1 Timothy 6:11-12

1 Timothy 6:11-12

Thoughts from Stuart Poteet

Dive Deeper

Godfidence- Swipe
Slide

“But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

1 Timothy 6:11-12

Godfidence- Behind the Scenes
Slide

We have spent the last 6 weeks talking about how we can move from self-confidence to God-confidence. And in this last week, we’ve been looking at what true faith looks like, how to take big steps with God, and how to lean into that God-fidence we’ve been cultivating in our lives. I love this passage as a part of our study specifically because Paul, the author of this letter, is writing to Timothy who was a young pastor overseeing the church in Ephesus. Paul wrote to encourage Timothy and give him some much-needed perspective as he ministered in a truly difficult culture and time.

Slide

Like Timothy, we too can find ourselves needing some encouragement to “fight the good fight of faith” in our lives. And the words offered to Timothy from his mentor, Paul, are just as applicable for you and me today.

Slide

In this letter, Paul reminds Timothy to literally flee from the things that would pull him away from God. And instead, to literally pursue the things of God. The juxtaposition of these two commands should not be overlooked. Paul is giving Timothy a trajectory for his life, a compass of sorts to keep his feet on the right path. Flee the things of this world and pursue the things of God. And as such, he (and we) will successfully fight the good fight of faith.

Godfidence- Make it Real
Slide

I don’t know about you, but these kinds of passages are so helpful to me when I feel like I just need some tangible and helpful directions for my life. When I look at this simple command (flee the things of this world and pursue the things of Christ) I am more able to sort through the situations, questions, particulars, and even the choices I need to make. I can hold them up to these two commands and ask, “If I do/think/say/act in this way is that moving me toward the things of this world or toward the things of God?”

Slide

This is what faith looks like. This is what it looks like to fight the “good fight”. It means taking all the pieces of our life and running them through this question. It means holding everything we are, everything we want, and everything we do up to God and asking for His best, His advice, and His direction. It means using every piece of who we are to move toward Him first and foremost.

Slide

Sometimes I think we make faith too hard. We complicate it with questions, loopholes, technicalities, and opinions. But at the end of the day, faith is simply “the certainty of things hoped for and the assurance of things unseen.” (Heb 11:1) It means literally “taking hold” of the salvation and the promises of God, as Paul directs Timothy in this passage.

Slide

When we walk out our faith it isn’t always some sort of crazy over the top experience. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes those things do happen. But more often than not, faith is walked out in the everyday things, in the mundane of our life. It is inviting God to not only observe, but to participate in and direct everything we do. It is surrendering control and trusting that He knows best.

Slide

When life feels overwhelming or we feel out of our comfort zone, our natural tendency is to grasp back on to control. But faith means letting go of the wheel, trusting God, and letting Him have the final say. It’s simple, but not always easy. But here is the great news... even the ability to walk out our faith is a gift from God. When we trust Him with all the details of our lives, when we surrender to His Lordship, He directs us.

Slide

He never asks us to fight the good fight alone. In fact, the victory is already won! Instead, he invites us into the victory He has already accomplished. So today, I want to challenge us all to take a hard look at our lives and ask ourselves the question, “Are the pieces of my life drawing me toward the things of God or the things of this world?” Let’s start living out our faith in this way, fighting the good fight and leaning into the victory that Christ has already won on our behalf!

Godfidence- End in Prayer
Slide

Lord,

Thank You for making something that could be so difficult more simple. Thank You for giving me clear principles to live my life by. Thank You that you care about all the details of my life, but more than that, you care about my heart. Help me to use everything in my life to draw me closer to You. Help me to let go of anything that pulls me away from You and Your plan for my life.

In the name of Jesus Christ,

Amen

previous arrow
next arrow

“But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 

1 Timothy 6:11-12

Behind the Scenes

We have spent the last 6 weeks talking about how we can move from self-confidence to God-confidence. And in this last week, we’ve been looking at what true faith looks like, how to take big steps with God, and how to lean into that God-fidence we’ve been cultivating in our lives. I love this passage as a part of our study specifically because Paul, the author of this letter, is writing to Timothy who was a young pastor overseeing the church in Ephesus. Paul wrote to encourage Timothy and give him some much-needed perspective as he ministered in a truly difficult culture and time.  

Like Timothy, we too can find ourselves needing some encouragement to “fight the good fight of faith” in our lives. And the words offered to Timothy from his mentor, Paul, are just as applicable for you and me today.  

In this letter, Paul reminds Timothy to literally flee from the things that would pull him away from God. And instead, to literally pursue the things of God. The juxtaposition of these two commands should not be overlooked. Paul is giving Timothy a trajectory for his life, a compass of sorts to keep his feet on the right path. Flee the things of this world and pursue the things of God. And as such, he (and we) will successfully fight the good fight of faith.  

Make it Real

I don’t know about you, but these kinds of passages are so helpful to me when I feel like I just need some tangible and helpful directions for my life. When I look at this simple command (flee the things of this world and pursue the things of Christ) I am more able to sort through the situations, questions, particulars, and even the choices I need to make. I can hold them up to these two commands and ask, “If I do/think/say/act in this way is that moving me toward the things of this world or toward the things of God?” 

This is what faith looks like. This is what it looks like to fight the “good fight”. It means taking all the pieces of our life and running them through this question. It means holding everything we are, everything we want, and everything we do up to God and asking for His best, His advice, and His direction. It means using every piece of who we are to move toward Him first and foremost.  

Sometimes I think we make faith too hard. We complicate it with questions, loopholes, technicalities, and opinions. But at the end of the day, faith is simply “the certainty of things hoped for and the assurance of things unseen.” (Heb 11:1) It means literally “taking hold” of the salvation and the promises of God, as Paul directs Timothy in this passage.  

When we walk out our faith it isn’t always some sort of crazy over the top experience. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes those things do happen. But more often than not, faith is walked out in the everyday things, in the mundane of our life. It is inviting God to not only observe, but to participate in and direct everything we do. It is surrendering control and trusting that He knows best.  

When life feels overwhelming or we feel out of our comfort zone, our natural tendency is to grasp back on to control. But faith means letting go of the wheel, trusting God, and letting Him have the final say. It’s simple, but not always easy. But here is the great news… even the ability to walk out our faith is a gift from God. When we trust Him with all the details of our lives, when we surrender to His Lordship, He directs us.  

He never asks us to fight the good fight alone. In fact, the victory is already won! Instead, he invites us into the victory He has already accomplished. So today, I want to challenge us all to take a hard look at our lives and ask ourselves the question, “Are the pieces of my life drawing me toward the things of God or the things of this world?” Let’s start living out our faith in this way, fighting the good fight and leaning into the victory that Christ has already won on our behalf!  

Crystal Garnett

Crystal Garnett

ACF Devo Team

End in Prayer

Lord, 

Thank You for making something that could be so difficult more simple. Thank You for giving me clear principles to live my life by. Thank You that you care about all the details of my life, but more than that, you care about my heart. Help me to use everything in my life to draw me closer to You. Help me to let go of anything that pulls me away from You and Your plan for my life.  

In the name of Jesus Christ, 

Amen 

Tagged