LIFE IS A FIGHT

"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life,
to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses"
(1 Timothy 6:12).

How we long for everything to be perfect and peaceful in our lives. However, we may as well face it. This is not the picture of life here on this earth. It is a constant fight. It has been this way from the very beginning of time and will continue until the Lord comes. The whole of the Bible is a story of war and peace.

After God blessed Adam and Eve, the first words He spoke into their lives were, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion..." (Genesis 1:28). It is impossible to subdue and take dominion without a fight. It is a fight in the natural and a fight in the spiritual.

Our forefathers (and those who pioneer the land today), had to fight the environment to make it ready to plant. They had to chop down trees, get rid of bramble, weeds, and thorns, and break up the dry arid ground. This is not a piece of cake. It is back-breaking work. They also had to fight against the extreme elements--drought, cold, snow, and winds. And if they didn't keep at it, it would grow all over again and they would have to fight to subdue the land again.

Not only did they have to fight to subdue the land, but they had to be on constant alert for enemies who could plunder their crops and also capture their wives and children. They had to go to war to fight enemies who tried to subdue them.

We still fight for victory. Fathers today must still be on the alert for all enemies that would attack their families. But, where do we as women fit into this picture? We are in the fight, too. Man cannot do it alone. God chose us to be a "helper" to our husband in the great vision to conquer the land in the physical and to subdue the kingdom of darkness in the spiritual (Genesis 2:18). God spoke the same words, "Subdue and take dominion" to the woman as well as the man.

Men go off to war to defeat the enemy. They go with their weapons of war. We also fight the enemy on the home front. As mothers, God has put within us His nurturing anointing. We should exemplify the soft, gentle, sweet, nurturing anointing that personifies motherhood. But, we are also warriors and have to fight.

We see a picture of this in Christ Himself. He was both the Lamb and the Lion. As the Lamb, He submitted Himself to the cruel cross to take our punishment, just as the sheep yields to the shearer and never opens its mouth in protest. But, He is also the Lion of the tribe of Judah to whom one day every knee will bow, the One who will bring all His enemies, and all kings and kingdoms into subjection to His Lordship and reign.

We as mothers must subdue in the natural. We start in the home. We will never be successful in anything else if we can't first manage our home. Dear mother, subdue your laundry. Subdue the dishes. Subdue the clutter that daily accumulates in your home. Don't let it subdue you! You were born to conquer. Yes, the meaning of subdue is "bring into subjection, conquer, keep under."

As a helper to our husband, we subdue and take dominion in prayer. Prayer is your greatest weapon to conquer the powers of darkness that subtly creep into your marriage and your home. It's not a onetime prayer. We must constantly pray as we fight to take dominion.

A Personal Fight

It is a personal fight to live in victory. We have a war going on in our own hearts. We have a fleshly nature that wants to give in to our selfish desires. But, if we are born again, we also have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in us who is totally opposed to the flesh. Both are antagonistic to one another. The question is, to whom will we yield?

Galatians 5:16-17 NET says, "But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to each other." Isn't it wonderful that we have the power of the Holy Spirit residing within us to help us combat the desires of the flesh? We could never do it on our own, but we have no excuse when we have the Holy Spirit within us.

A Family Fight

It is a fight for our family. Satan hates strong godly marriages and a tightly knit families who are trained in the ways of God. He does everything in his power to disrupt and destroy the family. He has already successfully deceived many believers to have small families and thus limit the godly seed in the earth, who are his greatest threat. But, as husband and wife we will stand against him with our weapons of prayer and holding up the banner of righteousness.

A National Fight

It's also a fight for the nation! Christians are ridiculed for speaking against what God says is an abomination. We are encroached with more and more sin and darkness each day. However, the darker it gets, the more we must fight, not against people, but against principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:10-12).

Nehemiah's exhortation as they built up the gates and wall of Jerusalem is as needful today, "Don't be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and FIGHT for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!" (Nehemiah 4:14).

Love from Nancy Campbell

www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

"Great God and Father, I know that while I am in this world I am in a fight, a fight against the flesh, and a fight against all evil. Help me to "fight the good fight of faith" and not give up until the end. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I am fighting the good fight of faith in the power of the Holy Spirit.