Fight the Good Fight of Faith

1 Timothy 6:12, Eph. 6:10-18

Greetings: ​Good morning po muli sa inyong lahat. Salamat po sa Lord na tayo po ay

muling pinagpala ng isang masayang araw. Salamat muli sa Lord sa presence ng bawat
isang nandito ngayon. Salamat sa Lord dahil hindi po tayo absent ngayon sa gawain
sapagkat para sa iba napaka perfect ng araw na ito upang manatili sa bahay upang
panoorin ang laban ng ating pambansang kamao na si Manny Paquiao.

Hindi ko alam kung sa puntong ito ay nag-uumpisa na ang main event na Laban ni
Paquiao at Thurman. Pero ganun pa man, tayo po ay dadako na sa main event ng ating
gawain sa araw na ito; ang pakikinig ng mensahe mula sa Salita ng Diyos.

Intro:
Title:​ ​Fight the Good Fight of Faith
Purpose: To share what it means to fight the good fight of faith and provide some ways
to win this fight.

Maraming mga mananampalataya ang may maling pagkakaintindi sa idea ng walking

by faith. Iniisip ng karamihan sa atin na ang paglakad sa pananampalataya, ibig sabihin
nito na dapat magiging madali nalang ang lahat para atin. Hindi na kailangan ng mga
pagpapagal at kung anu mang kahirapan patungo sa destiansyon na nais ni God para
sa atin. But the Bible teaches quite the opposite.

Fight the good fight of faith: - 1 Tim. 6:12

We as Christians can sometimes get tired of the constant battle that comes with our
faith walk. Ngunit kaylangangn nating maintindihan na tayo ay tinawag upang labanan
ang mabuting labanan ng pananampalataya. Ang pagsunod kay Jesus ay hindi madali.
Ito ay isang labanan. Ito ay digmaan. Ito ay isang mahaba, mahigpit na labanan na
nangangailangan ng pagtitiis.

The word “​fight​” is the Greek word ​agonidzo​, which refers to ​a ​struggle, ​a f​ight, great
exertion, or effort. It is where we get the word ​agony ​— a word often used in the New
Testament to convey the ideas of ​anguish, pain, distress, and conflict​. The word
agonidzo ​itself comes from the word ​agon​, which is the word that depicted the ​athletic
conflicts and competitions ​that were so famous in the ancient world. It frequently
pictured wrestlers in a wrestling match, with each wrestler struggling with all his might to
overcome his opponent in an effort to hurl him to the ground in a fight to the finish.
The very fact that Paul would use ​this ​word, a word that was very well known in the
world of his time, ay naghahayag sa atin na kapag nag-step out tayo ​upang gumawa ng
isang bagay sa pamamagitan ng pananampalataya, kadalasang dinadala tayo nito sa
isang labanan. ​It throws us into some type of ​agony — ​ ​anguish​, ​conflict, pain,​ ​distress​,
or ​a struggle.​ It isn’t that God wants us to struggle. Sa halip, ito ay isang labanan na
nagreresulta mula sa laman na lumalaban sa kalooban ng Diyos, ang isipan na nag-iisip
ng mga bagay taliwas sa kalooban ng Diyos, ang mga taong sumasalungat sa atin at
ang diyablo na kalaban sa bawat hakbang ng pananampalataya natin.

The point you must see is that Paul recognized when we step out in faith, hindi
magiging madali para sa atin bilang mga Kristyanong nabubuhyay dito sa lupa na
abutin ang destination na nais ng Diyos para sa atin. ​We must fight the good fight of
faith to reach the victorious position and destination that allows us to one day hear
those cherished words, “Well done!” from our dear Lord and Savior. Kaya kesa tayo ay
manghina at tumigil sa laban na kinakaharap natin sa ating walk of faith, ine-encourage
tayo ni apostol Pablo na ibigay ang ating best effort to “Fight the ​good ​fight of faith…”

In the context of a ​fight,​ ​naglalarawan ito ng isang taong nagbigay ng kanyang pina-best
effort sa pakikipaglaban sa isang labanan na kung saan siya ay kabahagi; hence, he is
one who is doing a ​first-rate o ​ r ​first-class ​job at resisting his opponents. ​This is a picture
of total commitment to victory.

