The only fight the Believer is called to fight is the good fight of faith. This fight of faith is not just any faith but faith in Jesus Christ and HIS finished work on Calvary’s Cross.
“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto you are also called, and have professed a good profession before many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:11-12
It is there, at Calvary’s Cross, that every demon in hell was defeated and it is from there that the devil will try to move our faith because he knows if he can move it from the place of his (Satan’s) defeat and to a place of a seemingly ‘right’ object but nevertheless it is still another object, than he can gain a foothold in our lives.
Often time these objects of our faith are Scriptural but they were not given to overcome the devil. If our faith is in our prayer life, of which every born again Believer should have, then our faith is in another object for our victory. The fight of faith of which we have been commissioned to fight, we have lost. When we pray, and I’m just using prayer as an example, of course we believe and have faith that the Lord will answer our prayers but it is not what we did or do that defeated death, hell and the grave but what Jesus did. If the devil can get us in the least bit to start looking to that which we do to earn our blessings from God, then he has corrupted our belief in the Gospel and made the Cross of Christ of no effect (1 Cor. 1:17-18). Jesus Christ is the Source and His Cross the means by which we receive anything and everything from God.
“And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23
This fight of faith is not a one time even at Salvation but a fight we fight daily. No, we don’t wake up and get Saved every morning…that’s ridiculous. We do however, wake up and purposefully deny ourselves, our abilities, intellect, talents, etc. and choose to follow Jesus. If we don’t deny ourselves, who ‘we’ are and what ‘we’ do, we are unable to follow Jesus.
The Cross of Christ had/has a two-fold effect. 1) At Calvary’s Cross, Jesus Christ paid the penalty of sin for whosoever will believe. Everyone born again Believer knows and believes this, otherwise we would not be born again. 2) Jesus Christ also broke the power of sin in the lives of whosoever believes. Our sin nature no longer has dominion over us if we remain under the Government of Grace and not the Government of Law by daily denying ourselves and fighting the good fight of faith in the Cross of Christ.
It is this 2nd work that many Believers do not grasp. At times it is HARD to stand still against the wiles of the devil but if we will to stand; if we will purposefully choose to believe that the Cross of Christ is still sufficient for that which we have need of and refuse to engage our fleshly resources of manipulation, we WILL see the Hand of God move on our behalf. We WILL see souls set free from the bondage of religion. We WILL see a harvest of great magnitude sweep in to the Kingdom of God under the Power of God as the Cross of Christ Jesus is lifted up to the sinner AND the Saint.
“And I (JESUS), if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.” John 12:32
The Cross of Christ Jesus is not only for the lost but for Believer’s as well. The Holy Spirit will continue drawing those who believe to Holiness and Righteousness. This drawing of the Spirit draws the Believer to a decision to follow or not to follow and if we choose to follow, that which is evil or wicked in our hearts is expelled. Choose to follow Jesus today. Deny yourself. Fight the good fight of faith in the Cross of Christ…be determined to know nothing else among you.
-Donna Clark Warren
Living in The Spirit 