Fight the Good Fight of Faith, English Edition

Lesson : The Endurance We Display • 

Yet, Scripture assures us that this is how Christ learned his lessons: “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered” (Heb. 5.7-8). How can Christ’s example provide us with hope as we learn to patiently endure our own particular trials in our faith journeys? In the last session ( The Equipment We Use ) you learned about the weapons of our warfare. In this session you will be encouraged to develop perseverance and endurance in the good fight of faith. To endure something, we must not run away from it. We must determine in our hearts to follow a course of action that is consistent with what we believe and know. We must not surrender or turn around. Even if it gets difficult, troubling, and discouraging, we make up our minds to continue on, to press forward, to trust in God’s promise and wait for his leading and strength. Perseverance, then, is a kind of holy stubbornness, a refusal to allow trials or tests to so discourage us that we turn our backs on our faith. Perseverance says, “No matter what, I will not abandon my commitment to the Lord.” Through the encouragement of other believers, prayer in the Holy Spirit, and belief in the promises of God, we can press on to attain our goals in Christ. We can honor our commitment to the Gospel and Kingdom of our risen Lord Jesus Christ only if we persevere. We can win, if we do not give up. The perseverance of the good fight of faith, therefore, can be illustrated through the example of soldiers, athletes, and farmers (2 Tim. 2.1-8). Soldiers must learn to endure hardship, often doing without for long periods of time, being fatigued or bored, or being in danger. Athletes train under all kinds of weather and conditions, challenging themselves even when they are tired and hurt. Farmers patiently wait for the harvest, even though they cannot control the elements and conditions of the weather and crops. Like these examples, so we must endure. We must be ready to try things and fail, and still try again, knowing that ultimately the battle belongs to the Lord. We can sow seeds, be patient, and learn to wait on the Lord. If we do, God will bring the harvest in due time.

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