Paul said, “Fight the good fight of faith.” This world is a battle-ground
of spiritual forces. If we are spiritual beings, it is impossible that we
should hold ourselves neutral and stand apart from those forces that are
in conflict. We must stand on one side or the other of the battle array.
Jesus has said, “He that is not with me is against me.” Since we must be
in the conflict whether we will to be or not, it behooves us to be on the
right side. When we know that we are on the right side, then the thing of
greatest importance to us is the method of our warfare. Since we wrestle
not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and powers of
evil, it is not strange that our weapons should be “not carnal” weapons,
which are effective against material foes, but those spiritual weapons
that are “mighty through God.”
One great outstanding fact in this battle of life is that it is
necessarily a battle of faith. As I observe some people’s methods of
trying to fight this Christian warfare, it seems to me that they are
rather fighting the fight of unbelief, or of doubts. Instead of being
confident with the confidence that true faith gives, they are all the time
fearful. They are never certain they are going to win. They are never
certain that their methods are going to prevail. They are always trembling
and uncertain. When they do gain a victory, it seems more like a piece of
good fortune than the result of their fighting. When they see a conflict
coming, they shrink from it and look for some way to evade it. They are
filled with fear of the outcome. Sometimes they fight in desperation and
win; and when they see that they have won, they are surprized. They were
almost sure that they would lose the battle; they were almost certain of
defeat, but in some way they won. That victory, however, does not give
them much courage to meet the next conflict. They meet it with the same
fearfulness, with the same unbelief, with the same doubt. There is not the
joyful note of victory in their song. They do not face the future with
confident expectation of winning. They are continually harassed with their
doubts; they are constantly troubled with forebodings. It is better to
fight thus than not to fight at all, but there is a better way than this
to fight.
Faith is the mightiest of all weapons. When our spirits are armed with
faith, we may go confidently into any battle. We may have expectation of
winning. We may know before we fight that victory is ours. We may face our
adversary with calm confidence and with a consciousness of an indwelling
power that is greater than his power. Has not God said, “Greater is he
that is in you, than he that is in the world”? If our faith claims that to
be so, then God will make it so to us.
We must have faith in God. He is our leader. The army that does not have
confidence in the ability and courage of its leader is half defeated
before it goes into battle. Most of us, I think, have confidence in God’s
ability as a leader, and in his power and wisdom, and believe that he is
able to overcome our foes. It is not his ability that we doubt. The only
question that confronts us is, “Will he use that power to conquer our
enemies?” We see that he has made many promises. It is easy to believe, in
a general way, that they will be fulfilled; but when it comes to making
direct applications to the situations that we meet, it is there that faith
sometimes fails. Will God fight for us on this special occasion? Will God
help us now? Will he really make good his word to us? or will he fail us
in the critical moment?
If God’s promises are true, then the ones that relate to our particular
needs are true, and they are true now. If they are true to others, they
are true to us, for God is no respecter of persons. And if they are true
to us, they are true to us now as well as they were yesterday or will be
tomorrow. It is so easy to think that God would help others. They are more
worthy than we are. Do you feel this way? Do you feel that if it were
somebody else in your place, you could easily have faith that God would
help? Then, why not have faith that God will help you?
This brings us to the next important thought: We must have faith in
ourselves as well as in God. We must have faith in our integrity and
loyalty. Do we mean real business for God? Have we thrown ourselves
unreservedly on the side of God in this battle? Do we intend with all our
souls to fight the good fight of faith? Do we have it really settled that
we are going to do the right? So many _want_ to do the right, but they are
not sure that they _will_ do it. They mean to do it, but they are
constantly afraid that they will fail in doing it. This is not faith. Have
confidence in yourself; not only in your loyalty and integrity and purpose
to serve God, but also in your ability to do it. You can do it. You can do
it as well as anyone else. That doubt and fearfulness that you have will
only be a hindrance to you. Get rid of it. Develop confidence in
yourself—not overconfidence that depends upon yourself, but that true
confidence that depends upon God helping you and that arms you with
courage and trust in God and in yourself.
You must also have confidence in your weapons. Our weapons are “mighty
through God,” we are told. God has told you how to win; and just as surely
as you follow his instructions and trust in him for results, he will cause
you to wear the victor’s crown. Our cause is a righteous one. Have faith
in that cause, and know that right must triumph. But remember that you can
not win unless you put your faith into your fighting. “This is the victory
that overcometh the world, even your faith.” Believe that you will win. No
matter how weak you are, no matter how great your foe, no matter what may
confront you, go into the conflict with that courage that is born of
faith. Believe that God will give you the victory. Do not consider defeat
at all. Let your faith mount up, and say: “I can win, and I will win. In
God I will conquer.” Throw away your doubts. Make an end of them. Trust in
God. His Word is true. You can believe it if you will, and believing it,
you shall be more than conqueror through him that loves you.