1 Timothy 6:12 NLT
Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses.
From the minute we are born, and God graciously gives us our first breath, we are in a battle. I’ve heard it said that “there is a battle between good and evil, and we’re in the middle.” And between the time that we are born and the time we die, we will be faced with a choice.
The choice that God gives us is… do we accept Jesus Christ, His Son as the Lord and Savior of our lives.
For the Christian, our fight is different. Unlike the world view today that says that our enemy is those we disagree with and that if they don’t come along with our thinking, we “cancel” them. We live in a world view that is called the “cancel culture.”
The world view that subjects what you did 20 years ago to the social norms that exist today. And that you are guilty and should be held responsible for past indiscretions.
Psalm 86:5 NLT
O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.
My pastor preached this message a couple of weeks ago about how our fight is different and I am going to attempt to summarize that message. So hang on here we go…
Some things are worth fighting for.
1 Corinthians 11:19 NLT
But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God’s approval will be recognized!
To be on the right side, there must be a wrong side. As Christians, we have the Bible that shows us what is right and what is wrong. By studying the Word of God, we will learn what is right and wrong according to God.
The question that always comes to mind when we think about being in battle is, who is the enemy? As human beings, we feel that it is those around us who are our enemies. But with careful Biblical guidance, we learn who our true enemy is:
Ephesians 6:12 NLT
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
With this truth, we find that the battle that we fight is spiritual, and the battlefield is the six inches between our ears.
Does this mean that we will not be at odds with those around us? Of course not, but the rules of engagement will be different for the Christian.
When we find ourselves in conflict with another, the first thing we are to do is:
Go to them directly and discuss it with them.
My pastor always says that “we talk to people not about people.”
We can disguise this in all sorts of ways.
We go to others who may be aware to discuss the situation with them instead of directly with the person we should. We will pray with others that the offending person will change their heart, etc., etc. But in reality, we are simply recruiting people to be in our corner.
Matthew 18:15 NLT
“If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back.
When we go to the other person, what is the goal?
Seek reconciliation over being right.
With the people we care most about it should be more about saving the relationship over being right. I’ve seen more relationships fall apart simply from one of the parties bent on being right more than saving the relationship.
Matthew 5:23-24 NLT
“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.
Be lead by grace always.
It was by God’s grace that we came to know and accept the forgiveness from our sins through Jesus Christ. By extension, we are called to forgive those who have sinned against us as well.
Psalm 86:5 NLT
O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.
I love this verse… “so ready to forgive” meaning that our first reaction should be one of forgiveness not of condemnation.
Colossians 4:6 NLT
Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.
But it is important that we are truthful with those that we care about.
Proverbs 27:6 NLT
Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.
Ephesians 4:15 NLT
Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.
We use the Word of God like a scalpel, not a sledgehammer.
Be a peacemaker.
When we approach another about something that may not line up with scripture, we go into this discussion as a peacemaker.
You may be saying to yourself, John, what to you mean by that?
Ultimately, what may be happening to us through another person is simply a disconnect between them and God. And this is the mindset that we must take in order to help bring reconciliation to this issue.
Romans 12:18 NLT
Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
Matthew 5:9 NLT
God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.
In the end, it is God that brings about the change. When we lead with peace:
God does the reconciliation.
God creates the peace.
God does the changing.
2 Timothy 2:24-25 NLT
A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth.
Lead with listening.
James 1:19 NLT
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
Listening is one of the lost arts in our “sound bite” culture. We need quick information, things are moving fast, and we have no time to sit around listening; we need to get on to the next thing.
But when we don’t take the time to listen properly, we could be dispensing with a solution that makes the situation far worse than when we started.
But when we take the time to listen with the intent to understanding, we can rightly judge the situation.
John 7:24 NLT
Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.”
Hebrews 4:14-16 NLT
So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Our Savior became like us and suffered and experienced everything that we do, and because He suffered what we did, He is emphatic with our struggle.
Be quick to apologize and quicker to forgive.
Ephesians 4:32 NLT
Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
My favorite verse Psalm 86:5 says “Oh Lord, You are so good, SO READY TO FORGIVE…”
God never reluctantly forgives. For the believer, when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. He forgave all of our sin. And He did that even before we accepted His Son. Think about that for a second.
John 3:16 NLT
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
1 John 2:2 NLT
He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.
Romans 5:8 NLT
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
As a believer, we are called to extend the same grace and forgiveness that we were extended by God.
Stay in bounds. (Fight Fare)
James 1:20-21 NLT
Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.
Work on getting rid of that feeling that we have to see others suffer for the wrong that has been done to us, no matter how egregious it may have been.
We have two examples:
Jesus on the cross.
Luke 23:34 NLT
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.
Stephen while he was being stoned.
Acts 7:60 NLT
He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.
We need to know that no one will escape God’s justice. And for us as believers, our hearts should be all about the offending party getting to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. And sometimes, it is our suffering in an unpleasant event that will help God soften and change the heart of someone He is seeking.
Ephesians 4:29 NLT
Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
Live peaceably as much as you can.
Mark 9:50 NLT
Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.”
Romans 12:18 NLT
Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
1 Thessalonians 5:13 NLT
Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.
In the dominating culture of our day, this takes a lot of discipline on the part of the believer, but with the Word of God centered in our heart is not only possible can be achieved as long as that is the focus of our hearts.
Hebrews 12:1-3 NLT
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.
As Christians, we have a higher calling. We can’t control the people or the circumstances around us but we can make sure that our walk before the Lord is right. And He will take care of the rest.
Remember that we are NOT God
Joseph gives us the right mindset for this. Sold into slavery by his brothers, falsely accused, and imprisoned kept his heart submitted to God, and through all of this, he became second in charge of Egypt.
Fulfilling prophesy, he organized the resources of Egypt, and his family had to come to him to survive. He reconciled with his family, but his brothers were suspicious of him, thinking that he would exact revenge against them when their father died.
When his brothers came before him with the made-up false request of his father who died, not to take revenge, Joseph said to them:
Genesis 50:19-21 NLT
But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.
1 Peter 3:9 NLT
Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.
For the Christian, we are actually called to “pay them back with a blessing.”
We always get in return what we put out. Jesus addressed this as well in the garden when He was being taken captive.
Matthew 26:52 NLT
“Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword.
Another way to look at this one is also how we use the Word of God.
“John, what do you mean by that?”
Well, I’ve been studying the Word of God for a long time but it wasn’t until I realized that the Word of God was meant to be used as mirror to examine my life against not a magnifying glass used to examine the world around me with.
When that dawned on me, what a difference it made in my life and my relationships.
Let God use the struggles in your life to grow you spiritually.
God will allow the events in our lives to teach us lessons, if we are open to lessons that He wants to teach us.
One of the things to pay attention to here are these words that we may say to ourselves, “Why does this always happen to me?”
If there is a pattern that repeats itself repeatedly in our lives, there is a distinct possibility that God is trying to get our attention about something that He is trying to show us.
1 Peter 1:6-7 NLT
So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
James 1:2-4 NLT
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
If we have the right mindset with our trials and struggles, God will provide us with an understanding that will bring us great joy.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word.
Thank You for Your grace, mercy and forgiveness. I pray that You give me the strength and wisdom to give others the grace, mercy and forgiveness that You have given me.
Please give me the discernment to rightly divide Your Word to help me grow in grace and to help me give others the right answers to the struggles that they have.
Thank You for the people You have put in my life, and I ask that You make me a blessing to them that glorifies You in every way.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray in His Holy Name, Amen!! 🙏❤️
