In life, it’s not about how you start but how you finish. This applies to every person, incluindo cristãos. Because many Christians have started right but didn’t finish the way they should have finished. God’s Word warns for doubt, lukewarmness, and passivity. God’s Word encourages believers to stand and fight the good fight of faith. If faith wouldn’t be a fight, it wouldn’t be written in the Bible. But it is written in the Bible. Portanto, it’s time for Christians to awaken and become serious with the things of God and His Kingdom and fight the good fight of faith. It’s time to become active in the spiritual war and plunder hell, instead of becoming lukewarm and passive and influenced, led, and plundered by hell.
Christians start the fight of faith with good cheer
Many Christians start the fight of faith with good cheer after their repentance, Batismo na Água, and receiving the Holy Spirit. They are serious and enthusiastic. They’re eager to read and study the Bible, pray, go to church, attend conferences, meet new brothers and sisters, and fellowship with them. They speak boldly about Jesus Christ and their faith, and do what Jesus commanded them to do. In short, they live in their first love.
During this period, Christians don’t have to fear so much about the attacks of the enemy and darkness.
The attacks are there, but the believers are fervent and immediately rebuke the demonic powers of darkness or they ignore them and don’t pay any attention to all the temptations and distractions that come their way.
Eles resistir às tentações and distractions of the devil and the world. Because they are in their first love and only have eyes for Jesus.
Their love for Jesus and the Father is a victorious love, that bears all things, resists all things, and overcomes all things.
Because their heart goes out to God and their love for Jesus and the Father is so strong, these demonic attacks and temptations, which lead to sin, don’t stand a chance.
Even when the devil and his army and their surroundings (família, amigos, Conhecidos, and colleagues) do their best to tempt them, win them, and cause them to depart from the faith in God and disobey His Word, they won’t succeed. Why not? Because their love for Jesus triumphs.
What happens when the first love cools off?
But if their first love cools off after a while and the newness of the gospel is wearing off and they have read the Bible a couple of times, listened to many Bible studies, and attended conferences and they think they know it all, they must watch out.
If the love for Jesus; a palavra, is not so strong anymore and the faith is no longer the most important in their lives but comes in second, and they become distracted and give room to other stuff, chances are that believers become lukewarm and passive and become an easy target for the devil, his army and their surroundings. (Leia também: Devo encontrar fé na terra?).
The devil and his army know exactly when to attack. If the first love has cooled off and Christians live on autopilot and everything seems peaceful, then the devil and his army become active in the spiritual battle.
The army of darkness fights against Christians
But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, piedade, fé, amor, patience, mansidão. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses (1 Timóteo 6:11-12)
The devil and his army fight against Christians with the aim that they leave Jesus (a palavra), tornar (espiritualmente) passiva, and eventually abandon the faith.
They respond to the weaknesses of the flesh if they have not been laid down yet in the power of the Holy Spirit.
They anticipate the desires, sentimentos, emoções, and lusts of the flesh and cast thoughts in the mind that oppose God’s Word and lead to sin.
The devil and his army distract them, cause problems and obstacles to discourage believers, and tempt them with the riches and things of the world, so that they commit adultery with the world, compromise, and reject God, and leave His Word.
They infiltrate the local churches through their servants, who are appointed in leadership and look like servants of righteousness but inwardly are full of iniquity and live in sin, and deceive the believers with their deceptive words (mentiras).
Christians shall believe the lies of these wolves in sheep’s clothing and adhere to a gospel that contains all kinds of (new) interesting doctrines and deceptive promises, that focus on the will of the old carnal man and cater to the lusts and desires of the flesh
This gospel doesn’t lead to obedience to God and His Word, a holy life, piedade, and doing righteous works for the Lord Jesus Christ. But this gospel leads to lasciviousness and leaving the faith, and to obedience and submission to the devil, pecado, e morte.
Fight the good fight of faith and lay hold on eternal life
If believers are not watchful and don’t remain in their first love and if Jesus Christ and His Kingdom are not the highest priority and the Bible is not the highest authority in their lives, and they don’t feed themselves daily with the Word, pray, and build themselves up in their most holy faith, then chances are that they will be deceived and depart from the faith.
The faith is an ongoing battle. If you have become a nova criação and belong to God through regeneration in Christ, you shall fight the fight of faith. You shall fight the good fight of faith with the weapons of God and be victorious.
It’s not about how you start, mas como você termina
Many believers have started right, but on their way, they have allowed things in their lives that shouldn’t be there. They risk their eternity with Jesus and the Father for the temporary pleasures of the world and to fulfill their carnal will, desejos, e desejos.
Don’t put eternity at risk by submitting to the flesh, but submit to Jesus Christ, obey His words, and serve Him with all your heart, alma, mente, e força.
Stay faithful to God and fight the good fight of faith and keep the faith and lay hold on eternal life!
‘Seja o sal da terra’
