Fight the good fight of the faith (I Tim 6:12)
Father, take my mind off of this world and put it squarely on your precious Word.
We are victorious in Christ. But we must fight.
We are holy and clean in the Beloved. But we struggle to live out our holiness.
So far I have been giving principles for the fight. 1. Understand that we are sinful and weak on our own. 2. Rest in the work of Christ in us. 3. Walk by faith, not by sight.
Today, let’s add a couple new principles for fighting the fight of holiness.
1) Be careful whom you listen to. Your close friends influence you more than you think. Choose them wisely. Jesus was the friend of sinners, and in one sense, we, too, should have some friendships with unbelievers, but our closest friends need to be people who will encourage us in righteousness and push us in the faith. We need good models and godly advice from people who are not immersed in the world.
Do not listen to the world. American culture at large promotes sin and encourages you to leave God. If you continually feed your soul a diet of social media and pop culture, you are asking for emptiness and failure in your fight against sin. American culture has no spiritual power to produce righteousness. And American culture is not alone in this. Chinese culture, Korean culture, Indian culture, Muslim culture, European culture, and every other major culture in the world are powerless in the spiritual realm. Let me explain.
If you want to fight pornography, you will never do so with a steady diet of pop culture. That culture encourages sexual stimulation, which only makes your problem worse. In China if you want to fight greed, do not listen to the values of the culture. That culture officially denies the existence of anything beyond earth, and if earth is all there is, then grab as much of it as you can. Chinese culture feeds greed. In a Muslim country if you want humility, do not listen to your culture. That culture pushes you to work your way to God, and works never produce humility (Rm3:27; Eph 2:8-9). It doesn’t matter which culture you live in. The prevailing culture in every country rejects Christ, and when it rejects Christ, it steals your power to fight the fight of faith.
Your culture promotes ideas, values, and attitudes that are not Christlike. Do not fill your mind with them.
2) Instead fill your mind with the Word of God. “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Rm 12:2) Read that again. “Do not be conformed to this world . . .” In other words, “do not be like your culture.” Instead “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Your mind is the battleground for this fight for holiness. Your spiritual health begins with your mind. Fill the mind with junk and your soul will grow spiritually weak. Fill the mind with godly thoughts, and your soul will rejoice, be at peace, and be ready to fight for righteousness.
If you want the mind of God, you will find it in the Scriptures. The Bible is where God talks in plain words. Fill your mind with it, and you fill your mind with godly thoughts and strengthen your soul for the fight.
This means read the Scriptures for yourself . . . daily. This means regularly attend a church that faithfully preaches the Word of God. This means regularly commit to memorize passages of the Bible. This means sing and listen to songs based on Scripture. This means talk about Scripture when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise (Dt 6:7). You want Scripture in your mind. If you want to walk in holiness, this is essential.
