Fight the Good Fight of Faith, English Edition

 • Fight the Good Fight of Faith: Playing Your Part in God’s Unfolding Drama

wisdom in order that all with whom I speak may understand and benefit by your truth. Teach me now in this study as I receive your Word and instruction. I ask for these things in the strong name of Jesus, my Lord and Savior, amen. 1. “Those folk don’t belong to God – aren’t those people the enemies of the Lord?” In a world where religious war and violence are every where, it is easy to think, at first glance, that our battle is against human beings. Around the world, people claiming to know God are killing others who they deem to be heretics, or evil. To be sure, human beings are doing horrible things to one another throughout the world, from reckless violence to cruel indifference. But, according to the Bible, our fight is not against flesh and blood (human beings) but against spiritual forces who work through people to do terrible things within God’s creation. Why might this truth be important for a new or growing Christian to understand and apply? 2. “The devil’s non-secretive secret weapon.” The Bible is clear that the devil’s warfare is not like the kind that Hollywood is fond of portraying in horror films – grotesque, monstrous figures chasing innocent, vulnerable folk in dark alleys and haunted houses. At the core of the devil’s most effective weapons are lies ; polished arguments that seem harmless, believable, and even trustworthy. These lies suggest that God does not exist, that spirituality is made up, and that science alone can save humankind from its plights. It turns out that the secret weapon of our enemy is not secretive at all. Put simply, the devil is a liar and the father of lies. Why do you think the devil has chosen lies and deception as his primary weapon in our society, one which is so oriented to scientific proof and technological discovery? 3. “Though you have the victory, you need to fight for it.” One of the things that the apostles emphasized in their teaching is that we need to play our part in God’s Story. Simply put, even though God is conquering our enemy, the devil, he must and can be resisted. Even though Jesus won the victory for us on the Cross, the victory is not automatic. Although God has freed us through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, we now need to apply that victory by affirming truth and rejecting lies. As we do, we will be changed and transformed in our conduct, relationships, and

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