UNDERSTANDING CONTENDING

Scripture:
“Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”
‭‭Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Devotional:
Have you ever found yourself going back and forth with someone about God? His word, His laws, or just who He is? I remember having this friend and every time she would talk to someone about God it would turn into a debate and I would listen or get involved as a mediator, but the point I’m making is that she just wanted to be right. It was very combative, didn’t really come from a place of love and humility. It was more so self gratifying that she knew more than the other person and just wanted to prove it to them. When we contend for our faith, most people think that it means to defend the faith. God needs no one to defend him. Contending for our faith is more about earnestly seeking the Lord and dying to ourselves daily. It’s about understanding the common struggle that we all have within us, but being conscious enough to still choose our faith and Him. Earnestly dying to ourselves and selfish desires daily by putting aside what you want to do and making a daily effort to follow Him. Earnestly putting our trust in the One that is able to remove every fowl thing that we have said, thought, and did. It’s about having a desire for Him and not ourselves. What the enemy would have us all to do is to completely misconstrue that with fighting others about the faith that we have in God to make it as if it’s a competition about who knows what more. The problem with that is how vain that is and self gratifying that is to prove to someone else that “I know more than you”. And with this mindset, how could we ever ever edify the body of Christ if we’re constantly just trying to prove to one another that we know more than one another and making it more of a competition. The biggest struggle is ourselves, not anyone else, and Jude is exclaiming to us how important it is to deal with the struggle within by contending.  

Reflection:
How are you contending for the faith? What struggles internally are keeping you from giving God your earnest zeal to want to contend for the faith?

Prayer: 
Dear Heavenly Father I ask that You would show me the struggles I have on a daily bases and teach me to put You over any struggle I have. I trust and give them over to You and ask that You help me be able to make a decision that reflects Your will and righteousness for my life, daily. Thank you in advance for showing me and thank You for covering me in the season I didn’t know but now that I do I want what You want for me. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.