Transcript (may contain transcription errors)

Alright, that’s our intro music for episode two fifty of In the Word podcast with Will and Marie. I’m Will. And we’re plugging right along, we’re talking about faith and in episode two forty nine, Sis Marie asked the question what did you ask exactly, Sis Marie? Yeah. Yeah yeah, fighting the good fight of faith. And um I mean uh uh uh ladies class on it. Um we didn’t delve into it as no we didn’t really I heard s you know we also had our n you know what we wanted to say, but I I felt like I think I left a little bit um where we didn’t delve into it really as deeply as as um as as I had wanted to. But it was on me, you know, the way I moderated the class, it was just a little different. But yeah, we brought up the good fighting the good fight of faith and so tell me what you think that means. Well let’s just start with where it’s actually mentioned in scripture and Paul is talking to his young protege Timothy in second Timothy four and this is where we learn about this phrase. He says in verse five of chapter four of second Timothy, but watch thou on all things endure afflictions do the work of an evangelist make, full proof of thy ministry for I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand.

So he’s basically discussing his death. He’s about to be And he’s knows that the Lord has obviously given him um this insight and um even though he’s been deliberate many other times, I think this time he recognises that the Lord would just like to bring him home. So he says in verse seven of second Timothy four, I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, and not only to me, but to to all them also that love is appearing. May the Lord add a blessing to the reading of his word.” So we that’s where we kind of introduce or we’re we’re introduced to that term and um yeah. Oh absolutely. And it’s typically it’s it’s typically a passage that’s recited or presented at home-going uh you know funerals and um it it’s it’s just it it’s a g it’s a great it’s a great sort of eulogy that Paul gives himself.

Right. Because you think of when you think of a good fight, you know it’s talking about the word, you know, our salvation, right? Um but when you think about fighting the good fight of faith, what I first thought about when I presented the question to you, I thought my my my mind right away went to my mind how you think fighting how you think about things like you know um when you are going through something um learning what the scripture says and how to use the scriptures to fight whatever the enemy is trying to throw at you whether it be you know whatever it might be but fighting those thoughts and those feelings and whatever else that’s w that’s what I thought about when I first when I asked you about that, that’s where I my mind went was just learning how to change my thinking, go the opposite direction of where the enemy is trying to take me. What do you think?

Yeah. Yeah. Because it is a fight, you know, the the the word there that the Greek word which is translated fault, you know, it’s like a six syllable word for our word fault, you know, but it but it literally means to engage in conflict or or fighting it’s, it’s it’s it was a a term that was used in athletic games, also was used in military warfare, military conflict and, and it it it basically denotes the idea of a s a fight, a battle, some sort of conflict of contest that’s going on where you’re just doing all you can to win or all you can to survive. So I think saying hey, I I fought I fought. This was not an easy walk. This is not a cake walk. You know it takes real effort and commitment to win the to win this battle. Call seven. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm.

But we’re we’re not fighting with flesh and blood, but against principalities and and powers and against r rulers of darkness, you know, and spiritual wickedness. So it’s it’s it’s basically a spiritual warfare and it goes on on and on and, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. So he’s letting us know that it’s going on in the world ’cause I say it’s against spiritual wickedness and high places and all that. So they’re around, you know.

And so I guess what my thought was when when I first brought up was okay, uh I know we’re you know we’re fighting spiritual things and all of that, but how do we fight That’s? what I was thinkin how do we fight those things? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Mm-hmm. whole armour of God in Ephesians six twelve And. so I think that we use those we use those weapons to fight We. fight with the spiritual weapons that God have given us We. fight with the word of God That’s. what Jesus fought with in Matthew four when Satan came and tried to tempt him. The amount of temptation he used to word Satan, it is written, it is written, it is written. And I think when we use the word the sword, but you know uh our our offensive part of that armament that’s listed in Ephesians six uh I think that’s how we succeed. That’s how we win.

Yeah. Yeah. Right. Right. It’s ongoing. It’s I mean it’s still because the devil yeah, because the devil’s relentless. You know, just like God sleeps nor slum nor sleeps does not sleep nor slumber. I believe that the enemy and his amps and demi minions are also always after us. He’s like a roaring lion Peter says seeking whom he may devour. So Laura, we just ask that we’re not bower by him and that you would keep us strong, keep us engaged, keep us fighting this good fight of faith, keep us active and alert that we might be successful and uh bring glory to your name. We thank you in Jesus’ name. Amen. God bless you. We’ll see you next time on In the Word Podcast with Will and Marie. Amen. Amen. Amen.