The Apostle Paul Says in II Timothy 4, beginning in verse 5, “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. 6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 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.”
Paul is at the end of his ministry and is encouraging Timothy to continue on. If you and I are going to fight our good fight of faith, here are some things we will need to do every day:
I. EVERY DAY – MAKE A COICE ABOUT YOUR LIFE. Josh said in Joshua 24:15, “Choose you THIS DAY whom you will serve . . .” It is not a onetime decision (though salvation is), but it is a choice every day to serve God.
II. MAKE A DECISION TO LIVE UP TO THAT CHOICE. Identify the areas of your life that are preventing you from living up to the choices you’ve made, and then learn to overcome them by faith, by prayer and by the Word of God.
III. DON’T DO IT FOR RECOGNITION – DO IT BECAUSE IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO AND IT IS WHO YOU ARE. Remember that God formed us from the dust of the earth and breathe into our nostrils the breath of life and we became a living soul, created in the very image of God.
IV. DETERMINE TO HAVE HONOR IN YOUR LIFE. Romans 12:10 says, “Honor one another above yourselves . . .” Others Lord, yes others, let this my motto be. Help me to live for others, that I might live like Thee!
V. MAKE YOUR WORD YOUR BOND. Because what you say will determine the decisions and direction of your life. Words have power.
VI. IF YOU FOLLOW YOUR EMOTIONS, YOU WILL MISS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR LIFE. Listen, feelings ad emotions change. Learn to live your life by facts, not feelings.
VII. DON’T QUIT, BECAUSE WHEN YOU DO, YOU WILL MISS THE CHOICE YOU MADE. Paul fully understood that statement while he was sitting in a Roman prison cell waiting to be executed.
VIII. BE MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY STRONGER AND HARDER THAN ANYTHING YOU WILL FACE. Part of the US Army Ranger Creed states, “I accept the fact that as a Ranger, my country expects me to move further, faster and fight harder than any other soldier.” For the past 4 years, my daughter Jenni, a wife and mother of two young children, has been fighting cancer. Every single day she makes a choice to get up and face that giant in her life, and every single day, she “moves further, faster and fights harder” than any one I know.
IX. ULTIMATELY, THE SUCCESS (OR FAILURE) OF LIVING UP TO THE CHOICES YOU’VE MADE REST SOLELY ON YOUR SHOULDERS.
Fighting for My Pea Patch 