Friday October 28, 2022

1 Timothy 6:12
Fight the good fight of faith.

To believe requires practice.

For faith is an art. The highest of all the arts in life.

And the practice consists among other things in distinguishing between what I am in Christ and what I am in myself.

I see my slovenly life, my worldly heart, my lukewarmness in prayer, my love of the world, my fear of renunciation, my lack of desire toward God and His Word. And I become restless; I become bewildered; yes, I become anxious.

This will be the case until I again agree with God that I in myself am helpless, but that I in faith, that is, in confidence in my Substitute, can stand before God as before.

It is what Christ has given me that makes me precious in the sight of God.

I am now a little more thankful. A little more confident in my Substitute. A little more certain of what I have in Him.

Thus I have had a little more practice in believing.

Fight the good fight of the faith!

Yes, here we have the decisive front in this fight. Paul says triumphantly at the close of his life: “I have kept the faith!” The very secret of the fight of faith is to keep this faith: that after I have failed or erred I give myself no peace until I again have recovered by boldness before God, in confidence in my Substitute.

This is the believer’s best defense. This is the shield of faith whereby he or she may be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.

“Lord Jesus Christ,
My Savior blest,
My refuge and salvation,
I trust in Thee;
Abide in me;
Thy word shall be
My hope and consolation.”

O. Hallesby, God’s Word for Today: A Daily Devotional for the Whole Year, translator Clarence J. Carlsen (Augsburg, 1994)
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.