Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. Ephesians 6:17–18 (NIV) Yesterday we began a series talking about the fight we need to engage in if we want to possess all that God has promised us. Sometimes we accept a bad situation too quickly. We can think, Well, maybe this is what God wants for my life. But if God wanted us to live miserable lives, why would he have promised us so many blessings? And if we were supposed to just roll over and accept every bad situation that comes at us, why would the Bible teach us that as …

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12 (NIV) You really need to pick more fights. Now, let me clarify. I’m not saying you should be starting more fights with people. I’m talking about fighting the good fight of faith, about getting a fighting spirit and a passionate outlook on life. It’s about fighting for the kind of life you want. So, how do you fight for that abundant life, the life that Jesus promises us in John 10:10? Well, it’s not about begging and pleading with God for what you want. It’s also not about fighting God to try …

For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! Romans 5:17 (NIV) Romans 5:17 gives us a clear picture of grace. It says that by the trespass of one man, death reigned. But through Jesus, we receive God’s abundant grace and righteousness, and we reign in life! Who is the one man who trespassed? Adam. He sinned, and because of Adam’s mistake death reigned. From the fall of Adam, sin began to dominate. Sin dominated homes, cities, cultures, people’s minds. It spread like a cancer. It’s why God’s judgment on sin was …

For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Romans 5:15 (NIV) There once were three young boys walking down a street lined with glass greenhouses. They passed greenhouse after greenhouse, and eventually came upon one where the owner had placed a sign. “Do not throw stones at my greenhouse.” Guess what those three boys did? They grabbed the closest stones they could find. What did that law just do? It made them want to break it as fast as they could. The Bible says the law of the Old Testament is beautiful. It teaches you not to …

Don’t you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good, as you see all around you right now— life for many people. Genesis 50:20–21 (MSG) God causes things from your past to work together for good. Take Joseph for example. From a young age Joseph sensed that his purpose involved leadership. But when he shared his dream with his brothers, they sold him into slavery. Where was Joseph’s dream then? It was shackled to a bunch of other prisoners being dragged and whipped as they walked to a foreign country. Instead of moaning and groaning about his situation, he served with excellence, and his purpose began to rise up, even in that terrible situation. The same was true …