Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salavation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:13-17)
Some of you may be familiar with this passage. It portrays the importance of being suited up and ready to fight in the spiritual battle that we are all up against. We teach this concept to kids in children’s church and as we grow, we experience the weight of the battle. We begin to know temptation, heartache, and discouragement like the back of our hand. We get tired and I think under the weight of it all, we sometimes forget what it is that we are fighting for.
The other day the words “worth fighting for” kept jumping out at me. In the morning, reading an email from a friend, I read the words “your relationship with God is worth fighting for.” Later, that day online I read the words “all good things are worth fighting for.” And a little later, I read the words “love is worth the fight.” Each time, the words “worth fighting for” seemed to be highlighted and flashing.
I believe that if we are going to be effective in the battle, we need to understand the importance and the value of what it is that we are fighting for. Your relationship with Jesus is worth fighting for. He is your lifesource, your joy and your strength. All things are held together in Him and it’s hidden in Him that you discover your real purpose. As it says in Col. 3:3, “For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”
God tells us in His Word that He has equipped us for everything good He has planned for us (Heb. 13:21) and that the God that did not spare His own Son will not withhold any good thing from us (Rom. 8:32). Those good things, those gifts, are worth fighting for. The world will try to do anything in it’s power to stand in the way of all the God has for us. The enemy of our souls will try to do whatever He can to rob us of our inheritance and our purpose.
Lastly, love is worth fighting for. This applies across the board. Sometimes we will have to fight to love ourselves. We will have to fight to love others and we will even have to fight at times to keep loving the Lord with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength. But it’s worth the fight, because Jesus has already fought for us. As it says in 1 John 3:16, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”
Today I encourage you to put your boxing gloves on and to get into the ring. I encourage you to fight for your relationship with Jesus, to fight for all the good things He has for you and to fight for love, knowing full well that God is also fighting on your behalf. I encourage you to have the same attitude that Paul had when he wrote:
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:13-14)
