Time To Fight For Your Life
“Make every effort (Strive, Strain, Fight your way in) to enter through the narrow door, because I tell you, many will try to enter and won’t be able once the homeowner gets up and shuts the door.
There comes a time when we must fight for our lives. Other people can support us, but only we ourselves can choose to fight. It is true that Jesus saves, but we we must fight to enter into salvation.
We might have a lot of disappointments and still believe. We might even be like the man who said to Jesus, "I believe, but help my unbelief".
Waiting is good, if it is waiting on God. Waiting on God is active, like a waiter, who is on his or her feet, attentive to those they are serving. Waiting on God requires action, but is still waiting for his move. Waiting is good, but there comes a time what God says, "what are you waiting for? Get up and fight."
Signs and miracles are good, but it is a fatal mistake to not 'strive to enter in', to not 'make every effort to enter in', and to not 'fight your way' through the door of your salvation. A person who refuses to fight for their life, who says they believe God is going to do a miracle or give them a sign, is a fool who is not going to make it.
The Christian life only works as you work it. You must stand up and fight for your salvation. This is not to say that you are saved by works. We are saved only by faith, in Christ. The faith of the New Testament that is saving faith is a radical giving of your life to the one who saves you, and to do that will be a great struggle and fight for you.
There comes a time when you must stop looking backwards. God wants you to look forward. You and God today. God is always "present-future" with us.
We encourage each other to the fight, to the struggle, to the striving to enter in. Love is the calling card of Christians towards one another. So, we can say that we are rooting you on, and whatever you decide to do, we are by your side.
No matter how bad your past has been, no matter how disappointed you have been, and no matter what your dire straights are right now, God can save you. But you must fight for your life. God has provided the doorway of salvation, but we must struggle, strive, and fight our way in.
Go for it.
-Luke 13:24-5 (ESV, WNT, Knox)
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| Photo: Pixabay |
Striving has a reputation as a negative word. We say to each other, "stop striving". There is bad striving, where we are not resting in God, and are following our impulses, rather than abiding in the Lord.
Good striving is when we fight for our lives, for our salvation, that Jesus has already paid for. The door of salvation can not be entered into passively. There is going to have to be a fight.
The song, "This is it", by Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald, is a song about fighting to live, that Loggins wrote for his dad. Kenny's dad was very sick and Kenny wanted to encourage him to fight for his life.
There've been times in my life,Living in "why?" is a place of stuck-ness. God does not usually answer our "why?" questions. But what God does is redeem us, transform us, heal us, always giving us hope in him, and God always loves us. The who and the what are active in our lives, now.
I've been wonderin' why.
Still, somehow I believed we'd always survive.
Now, I'm not so sure
You're waiting here, one good reason to try
But, what more can I say? What's left to provide?
We might have a lot of disappointments and still believe. We might even be like the man who said to Jesus, "I believe, but help my unbelief".
Waiting is good, if it is waiting on God. Waiting on God is active, like a waiter, who is on his or her feet, attentive to those they are serving. Waiting on God requires action, but is still waiting for his move. Waiting is good, but there comes a time what God says, "what are you waiting for? Get up and fight."
(You think that maybe it's over,)The fight for your life depends on you. God has made provision, but you have to fight for it. You must choose to fight, if you want to live.
(Only if you want it to be.)
Are you gonna wait for a sign, your miracle?
Stand up and fight.
Signs and miracles are good, but it is a fatal mistake to not 'strive to enter in', to not 'make every effort to enter in', and to not 'fight your way' through the door of your salvation. A person who refuses to fight for their life, who says they believe God is going to do a miracle or give them a sign, is a fool who is not going to make it.
The Christian life only works as you work it. You must stand up and fight for your salvation. This is not to say that you are saved by works. We are saved only by faith, in Christ. The faith of the New Testament that is saving faith is a radical giving of your life to the one who saves you, and to do that will be a great struggle and fight for you.
(This is it.)There comes a "now time", a "karios moment", when you have to do something, when you have to decide to fight. That is the "This is it" time. Time to fight for your destiny.
Make no mistake where you are.
(This is it.)
You back's to the corner.
(This is it.)
Don't be a fool anymore.
(This is it.)
The waiting is over, no, don't you run.There comes a time when time catches up with you and it is time to make your decision if you will fight, and you must fight. There comes a time when you can no longer run or hide. The doorway is in front of you and says, "You must fight to enter in".
No way to hide.
No time for wonderin' why.
It's here, the moment is now, about to decide.
Let 'em believe.
Leave 'em behind.
But keep me near in your heart.
Know whatever you do, I'm here by your side.
There comes a time when you must stop looking backwards. God wants you to look forward. You and God today. God is always "present-future" with us.
We encourage each other to the fight, to the struggle, to the striving to enter in. Love is the calling card of Christians towards one another. So, we can say that we are rooting you on, and whatever you decide to do, we are by your side.
(You say that maybe it's over.)Be encouraged that the battle is not over. But your miracle requires for you to fight for it. You can't live in passive, delusional, denial any longer.
(Not if you don't want it to be.)
For once in your life, here's your miracle.
Stand up and fight.
(This is it.)
Make no mistake where you are.
(This is it.)
You're goin' no further.
(This is it.)
Until it's over and done.
(No one can tell what the future holds.)
Oh-oh-oh-oh.
(Who makes the choice of how it goes?)
It's not up to me this time.
(You know.)
Comes a day in every life.
(This is it.)Faith is always optimistic. We reason, without God, when we are hopeless and pessimistic. Faith, hope, and love always are optimistic about what God might do, can do, and will do; in response to us.
No matter how bad your past has been, no matter how disappointed you have been, and no matter what your dire straights are right now, God can save you. But you must fight for your life. God has provided the doorway of salvation, but we must struggle, strive, and fight our way in.
Go for it.
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