How much do you want to be godly and glorifying to God? What price are you willing to pay? What sins are you prepared to renounce? What battles are you ready to fight? Paul knew full well the lengths one must go to fully live out one’s Christian life. His spiritual journey had been anything but easy. He had faced many opponents. He had undergone hardships and deprivations. Certain friends had disappointed him and abandoned him. Yet Paul chose to fight the good fight.
At times we fail to experience all God has for us because we do not have the stomach for the battle that is required. We don’t want to fight. We want an easier, less troublesome path. So when opposition strikes or critics assault, or pressures mount, we make our excuses and exit the battlefield. We may avoid conflict, but we will also miss out on the victories that might have been ours had we fought the good fight.
If you are presently in a spiritual conflict, don’t lose heart! Every saint in history has been engaged in such a battle. Just as those who prevailed experienced spiritual victories on the battlefield, so you, too, will see God bring you success, if you hold your ground and refuse to lose heart.