Contend for the faith
Scripture: 3 Beloved,
although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found
it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once
for all delivered to the saints. (Jude 3) ESV
Devotion:
It seems that new challenges
arise almost daily in trying to live a life of faith in Jesus Christ. However,
we must remember that we struggle not against flesh and blood but against
spiritual powers as Paul says in Ephesians.
The word “contend” here
in the Greek means to struggle intensely. So, we must struggle. We must take up
the full armor of God which Paul lays out for us in chapter 6 of Ephesians “13 Therefore take up
the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and
having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand
therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the
breastplate of righteousness, 15 and,
as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of
peace. 16 In all
circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the
flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and
take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God, 18 praying at
all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” Once we are thus
equipped to contend for the faith, we can have confidence that we can prevail in
our struggle against the flesh, the world, and the devil and his minions.
One thing we should take
note of is that when we are thus equipped and prepared for battle we are told
to pray. We are not told to argue or dispute with those who oppose us in the
world. We are told to pray in the spirit so that we may receive strength for
the battle to come. Because we will be called upon to give a reason for the
hope that lies within us but not until we have prayed first, so we can give a
defense for our faith but to do it in Peter’s words with gentleness and
respect.
These instructions will
become more and more important in the days to come. The writing is on the
proverbial wall. Religious liberty in this country which our ancestors fought
and died for is under daily attack. If we are to keep our freedoms, we must kneel
before the cross and seek the strength to stand up and fight against the forces
of the evil one who oppose these liberties. In truth many of our liberties
found in the Bill of Rights are under attack, however I feel that if we lose
the freedom to worship and to practice our religion freely all the other
freedoms will fall like dominoes. All other freedoms stand or fall with this right
and the enemy of our souls knows this. The warfare will grow intense but if we
are on God’s side we will prevail. Let us pray:
Holy and righteous God,
we worship you because you alone are able to deliver us from the battles that
are ahead of us. Help us to be prepared for the struggle that lies before us.
May our eyes be opened to see and respond to the plans of the enemies of our
faith and freedoms we now enjoy. Grant us the strength to persevere on the day
of our struggles. We ask your help in the matchless name of Jesus. Amen.
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