The Good Fight of Faith

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12.
The earnest counsel given by the apostle Paul to Timothy, that he might not fail in doing his duty, should be set before the youth of today: “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12. Besetting sins must be battled with and overcome. Objectionable traits of character, whether hereditary or cultivated, should be taken up separately, and compared with the great rule of righteousness; and in the light reflected from the Word of God, they should be firmly resisted and overcome, through the strength of Christ….
Day by day, and hour by hour, there must be a vigorous process of self-denial and of sanctification going on within; and then the outward works will testify that Jesus is abiding in the heart by faith. Sanctification does not close the avenues of the soul to knowledge, but it comes to expand the mind, and to inspire it to search for truth, as for hidden treasure; and the knowledge of God’s will advances the work of sanctification. There is a heaven, and O, how earnestly we should strive to reach it. I appeal to you … to believe in Jesus as your Saviour. Believe that He is ready to help you by His grace, when you come to Him in sincerity. You must fight the good fight of faith. You must be wrestlers for the crown of life. Strive, for the grasp of Satan is upon you; and if you do not wrench yourselves from him, you will be palsied and ruined. The foe is on the right hand, and on the left, before you, and behind you; and you must trample him under your feet. Strive, for there is a crown to be won.
Soon we shall witness the coronation of our King. Those whose lives have been hidden with Christ, those who on this earth have fought the good fight of faith, will shine forth with the Redeemer’s glory in the kingdom of God.
The Faith I Live By p. 124
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Prayer Requests
—- I have an urgent prayer request from a mother in a anxiety support group I’m in.
My daughter attempted suicide this morning. I found her. Cut the cord. Started CPR. Medics took about 5-7 mins to arrived. Took another 10 mins to get a pulse…….. Neurological exams not good(words of her doctor) There’s brain damage. Don’t know the extent of it. Devastation kicking in. Please pray. Christopher
—-My youngest granddaughter needs prayer. Kynslie has had apnea episodes fairly frequently since birth. I’ve been trying to get her a monitor so part of it is a sleep study. That was done and showed she has a average of 54 episodes a minute dropping her heartrate and oxygen level to low. They did a MRI which showed the bottom part of her brain is bulging out of her skull pressing on her spinal cord. It’s called Chiari malformation. I don’t know what it all means there’s different levels he said she is a level 3 or 4. The area that has preasure controls breathing, swallowing, body temp, limb movement. Her pulmonologist has us in his office most of the afternoon and has sent her to admitting at Methodist children’s hospital. He ordered another STAT MRI to look at how much swelling and how much fluid on her brain to decide what intervention is needed. As of now shes NPO, they will be sedating her to do her MRI. This is the week Matt has all of his VA evaluations which can’t be rescheduled and he needs a chaperone. This clearly trumps everything else we have going on…. Please pray for her. She is 3 months old and is almost 8lbs. Ana
—-Please pray for my 9 year old grand daughter, Rebecca. Possibly facing surgery today. Joyce
—-I have an unspoken prayer request. Buck
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Dear Friends,
My grandfather had a friend named Freddie who lived a few houses down the street from us. He lived alone so he thought of us as his family. My grandparents often invited him to dinner. He, in turn, would take us to Lake Michigan in the summertime. I thought Freddie was wonderful because he gave me candy and presents. There was one thing that scared me about Freddie, though. He belonged to a spiritualistic church and did many strange things such as drink his own urine. Whenever we were alone, he told me many things about ghosts and such that made me terrified of the dark. Even after I became and adult and understood the source of these things, my fear of the dark lingered for years.
When at age 10, I went to live with my mother on the other side of town, I rarely saw him any more. When I was about 16, I started going to my grandmother’s church in the old neighborhood. One day, about a year later, I was sitting on the porch of the church waiting for someone to get there to open the doors. I had to ride the bus across town and the bus’ schedule did not always coincide with the church’s meeting times. I noticed someone walking on the other side of the street. It was Freddie.
A strong impression came to me that I should go over and talk to him about Jesus. I knew I should share the wonderful truths that I had recently learned, but I hesitated. The thought that I should at least try to talk to him became stronger, but I felt glued to my seat. I knew that Freddie needed Jesus so much. I knew that he needed deliverance from the devil, but I just sat there and watched him pass by.
Several weeks later, I learned that he had died. A few days after I saw him, he had had a massive stroke and, as he lived alone, he had laid on the floor of his house until his brother found him. He died several days later. I felt terrible. I should have spoken to him while there was time for him to accept my Saviour. He might not have listened, but I should have tried. Now it was too late. Never could he hear the good news of salvation. Never again would he have the opportunity to switch masters. Never again would he have a chance to repent.
Jesus said, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” John 9:4 Jesus says to us, “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” “The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.” 4:35; Luke 10:2 Our Dear Saviour has given us the great commission, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matt 28:19,20; 5:16
We have the privilege of being workers in His vineyard. We are to reap His fields claiming the promise, “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Ps 126:6 Now is the time to be working to bring others to Jesus. The time is soon coming when it will be too late. We must never do as I did and put it off until it is too late. Many will say in that day, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” Jer 8:20
May we help others to get ready to meet Jesus, now while there is yet time “for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Gal 6:9 May we allow the Holy Spirit to speak through us to bring redemption to those around us, never hesitating until it is too late, but doing as Paul advised, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” May we so live that we will be able to say as did he, “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 righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Tim 4:7,8
Rose