Dear Friends,

 

The New Testament writers used several different analogies to describe the Christian life. One of those is being a runner in a race. Now I can really identify with that one because I'm a runner. And at times I think being a pastor is like being a marathon runner! 

 

But there's another analogy used in the New Testament even more frequently than being a runner in a race. And that's "warfare."  We're to be "good soldiers" of  Jesus Christ who "fight the good fight."  Even though I'm not a soldier and have never been one, I can identify with that analogy as well.  Indeed, being a follower of Jesus involves training, discipline, sacrifice, struggle, and hardship  in our fight against evil, oppression, and injustice in our world.

 

To be sure, seasons of warfare are unavoidable.  Battle, warfare and fighting are inherently spiritual terms from God's perspective, and those of us who follow Jesus need to see it in that light. And when we think the battle isn't real we make ourselves vulnerable to attack and defeat. "It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle..."(2 Samuel 11:1) is the prelude to one of the greatest failures in all of the Bible. When David's armies went out to battle but the king himself stayed behind, what resulted with Bathsheba and Uriah led to the king's tragic downfall.

 

There are seasons of calm and seasons of warfare, times when the battle must be fought and times when the fighting is most fierce. Regardless of the season, the admonition to "put on the whole armor of God," isn't an occasional suggestion but a daily duty. We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers.

 

Sometimes we fail to recognize where the real battle lines are drawn and we suit up to battle one another. Fighting the good fight means choosing the right battles! It means saying "no" to skirmishes that distract and dishearten us from doing what we need to in order to win the victory in the real battle. Yes, we need to fight in such a way as to win.

 

Fighting a good fight has the capacity to energize us. It enables us to focus on the godly vision to which we have been called. It requires us to rely on God more than we otherwise might---to be alert, to show true bravery. A good fight builds unity among fellow warriors, those who recognize what's at stake in the battle. Ultimately these battles lead to the preservation and transformation of life as people are led to faith in Christ.

 

What battles are you fighting? Remember that the circumstances of your life right now aren't unrelated to the bigger picture and the spiritual warfare faced by all of us who follow Jesus. Make certain you're fighting the good fight. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Allow the conflict to sharpen your focus and strengthen your resolve. Avoid misdirected conflict and remember that our Lord went before us so that we might be more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

 

Grace and Peace