Fight the Good Fight of Faith, English Edition

Lesson : The Equipment We Use • 

Read and reflect upon the following cases and concepts, and provide answers and insights into their resolution, based on the texts you studied above. 1. “Not everything that comes into your mind is from the Lord. Learn to check the sources!” New believers must learn to understand that their mind is the battlefield of spiritual warfare. The enemy has access to our thoughts, and can suggest lies, falsehoods, or distortions to believers. If these deceptions are believed, they can cause emotional upset, false perspectives, and lead to destructive behaviors and habits. Although we possess the divine weaponry to resist the false ideas and perspectives we encounter, we still must learn how to “talk back to the devil,” i.e., to use the Scriptures to combat particular lies the enemy flings at us. Read again the account of Jesus with the devil in Matt. 4.1-11. How did the Lord resist the temptations of the devil? What was his weapon? How did he respond to the wild claims that Satan gave him while in the desert? What can this teach us about our own spiritual warfare today? 2. “I’ll never be able to get out of this rut. Never.” In today’s microwaved world, everyone is accustomed to getting what they need fast, quickly and directly. No one likes the idea of a long period of hard work before experiencing what they want, or what they feel they need. These kinds of attitudes can greatly impact the Christian life. Though the victory, deliverance, and protection has been granted through faith in Jesus (1 Cor. 15.57; John 5.24; Rom. 8.35-39; Eph. 1.3), we still need to learn how to fight, and how to wait for the victory. Young Christians are prone to become easily discouraged, especially when they began well, and then experience set back. Troubles, trials, and testings can prove to be difficult and exhausting, and can depress us. Even the strongest Christians can be caught off guard, and give in to the temptations and lies of the enemy. What do you think a believer should do when they get so down that they believe they can’t get out of their rut: commit-the-sin, ask for forgiveness, commit-the-sin, ask for forgiveness again, and so on? What do you say to a growing Christian who believes that an area or issue is so hard for them that they think they cannot overcome it? 3. “The key to success in the fight is perseverance. Your first and last lesson is to never give up.” In speaking about the struggles between the flesh and the Spirit with the Galatian believers, Paul summarizes his teaching in this way:

Case Studies