Fight! That’s the word for today. The Apostle Paul frequently used fighting language as an image or metaphor. He regularly likened following Jesus to fighting a war. Faith-filled believers are Christ’s soldiers, fighting in this war against the powerful forces of the devil, the flesh, and the evils that abound in this world. Paul writes that this fight is a good fight because it’s a fight for truth, for what’s right. It’s a fight of faith. Today let’s learn more about the enemies we face in this fight and how to defeat them. 

1 Timothy 6:11-16

11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 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. 13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which He will display at the proper time - He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

For Adult Homes, Groups & Families with Kids

1. Icebreaker: Who in the group has been in the most fights growing up (physical, verbal, etc.)? What were they about and what was the ultimate outcome? 

2. Read 1 Timothy 6:12-16. Why would the Apostle Paul call the Christian’s fight a good fight? What would we be fighting for? Or fighting against? 

3. Martin Luther (and others) described the Christian’s battle as a war against three enemies – the devil, the world, and the flesh. Read Ephesians 2:1-3. What do we learn about these enemies? How are they alive and well today? 

4. In John 8:44, Jesus called the devil the “father of all lies.” John Mark Comer states in his book, Live No Lies: Recognize and Resist the Three Enemies that Sabotage your Peace, “The problem is less that we tell lies and more that we live them (believe them); we let false narratives about reality into our bodies (our minds), and they wreak havoc in our souls.” What “lies” have people bought into today that wreak deceptive and destructive havoc on so many souls? 

5. Read 1 Timothy 6:11. How does what we pursue in this Christian life describe how believers are to defeat the flesh and engage the world in war? 

6. Discuss and reflect on Comer’s words regarding how Christians are to fight: “Instead of shedding blood, Jesus went to the cross to give His own blood, for the very people jeering Him from the crowd. In doing so, Jesus radically redefined both the nature of our war and the means by which we fight it... Our victory isn’t won by swords, spears, or predator drone strikes but with truth embodied in self-sacrificial love. It is crucial for us to recapture the idea of spiritual war; as long as we deny the reality of demonic evil, we will demonize people - the very people we are called to love and serve. Instead of fighting satan, we will turn people or groups of people into satan. Instead of fighting back the hate, violence, and darkness of the three enemies, we will add more hate, violence, and darkness to a culture in desperate need of healing.” 

7. Share prayer requests and close in prayer. 

Family Activity - What six things does God tell us to pursue in 1 Timothy 6:11? Pick a different one each day this week and practice it with one another.