“God never sets us up to fail – only to grow.”
Bill Johnson
I don’t know about you, but my walk with God isn’t easy and at times, it requires a fight. It’s hard to persevere and not give up. In I Timothy 1:18, the Apostle Paul encourages his spiritual son Timothy, who is pastoring the church in Ephesus. “Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight.” I find two strategies in this verse on how to remain faithful.
The first one is Paul’s instruction. Our marching orders primarily come from the Word of God. When I am seeking God for His direction or for clarification regarding His will, I begin with reading and meditating on God’s Word. We can find no better truth than what’s in the Bible. If you need help following God, start by reading His word.
The second nugget of wisdom I found, is to keep the prophetic words spoken over me on the front burner of my mind. Not only does the Word of God buoy my faith and help me persevere in my walk with God and all He’s called me to, but also the prophetic words others have given to me help build my faith and determination. It’s the combination of the logos and the rhema words, that keep me keeping on. If I follow both, I will fight the good fight.
A few months ago I read Bill Johnson’s book, Strengthen Yourself in the Lord. In it he encouraged the readers to write down on 3×5 cards the promises and prophecies spoken over them. He gave instruction to read them often and to meditate or “mutter them aloud.” He also suggested we regularly read portions of Scripture that the Holy Spirit has quickened to our hearts. Bill carries these promises with him so when he has a few spare moments, he’s able to remind himself about God’s truth regarding himself.
Bill Johnson writes: “When we treasure His promises by holding them close to our heart and anchoring our soul in them through prayerful meditation, we are demonstrating that we believe they are true, and we are showing practical trust in the One who has given them to us.”
In order to fight the good fight, we must be infused with His fuel: the Word of God and His prophetic words spoken over us.
“I can’t afford to have thoughts in my head about me that God doesn’t have in His. It’s impossible to be consistently effective in fulfilling His purposes unless I am continually training my mind to think of myself according to what God says about me.”
Bill Johnson
Relevant Reflection:
Make a list of God’s personal logos and rhema words He’s given to you. Declare them aloud.