Kaya naman, lahat ng ating ginagawa sa pamamagitan ng pananampalataya ay

nagre-require na tayo ay makipaglaban sa isang labanan upang tayo ay magtagumpay.
So if you are experiencing a struggle along the path to your personal victory — if you’ve
been fighting off some very real mental or spiritual assaults along the way — don’t be
taken off guard or by surprise.

All true believers who are walking with Christ are engaged in a fight. ​Ikaw ay naging
bahagi ng isang espirituwal na labanan sa araw na ikaw ay nagtiwala sa Panginoong
Jesu-Cristo bilang iyong personal na Tagapagligtas.

But one thing about fighting the good fight of faith is that we’ve accepted a fight which
you’ve already won. ​Ang lumalaban na nasa panig ni Kristo ay isang magandang
bagay​. ​This is because Jesus Christ can never lose a battle. Ngunit nabubuhay pa tayo
sa mundong ito na puno ng kasalanan at struggle na maaaring magpahina at pumigil sa
atin upang manatili na mabuhay para sa Lord. Kaya dapat nating labanan ang mga
bagay na nagpapahina at pumipigil sa ating pananampalataya sa Diyos. That is why we
are called to fight the good fight of faith.

To fight the good fight of faith, there are tools that you need to persevere. Fighting with
Christ comes with lots of suffering. Therefore, you must be battle ready to always be on
His side of the battle.

In this message I want to share with you what we need to consider to win this fight.

Main Point: ​To fight the good fight of faith and win it, we must learn to identify
who our real enemy is, we must pray at all times, and be strong in the Lord and in
the strength of His might!

Body:

1. Identify the Enemy (Ephesians 6:12)

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness,
against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Before we can start winning our personal battles​, we have to accurately and
honestly identify the enemy. We must Identify who are we fighting against.

In warfare gathering intelligence is key. Ginagamit ang intelligence upang

makilala at masuri ang kaaway. Ang buong opensiba ay nakasalalay dito​. ​In
spiritual warfare, the Bible our source of intelligence identifies the devil and his
hosts as our enemy.

We have to definitely know who our enemy is, who it is that causes us to suffer.
Madalas ang iniisip natn ay ang tao ang kalaban natin. Ang mga nanghahamak
at nagpapahirap at nagte-take advantage sa atin. Ngunit Sinasabi ng Bible na
hindi tayo nakikipaglaban sa mga tao but instead ang tunay na kaban natin ay
ang mga tagapamahala ng kadilimang umiiral sa sanlibutang ito.

There are many Christians who struggle throughout their whole lives trying to
follow Jesus, but fail. Sa tingin ko ang isa sa mga pangunahing dahilan ay dahil
wala silang alam tungkol sa kung sino ba ang totoo nilang kaaway.
.
Many believers have frequent periods of discouragement. Dapat nating
maintindihan ang isang bagay: Ang pagkadismaya ay hindi kailanman
nagmumula sa Diyos. Ito ay laging nagmumula sa diyablo. Ganundin ang mga
alitan, violence, pagkapoot, jealousy, bitterness, ang pagrereklamo, evil speaking
at rebellion, at iba pang mga form of evil; ang lahat ng ito ay hindi mula sa
diyablo at hindi sa Diyos.

Whether we realize it or not, we are locked in a personal battle with the forces of
darkness, as the enemy tries to get a new hold on us. We should expect him to
attack us again today in some weak area of our lives.

