Afraid of the Battle
Jeremiah 42:14
“Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell:”
Several years ago I was talking to a friend who had been around fundamentalism for over five decades. We discussed the current atmosphere in fundamentalism and how it seemingly was afraid to fight battles. I said to my friend that I perceived most men were holding their finger to the wind before they decided to take a stand. If they saw that the battle would be hot, they would not fight; whereas in years gone by men didn’t concern themselves with what everyone thought, they just took a stand and fought the battle that came with the stand. My friend who had been under three great leaders in the fundamental Baptist arena wholeheartedly agreed.
One of the men I highly admire from the past is J. Frank Norris. Anyone who has ever studied his life knows that he fought many fierce battles. His stand for the Word of God and It’s truths were very strong. When he went to Heaven, it was said by his contemporaries that they hoped the Baptist’s would finally get along since the source of contention was gone.
Another man who I highly admired and who was my pastor for many years was Dr. Jack Hyles. Bro. Hyles was a man who did not like to fight, he did not look to get into a fight, but he wouldn’t run from a fight. Sadly, when he went to Heaven there were those who said the same thing about him as they said about J. Frank Norris. Neither of these men wanted to fight, but neither were afraid of the battle. They understood that someone had to stand for truth without worrying about the consequences.
God warned the remnant of Israel not to be afraid of the battle. There were some who wanted to compromise and go to Egypt because they didn’t want to fight for truth. Sadly, these people didn’t realize the importance of fighting. There were generations that followed who needed someone to preserve what God had given them.
Friend, I am not saying that we should always look to be in a fight, but I am saying that we should not run from one either. When it comes to truth, you shouldn’t hold your finger to the wind to find out how heated the battle will be. God commands us in Jude 1:3 to “…earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” As a Christian, it is your responsibility to stay focused on truth. If your desire is for peace at any cost, then you will soon find out that there will be no one standing for truth. Oh for the day when we can get some Christians who have backbone and grit to stand for truth no matter the cost. No, the battle is never easy to endure, but someone must fight for truth.
The reason we must stand and fight for truth is because there is another generation who follows. They need to see that there are people who are dedicated enough to give up all for the sake of truth. They need to see that truth is important enough to be willing to lose all so that truth will go forward.
Let me ask you, are you one who avoids battles at all costs? Are you afraid of the battle? I am not saying that you should look to constantly be in a battle, but I am saying that you shouldn’t be afraid to fight the battle if it comes. If you stand for truth, you will have to fight battles. I encourage you to focus more on truth than worrying about the consequences of standing. This is what preserves truth, and this is what will allow the next generation to know what old-fashioned Christianity is all about.