Paul encourages Timothy to fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12).
The only fight the Christian is called upon to fight is the faith fight. If we are in any other kind of fight, we are in the wrong fight. We need to get out of the wrong fight and get into the right one. Some Christians say, "I'm going to fight the devil."
There's no need to do that. Jesus already defeated him. You wouldn't be any match for him anyway.
Because Jesus has already defeated Satan for you, there is no use for you to fight the devil.
Others say, "I'm going to fight sin." There is no need to do that either, because Jesus has the cure for sin. The cure for sin is Jesus, praise God. Jesus put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself according to Hebrews 9:26.
So there really isn't a sin problem. There is just a sinner problem, and when you get the sinner to Jesus, Jesus cures that.
There are enemies in this fight of faith which we are instructed to fight. If there were no enemies or hindrances to faith, there would be no fight to it.
We have seen that hindrances to faith exist because of a lack of knowledge of God's Word. Romans 10:17 states, "... faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
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Fight of Faith is a great doctrine (and in some circles that's about all it is — a doctrine or a dogma), but it will not mean a thing to you until you can believe in your heart and say with your mouth, "Jesus died for me. Jesus was raised from the dead for me. Jesus arose victoriously over death, hell, and the grave and He did it all for me. Praise God forevermore.
Jesus conquered Satan for me, and therefore Satan has no dominion over me. I'm free. Praise God, Satan has no dominion over me. It is when you believe it in your heart and confess it with your mouth that is when the resurrection truth in the Word of God becomes something more than just a doctrine, more than just a dogma, more than just a creed, more than just a theory it becomes a reality to you.
The Word of God won't mean a thing to you until you can say these Biblical truths with your mouth, and believe them in your heart.
Remember, the people who get answers from God, are those who act on His Word. As I have been walking with the Lord, I have I found that in a church you have the same type of problems that you have in a family, because the church is made up of families.
In families, financial and discipline problems arise. In the church you also have financial problems and discipline problems. In the church you have all the problems you have wherever people are involved.
The crises of life come to us all. During such times it is important to depend on God’s Word which shows us direction. As the Psalmist of old said, "The entrance of your Word gives light.." (Ps. 119:130). As soon as the light of God's Word comes, faith is there. So feed on God's Word. Meditate on God's Word. Feeding and meditating on God's Word will bring the light, and it will bring faith because, "... faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." I use the phrase "acting on God's Word" rather than the terms "have faith" or "believe" because that is what faith actually is: Faith is simply acting on God's Word.
Kenneth Hagin who was one of my favorite Minsters of the Gospel once quoted Raymond T. Richey, a man mightily used of God in the healing ministry about his response to what faith is, "What is faith?" His reply was, "Faith is just acting on God's Word."
And that's all it is. Smith Wigglesworth would say, "Faith is an act." Faith is an act. That's what faith is. Faith is acting on God's Word. Faith is acting like God's Word is true.
Many times we unknowingly make a substitution for faith. We substitute "mental assent" or "mental agreement" for faith.
For instance, we mentally agree that God's Word is true, and we think we are believing and that we are in faith but we are not.
You can mentally assent or mentally agree all day long that the Bible is true, but the Word does not become real to you until you act on it. It is only when you act on God's Word for yourself that it becomes a reality to you. And it is only when you act on God's Word that you are exercising faith.
There is a Scripture which says, ''the battle is the Lord's" (1 Sam. 17:47). I let Him fight all my battles. I don't fight any.
The battle is the Lord's. If, you do not know how to act on God's Word, you are at a disadvantage. If you know God's Word is true and you act like it is true, the Bible will become real in your life. You will bring God on the scene in your life.
I believe that the Holy Spirit who is in me is greater than the devil who is in the world just as the Word of God says.
To get the full impact of this truth, let's look at the following verses in First John: 1 John 4:1-4. “Dear friends, don’t believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that doesn’t acknowledge Jesus is not from God.
This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
You dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world”.
In the first three verses, John, talking about evil spirits and demons, said, "You have overcome them." Notice that he did not say that you are going to overcome these evil spirits and demons.
He said that you have overcome them. In other words, the victory over evil spirits, demons, and every power that is in this world has already been accomplished for you.
The battle has already been fought, and the battle has already been won. You don't have to fight this battle again because victory is yours. Second Chronicles 20:15 says, ". . . Be not afraid nor dismayed... for the battle is not yours, but God's. " When I put God's Word to work for me, the Word fights my battles for me.
I have been learning how to rest in the finished work of Christ. The Bible says, " We who have believed enter that rest just .. " (Heb. 4:3), I have been in a state of rest as I have come to appreciate that Jesus won the victory for me.
Grasp what this Scripture says: "we who have believed enter into rest. " Notice it does not say we have entered into a state of fear or into a state of fretting, griping, worrying, or fighting. No. It says we have entered into rest.
I am learning not to have any battles but to simply put God's Word to work for me. Some people battle themselves to death; they're always in some kind of a battle. I have heard people ask me questions such as how are you conquering the battles of life? In my vernacular they say “Muri kuzvigona sei?” I always say it’s God who is giving me the divine enablement because He fights for me.
Faith always has a good report.
We should learn how to put the Word to work for us. God’s Word works.
Dr Doug Mamvura is a graduate of Charis Bible School. Feedback: [email protected] or Twitter @dougmamvura
