“But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
1 Timothy 6:11-12
Has God ever used unconventional means to grab your attention when you wanted to quit?
About a year ago, I was desperate to hear from God at the end of a hard day. I found myself flinging my children’s toys into their appropriate corner while bemoaning to the Lord all the opposition I had been facing.
With clinched fists and pacing feet I cried out to God,
“I am giving my best to do what you have called me to do, but when I try and do the right thing, the enemy is right there working against me. I want to quit!”
I sharply pivoted in the other direction and cried,
“But, I cannot quit. What else am I going to do? Stay the same? Go back to who I used to be?
No. I must put one foot in front of the other, even if my emotions demand otherwise.
Oh God, help me. I cannot do this.”
Shoving the final toy into place I pleaded, “GOD, WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?!!!”
Unexpectedly, a giggling and high-pitched “KEEP GOING” answered me.
Startled, I looked down to see the cartoon zebra on my toddler’s push walker smiling back at me. The levity broke up my pity party and I laughed. Who knew a toddler’s toy could make me feel seen and heard by God?
You see, opposition often makes me feel like I am doing something wrong. But in that moment I realized, opposition is not our cue to quit, it is merely an obstacle to overcome.
Biblically, there are times we are called to flee but there are also times we must stand and fight. In 1 Timothy 6:11-12, Paul encouraged Timothy as a man of God, to flee love for the world to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness. Paul then admonished him to keep fighting the good fight of the faith.
As women of God, we too are called to flee the ways of the world and pursue Christlikeness. But that pursuit will not come without a fight.
Therefore, when weakness in our body weakens our resolve, we keep fighting.
When God’s truth is twisted all around us, we stand firm.
When the seeds we plant never seem to produce, we keep sowing.
When our faith is under attack, we keep trusting.
And when the war with sin rages within, we rinse with the word, repent, rest in grace, and repeat.
Friends, we may feel like a stumbling toddler while we fight the good fight. But, when we would rather throw a tantrum and turn to the world, I pray we would get back up and hold tightly to eternal life in Christ.
Eternal things are always worth fighting for and we are at war. So when opposition comes, we must keep going. God, help us hold the line whether we toddle, walk, or run in faith.
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More Truth to Consider:
"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong." 1 Corinthians 16:13
“And when the war with sin rages within, we rinse with the word, repent, rest in grace, and repeat.” I love that. The war within is always constant, always lurking just below the surface, waiting to take over. Satan would like nothing more than for us to admit defeat. Thank you Beth for that one word that sticks out to me – “repeat”. It is a daily battle and one cannot be taken lightly. However there is grace waiting on the other side. Never-ending grace!!
Thank you for sharing your struggles and your heart my friend! You have given me just what I needed today! ❤🙏
Sherry, thank you for sharing your insightful words! I am so grateful for you and your encouragement, as always.