ancient world. It frequently
pictured wrestlers in a wrestling match, with each wrestler struggling with all
his might to overcome his opponent in an effort to hurl him to the ground in a
fight to the finish.
The very fact that Paul would use this word, a
word that was very well known in the world of his time, alerts us emphatically
that when we step out to do something by faith, it often pushes us into a
previously unknown fight. It throws us into some type of agony — anguish, conflict,
pain, distress, or a struggle. It isn’t that God wants us to
struggle. Instead, this is a fight that results from:
The flesh that resists the will of God.
The mind that struggles to understand what God has told us
to do.
Circumstances that seem to stand in the way.
People who oppose us.
The devil himself who throws his weight against each step of
faith we take.
The point you must see is that Paul recognized when we step
out in faith, we don’t just effortlessly glide to the destination God is
directing us toward. We must fight the good fight of faith to reach the
victorious position that allows us to one day hear those cherished words, “Well
done!” from our Commander-in-Chief. But rather than shrink from the match that
is before us, the apostle Paul urges us to give this fight our best effort! He
tells us, “Fight the good fight of faith…” The word “good” is from
the Greek word kalos, which denotes something exceptional, of
the highest quality, outstanding, or superb. In the context of
a fight, it pictures one who has given his best effort to the
struggle in which he is engaged; hence, he is one who is doing a first-rate or first-class job
at resisting his opponents.
Then Paul repeated the word “fight” a second time in this
verse. He wrote, “Fight the good fight of faith.…” This second usage
of the word “fight” is also from the Greek word agon — the same word
he used when he referred to a “fight” at the first of the verse. It conveys the
idea of one who is giving his complete concentration to the conflict
and is totally focused on engaging the conflict at hand and
achieving victory, regardless how long it takes or how much agonizing
effort is required. It is the picture of total commitment to victory.
This is a far cry from simply gliding to God’s
destination for your life with no hiccups or headaches along the way! As Paul
told us in this verse, anything that is done by faith will require a fight of
some sort in order to win. So if you are experiencing a struggle along the path
to your personal victory — if you’ve been fighting off some very real mental or
spiritual assaults along the way — don’t be taken off guard or by surprise. The
Holy Spirit warned in advance through the apostle Paul that you must commit
yourself to giving the pursuit of God’s will for your life your very best
effort and to doing whatever is necessary to finish the goal set before you!
God is calling upon you to stand up and fight —
giving your concentrated efforts to stand firm for what you believe.
Fight in a manner that is noble, admirable, and worthy of the reward that
awaits you. And remember — the greater reward usually requires a greater
fight. Keep this in mind as you press forward to be first-class in your
determination to overcome every obstacle and resistance along the way. Stay in
the fight until you can shout, “The fight is finished and victory obtained!”
I don't know a soldier anywhere who wouldn't be excited if they KNEW that they could not be defeated! This 'fight' that we are in is one that has already been won FOR US by the KING of all kings and the LORD of all lords! JESUS! There is nothing left to be done except to occupy our place in this earth until JESUS comes for us. To occupy means to be busy DOING what God has already called us to do! Let's get busy! Amen! Here is Hillsong with "No Reason To Hide":
Shalom in Him!
