The Story Behind "Fight the Good Fight."
I had no idea I was writing what would become Fight the Good Fight. In February of 2018, we had just begun having meetings in our living room for Our Father’s House. We spent months laying out and establishing our core values. We prayed together and discussed who we felt God wanted us to be as a local church. By June, we opened our gatherings to the public, and met in a church building on Saturday evenings.
As Our Father’s House began to form and grow, I became increasingly aware of my desperate need for wisdom. When you start a church, there are hundreds of decisions that must be made. The who, what, when, where, why, and how, behind church planting can be daunting. For everything you choose to do, you are declining dozens of other seemingly good ways to operate. I turned to the Scriptures for wisdom, and pleaded with the Father in prayer to show me the way forward. There is a vast chasm between good ideas and heavenly direction. I was not searching for ideas; I was looking for solid, practical wisdom I could apply in my life and ministry.
The Holy Spirit led me to read 1 & 2 Timothy over and over again. Paul wrote these letters to his young son in the faith, exhorting Timothy to follow his instructions and honor Jesus in everything. Those words were exactly what I needed. Over the next six months, I spent so many hours studying 1 & 2 Timothy that I could no longer keep the verses, chapters, or the letters themselves separate. Everything blended together as one. I had consumed the truths within, and even had dreams about the concepts that Paul explains.
The inspiration of the letters pierced me deeply and transformed my heart and mind. It was as if his letters were written to me personally, and I was responsible to fulfill them. I keenly noted all of the things Paul directly instructed Timothy to do. For example, he commanded Timothy to be absorbed in his instructions; to be diligent in studying the word; to be ready in season and out of season; to be sober in everything; and to be strong in the Lord’s grace. The explicit nature of Paul’s instructions gave me ample clarity and direction.
In an effort to equip the church and share the fruit of my studies, I began expounding upon each of the specific, personal instructions given. Again, I had no idea I was writing a book. My aim was simply to strengthen the brothers and sisters in my life by sharing the Word of God. It was not long after I started sending out weekly emails that I realized there was something more to it. The Lord consistently challenged and encouraged me as I carved out time to write. Waves of His presence washed over me, and His pleasure was tangible throughout the process.
The past two years of working on Fight the Good Fight have been both exhilarating and exhausting. I poured my heart and soul into this book. I prayed before, during, and after writing each day’s devotional. I thought I finished the book, more than once, only to pick it up again as He gave me more to say. I have attempted to articulate the heart of God in a way that produces clarity and conviction in the reader. May the Father use this book to equip His people to fight the good fight of faith, and slay the giants that taunt and torment them. And may He use it to call His children higher, and remind them of His unfailing love and abundant grace.