Satan is actively working against us to trick us and deceive us and lead us astray
from walking worthy in our relationship with God. At siya ay patuloy na
nakikipaglaban upang ang mga Kristiyano ay madaya niya at mapanghina na to
the point na lalayo na tayo sa Lord. Siya ang Ama ng mga kasinungalingan at
ngayon ay aktibong nagtatrabaho upang magdala ng pag-aalinlangan
paninirang-puri at lahat ng uri ng iba pang kasamaan sa ating buhay individually
at sa church.

It is important to know about Satan, because once you know what the Bible
teaches about Satan, you should be careful. At kung kilala na natin siya ay hindi
na tayo matatakot sa kanya. Marami ang natatakot kay Satanas, dahil hindi nila
alam kung ano ang itinuturo ng Biblia tungkol sa kanya​. ​Many do not realize that
Satan was defeated by our Lord Jesus on Calvary. Hindi ka na kailanman
matatakot kay Satanas, kapag nabuksan ang iyong mga mata sa ginawa ng
Panginoon para sa atin lahat sa krus. The most important fact about Satan is that
he is a defeated foe!

When we are able by God's power to correctly identify the enemy, only then are
we equipped to continue relating in a godly way with the difficult people in our
lives, praying for them, confronting them in love, and continuing to treat them in a
godly manner, rather than responding in anger and treating them the same way
they’ve treated us. We can view them with compassion and concern, and begin
praying fervently that the enemy’s hold on their lives would be broken by the
power of Christ and that their eyes would be opened to the ways they’re being
used by the forces of darkness.
 It is good to know about our enemy​, so that we can overcome these evils in our
lives.

2. Pray at all times (Eph. 6:18)

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit

If we are to fight the good fight of faith. We must pray at all times. There’s no
pause button for the spiritual war. The devil doesn’t sleep or take vacations. The
spiritual war is always on—that’s why we need to pray at all times.

Ang pinakamainam na paraan upang mapagtagumpayan ang ating kalaban ay

sa pamamagitan ng pagtawag sa Diyos araw at gabi sa panalangin.

The second principle in fighting the good fight of faith is to take your battle to the
Lord in prayer. Unfortunately, prayer is often the last thing we try, because we
want to be able to work things out on our own.

Prayer ought to be the first weapon we use​—not the last—whenever we face the
battles of life. It is important to remember that Jesus fought the biggest battles in
life, and He also prayed the most.

Satan laughs at our hard work, sneer at our wisdom, but trembles
when we pray. - Albert Richardson

Fight all your battles on your knees and you win every time. - Dr.
Charles Stanley

We should cry out to our Father God​. There are, of course, many spiritual
weapons, which are all recorded in Ephesians 6. The most important of these is
the prayer of verse 18.

Tayo ay walang kapangyarihan at kakayahan sa ating sarili upang

pagtagumpayan ang laban mula sa atake ng diyablo, ngunit maaari tayong
manalangin sa Diyos at hilingin sa Kanya na pagtulong sa atin. Makaka-asa tayo
na kapag ipinagkatiwala natin sa Kanya ang ating mga pakikipaglaban sa
pananampalataya Siya mismo ang lalaban para sa atin.
 Prayer is the best offensive weapon against the enemy. In prayer we
maintain our ground, and through prayer we can attack the enemy and
damage his plan, his work, and his power.

We are to pray at ALL times—on every occasion, in every season. Pray when
you are weak and pray when you are strong! Prayer is not just for emergencies
—it should be a habit; a way of life. Don't only pray in the tough times​—pray even
when things are going well —on every occasion, in every season. On the other
hand, don't stop praying, just because you think that your situation is too hard for
God! Just pray and don't quit!

We are not just to pray for ourselves, and our own families, and our own church.
We have a responsibility to pray for other believers and other ministries as well.
Stand in the gap for others! Use your faith to carry others to God in prayer.
Marahil kung seryoso tayo sa responsibilidad ng nanalangin para sa bawat isa,
sa halip na hatulan ang isa't isa, we could achieve more as the Body of Christ!

It is more important now, than ever, that we stand together as believers and pray
for one another and our nation. An attack against one is an attack against all.

