2Ti 2:1  Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 

2Ti 2:2  And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 

2Ti 2:3  Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 

2Ti 2:4  No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. 

There is a saying of this world which says, ‘choose your battles wisely,’ and even though the phrase is “of this world,” and has no godly wisdom in it at all, our Father educates His sons and daughters in the doctrine of what is “good” unto Him, and what is the “evil” unto Him of this world. We are not to be ignorant of the “spiritual wickedness in high places,” and our “fight” ought not to be for the “affairs of this life;” but for the things that our Father is currently being “longsuffering” about. Sometimes, we assume that God loves what we love, and that it is His will that our goals, loves, and happiness is at the forefront of His will.

2Ti 4:7  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 

2Ti 4:7  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

And oftentimes many pray and thank God about things of this world like; their favorite team winning a game, health, wealth, relationship, their country, their career, winning an award and every other thing that we hold as ‘near and dear’ unto us. And also, even more Spiritually alarming; we find ourselves engaged in ‘battles’ that concern the affairs of this life, many search the world affairs, via internet, word of mouth, and TV; they begin to be “moved” by these things, they become “vexed” by what they see and hear, they begin to protest, or ‘fight’ against the things of this world that goes directly against their hearts desire of this world.

Eph 6:10  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 

Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 

Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 

Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 

Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 

Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 

Moreover, we find ourselves engaged in the ‘personal battles’ of everyday life, like arguing with others about the personal affairs of this life, being “vexed” by what we personally see and hear, like the things that we face daily in our ‘paths’ of this life. And in those things, we will find ourselves becoming “vexed by” what we see and hear in front of us, but we must say to ourselves, as we “examine,” and “prove” ourselves by His effectual Word working within us; ‘that is not our fight!’

2Pe 2:6  And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; 

2Pe 2:7  And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 

2Pe 2:8  (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) 

We must understand “the fight” we are Spiritually in, and understand ‘the fight’ of this world, before we as sons and daughters spend our ‘godly time’ in what this world loves, and in “all that is in the world.” Our godly thinking ought to be concerned with what our Father loves, and what is “of the Father,” and as we are taught His Word, we learn the Spiritual Will of the Father, we are taught all about His adversary the devil, we are taught about Satan’s “wiles,” we are taught by His Word what not to be “conformed” unto, we are taught all about our Father’s ‘battle’ with this world, and with the adversary.

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 

1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 

Therefore, we must “examine” ourselves by His Word and Will, not according to by measuring ourselves to what this world counts as one who is ‘engaged in battle.’ This world portrays the “disputers of this world” as ones to be admired, whether on the internet or television; we see the people of this world engaged in a constant fight over the personal affairs, or the ‘current worldly’ affairs of this life. But we; who “will live godly,” must say; “that is not our fight!” And because we are taught that our Father is not engaged in those things, (based upon what His Word says is the “good,” and the ”evil” in His sight) we ought not have our “care” placed upon the things this world fights about, and we ought not to place so much care on the personal things that come up in our daily lives like winning a argument, getting upset over a parking spot, and any other ‘affair’ that may ‘vex’ our souls by what we see and hear in our lives.

2Co 13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 

Finally, when the Apostle Paul says; “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:” he knew ‘which fight’ he was actually engaged in; and this because he knew the opponent, and his ‘battle skills,’ he knew what was in the opponents ‘military arsenal.’ The Apostle Paul knew his “fight” was not personally fought against the Pharisees, or Caesar himself ,but it was fought against Satan. And because this was also the Father’s adversary, and the Father being longsuffering by what he himself ‘sees and hears’ of this world, we ourselves need to understand where our fight actually is; and examine ourselves if what we ‘see and hear’ ‘vexes’ our souls as it ought. We should be “able” to discern Satan’s “wiles,” and the things of this world, and that our Father views them as the “spiritual wickedness in high places of this world,” and also discern the information, the entertainment, and the things that we love are taught to us by the men of this world, who are the propagators of his “works of darkness,” but we have to remind ourselves over and over that “this is not our fight.”

2Co 4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 

Rod Jones