Contending for the Faith

by Rev. Jim Hockaday

As I write this newsletter, I do so to sound an alarm to the Body of Christ! Have you ever wondered what Jesus might say or even how the Apostle Paul might have commented on where we, the Body of Christ, are today? It is so easy to lose our focal point when we lose sight of our personal standard or rule of measurement. Jesus has always been the supreme authority and the greatest of models for believers. So notice that he meets his opposition face to face, notice His superior strength when confronted by devils and their sicknesses, and His absolute confidence preceding each miracle performed. Not only did Jesus have complete success in every arena of life, but in it, He demonstrated a love that the world didn’t know.

I find myself faced with certain scriptures that just won’t go away. John 14:12 – “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” 1 John 2:6 – “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” 1 John 4:17 – “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world.”

These verses of scripture obviously place demands on us to judge our success in light of the earth-walk of Christ. Is it possible that we have adopted good statements of truth as excuses for our lack of competence? Could we be looking for God to do something spectacular when in fact He is waiting on us? Jude says it best in verse 3, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” No questions about it, we, being the Body of Christ, need to contend earnestly for the faith of Jesus Christ.

The shepherd boy, David, was confronted with a similar situation. As you will remember, the giant, Goliath, hurled insults at the Israelite army both day and night for forty nights. The Israelites allowed what they saw and heard to so paralyze them with fear that no one would do anything about Goliath. Could Saul or any of his army really have done something about such a terrifying giant? Of course, even the least in the army was in covenant with an Almighty God. However, Goliath was successful in turning the attention of the Israelites toward their human leader, Saul. This scenario is all too real today. The attention of the Body of Christ has been turned to the hand of man. The reports of the doctors, bankers, and psychologists mean far too much to us today. The biggest part of Christendom initially never considers what God can do. We’ve become too caught up in what everyone else is saying. In 2 Chronicles 16:9 the prophet reminds King Asa, who had substituted the help of God for the help of man, that the “eyes of the Lord roam to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts is loyal to Him.”

In the Gospel of Luke it is recorded, “will the Lord find faith when He comes?” This means, will the Lord find people using faith to accomplish the will of God when He comes? God always has a remnant of people who have not compromised and bowed their knee. Such was the case of David. When he heard the words of the giant he raised the question, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the Living God?” This is the first time in forty days that the covenant was mentioned. The size of the giant meant nothing to David because he was in covenant with God who was by far bigger. David’s word and the confidence of his spirit were a ray of hope to the Israelite army. Faith will always expose unbelief, just as light will reveal what is hidden. David’s brother became angry with him and accused him of pride and arrogance. Don’t miss David’s response… it’s so important! The first thing he sad was, “What have I done?” In David’s mind, he was speaking as a child of God should speak. Then David said, “Is there not a cause?” David viewed the defiance of Goliath as much more significant than the natural consequence. What David saw was Goliath insulting God, and David took this personally.

There is a tremendous cause for the Body of Christ to stand up to! The direct attack of the devil and his unbelief must be contested. We must hold fast to our confession and use the God-given faith that we possess to enforce the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

For more information about Jim Hockaday Ministries, please contact:
Jim Hockaday Ministries
P.O. Box 839
Broken Arrow, OK 74013
918-369-7117
https://jimhockaday.com/