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Heart To Heart

Kenneth W. HaginBy Kenneth W. Hagin


Fighting the Good Fight of Faith

In First Timothy 6:12, the Apostle Paul told Timothy, “Fight the good fight of faith.” And for as long as I can remember, my dad, Kenneth E. Hagin, taught me through example how to do that. I remember times when I was growing up and things were tough financially. Sometimes we didn’t have food in our kitchen cupboards. But never once did I see my father tell anyone we were in need. He always trusted the Lord to meet our needs, and God always came through for us.



Dad never quit fighting the good fight of faith, though he faced many hardships. We need to cultivate that same kind of tenacity in our faith walk. When the enemy tries to put pressure on us, we must look him square in the face and say, “Mr. Devil, we’ve just begun to fight!

The great American naval officer John Paul Jones is credited with saying similar words as he faced what seemed to be certain defeat during the Revolutionary War. During a major sea battle, Jones’ ship sustained heavy damage and looked as if it would sink any minute. Thinking his victory was assured, the British commander sent Jones the message, “Are you ready to give up?”

But John Paul Jones sent back the courageous reply, “I have not yet begun to fight!” Despite the damage inflicted on his ship, Jones went on to capture the British warship and win the battle.

The devil will try to buffet us until it looks as though we are about to sink. When this happens, we have to take a courageous stand on God’s Word. Instead of giving up, we can raise our victory flag high and say, “Devil, you can’t defeat us! We have not yet begun to fight!”

The good fight of faith is the only fight God has called us to. We can never take a vacation from that fight, because our enemy never does. We won’t be able to let our guard down. Satan is always prowling about, looking for someone to devour. But he does not have to devour us!

The Lord once said to me, “If you learn how to follow Me, troubles and afflictions . . . will only mean greater victories.” So let’s determine never to back down when the devil attacks. When we stand strong, we will see some of our greatest victories!