Do we realize the power we have available to us when we take our authority in

prayer? Most of us don’t realize our authority because if we did, we would be
praying far more. We would be sacrificing everything else in order to pray.
Instead of worrying about the increase in evil in our land, we would be on our
faces before God crying out for His intervention.

Unfortunately in many churches prayer is the weakest link. It should be the

strongest one because it is the key to God’s blessing in the spirit realm.

Jesus has given us power and authority over the devil, but we should not be lazy
or negligent either. ​Ang diablo ay palaging naghahanap ng mga pagkakataon ​to
kill, steal, and destroy. We should not make it too easy for him! ​Kailangan nating
maging strong sa panalangin ​individually and corporately as a church.

3. Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might​ ​(Eph. 6:10)

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might​.

Paul doesn’t point us to ourselves and our willpower and determination. He
points us to the Lord and to complete and full reliance on Him. Some of us might
consider ourselves pretty strong physically. We can move some heavy things,
climb some steep mountains, build some pretty impressive structures, or defeat
someone in a wrestling match. But guess what, physical strength is of no value in
a spiritual battle.

You can only fight the good fight of faith and win it when you learn to be strong in
the Lord and in the strength of His might.

So how is it possible for us to be strong in this way, rather than relying on our
own strength? Well, Paul tells us how in verses 11 through 20 of this last chapter
of Ephesians. In a nutshell, he tells us that we can be strong in the Lord and in
the strength of his might, by putting on the full armor of God and by praying at all
times in the Spirit.

Paul tells us to be strong in the Lord by putting on the armor of the Lord.

13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to
resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.14
Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having
put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your
feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all,
taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish
all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of
salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. -
Eph.6:13-17

14 Kaya't maging handa kayo. Ibigkis sa inyong baywang ang

sinturon ng katotohanan, at isuot sa dibdib ang baluti ng katuwiran;
15 isuot ninyo ang sapatos ng pagiging handa sa pangangaral ng
Magandang Balita ng kapayapaan. 16 Lagi ninyong gawing panangga
ang pananampalataya, na siyang papatay sa lahat ng nagliliyab na
palaso ng diyablo. 17 Isuot ninyo ang helmet ng kaligtasan, at
gamitin ang tabak ng Espiritu, na walang iba kundi ang Salita ng
Diyos. - MBB
 Why do we need this armor? Paul gives us a clear and concise reason why we
need to put on the full armor of God. And the reason he gives is this: “so that you
will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

We need to put on the armor of God, so that we are able to stand firm. The armor
of God is what gives us the power to stand firm against the lies and accusations
and attacks of the devil. In vise versa, without putting on the full armor of God we
will not be able to stand firm against the devil.

If we want to stand firm in our faith and stay faithful to God through the many
struggles and battles and lies and disappointment we face each day, we need to
put on the full armor of God. To not put it on is to go into the battle unprotected
and vulnerable, an easy target for the enemy. But when we put on the full armor
that God has provided us we have the power to stand firm.

My friends, let’s learn to walk in that awesome power of God. It’s available to us
anytime we’re ready to give up on ourselves and reach out for the hand of Christ.
The kingdom of the heavens is right here available in the air around us.

Gamitin natin ang battle gear that God has given us and learn to rely on His
power and strength. Let’s not be unaware of the spiritual battle that’s raging all
around us, but instead, learn to fight it by God’s power, always keeping our eyes
on Jesus Christ, allowing Him to show us who our real enemy is and refusing to
attack and destroy the people around us who are being deceived and misled by
the devil. Let’s keep treating all people with the love of Christ, confronting in love
when appropriate, and praying earnestly for freedom from the lies and influence
of the devil. We can do this when we learn to be strong in the Lord and in the
strength of His might!

Conclusion:

● To fight the good fight of faith and win it, we must learn to identify who our real
enemy is, we must pray at all times, and be strong in the Lord and in the strength
of His might!

● “I have fought the good fight” - 2 Timothy 4:7