“The time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Tim. 4:6-8).
In every army there are good soldiers and sloppy soldiers. There are soldiers who win battles and conquer enemy territory, and there are soldiers who fail and lose ground. I want to be a good soldier for the Lord, don’t you? I want to drive the devil back and advance the kingdom of God.
The Apostle Paul was that kind of soldier. He was a man of victory. He triumphed in every circumstance. The devil tried to stop him again and again with persecutions, beatings and trouble of every kind. But Paul kept right on marching in victory, preaching the gospel, healing the sick, working miracles and building the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Eventually, Paul was put in prison and in chains. Imagine how terrible the conditions in prison must have been in those days! No doubt, the devil expected that to stop Paul—but it didn’t. Instead of lying down and feeling sorry for himself, Paul used his time in prison to pray and write letters to minister to people. He didn’t know he was writing letters that would become a major part of the New Testament. He was in prison, but he was also in the Spirit. Prison didn’t even slow him down.
It was during this time that he wrote 2 Timothy 4:6-8, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course….”
Aren’t those wonderful words? I want to be able to say words like that when I come to the end of my earthly life. I want to know that I have fought the good fight—and won!
Someone might say, “Well, Gloria, that was the Apostle Paul! He was special. We can’t all be like him.”
Why not? We have the same Savior that Paul had. We’re filled with the same Holy Spirit. We even have the words he wrote to Timothy, his precious son in the faith, just before he departed this life—instructions that Paul knew would enable Timothy to be a victorious soldier of the Cross just as he had been.
So, yes, you can be a victorious soldier. You can conquer enemy territory, push the devil back, and advance the kingdom of God.
Speak the Word: I fight a good fight. I finish my course. Therefore, there is a crown of righteousness laid up for me. (2 Tim. 4:7-8)
For Further Study: 2 Cor. 11:22-33
Daily Scripture Reading: Ezek. 12-13; Ps. 98
Eagle Mountain International Church, Inc.
aka: Kenneth Copeland Ministries
For the last 50 years Kenneth and Gloria Copeland have been passionately teaching Christians all over the world how to apply the principles of faith found in God's WORD to their lives.
They have seven ministry offices around the world: United States, Canada, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Ukraine and Latin America. Their God-given directive is to preach and teach the uncompromised WORD of God on every available voice, which is being accomplished through a variety of channels, including our Believer's Voice of Victory TV and radio broadcasts, podcast and magazine; Believers' Conventions, Victory Campaigns and Living Victory meetings; published books, website, and social media channels, to name a few.
With the expansion of technology, they have more work to do now than ever. They are determined to let the world know Jesus is LORD, and they are not slowing down anytime soon!
Website: https://www.kcm.org