Fight, Finish, Faith

I believe the 2018 FCA Camp theme, “Strong,” based on (2 TImothy 4:7), is one of the best we’ve ever had in tying our daily spiritual journey to athletic principles through Scripture. 

Let’s take a closer look at the three components of that verse: Fight, Finish and Faith.

Fight. Think about the coaches in your life—past or present—and how they inspired you to compete harder, to push past the pain, to fight.

We’re all familiar with “fighting” on the field, but as believers we must also realize there is an ongoing fight against the spiritual powers of evil. 

We can’t fight these battles on our own. But the great news is that we are equipped with God’s Spirit to grapple with every spiritual hurdle in our way. We’ll be more than conquerors if we fight through the power of His strength.

Finish. We’re all given a specific “race” to run as a parent, spouse, coach or athlete. God has called us to finish that race all the way through the line.

In our home, we emphasize giving 100 percent, finishing what you start. We all have a natural tendency to drop out of the race before it’s done, especially if it gets hard. Ultimately, it’s not how we start, but how we finish that matters. The world is craving people who can end better than they began, who keep pressing toward the finish line, like Paul says in Philippians 3:14: “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Faith. Do you truly believe God is with you? That He will help you fight spiritual battles and finish your race? Your faith in God will be the difference when the external voices of discouragement are there, and your internal voices are filled with doubt. Will you remain faithful in those moments, trusting that He will show you the way, so He can be glorified?