The Good Fight Of Faith by Apostle Joshua Selman: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

2 Corinthians 4:12

The more a believer dies to self, the more life works in others. It is a mystery in the spirit — there is a relationship between death and glory. To die means that Christ is exalted above every other thing in one's life.

Daniel 1:17

Skill is grace that God gives, but a person can engage themselves to gain mastery. Skill is the ability to do what you do in an exceptional and outstanding manner. For as long as a person remains common, fate will determine their destiny.

Foundational Scriptures

Deuteronomy 2:24, Obadiah 1:17, 1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Timothy 4:7

The Foundation of Dominion

There are many mysteries in the kingdom that work in synergy to bring victory to the believer. Prayer is one of the mysteries of dominion. Warfare is another.

The believer will never walk in dominion practically or functionally while ignorant of certain spiritual realities. The knowledge required is structured around three areas:

• The Knowledge of God

  — Revelation 4:10–11

  Excellence in the kingdom depends fundamentally on the depth of a believer's revelation of who God is, who Jesus Christ is, and who the Holy Spirit is. It is important to understand the triune Godhead. To know God as Father, to know Jesus as Savior, Lord, and Christ, to know the Holy Spirit as the custodian of the wisdom and power of God — the one who strengthens the believer to function in dominion.

  Fundamental Doctrines of the Faith Part 2

  Daniel 11:32, John 17:3 — the people that know their God shall be strong and shall do exploits. As a believer, there are things that try to become God in a life: the belly, mammon, and the flesh or self.

  The greatest way to know God is to study his character. Other ways include studying his wisdom, his principles, and his power.

  Dominion is not just a product of principles — it begins with the knowledge of a person. Principles always function unless altered by demonic influence. You can learn principles and not know God. When spirits come to manipulate principles, it takes the knowledge of God to override their operations.

  Attributes of God

  1. God is Spirit — John 4:24, Numbers 23:19

     This means he is not a man. All the limitations that apply to men by reason of wearing a mortal body do not apply to God. One limitation of men is lying — and a lie is not only an untrue statement told to deceive. It is also proposing something you do not have the capacity to make manifest. God as spirit does not carry that limitation.

     This connects to holiness: when we say God is holy, it refers to the measure of his integrity. Holiness is not just sinlessness — purity is derived from holiness, but holiness goes beyond purity. It is the quality of being the same within and without. James 1:17 — God does not change. When God speaks, he can be trusted completely.

  2. God is Light

     There is no deception in him. Darkness cannot stand in his presence. He dwells in unapproachable light, meaning nothing can be hidden from him. Light is defined as that which makes manifest — anything that reveals what is hidden.

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     God is Love — This is the greatest attribute of God. 1 John 4:8–13

     The greatest demonstration of his divinity was not in power but in love: he sent his Son as a propitiation for sins. The proof that a believer truly knows God is that his love flows through them to others.

Why God Created Man

Walking in dominion will remain a useless pursuit for anyone who does not understand why they were created. Understanding the purpose of creation reveals the mandate and how we were designed to function.

Genesis 1:26–28 — God made man in his image and after his likeness, and said let them have dominion. Image refers to the nature and character of God. Likeness refers to functionality — to speak like God, to create like God, to do things as God does.

There are four reasons woven into one statement for the creation of man:

1. Man was created as an extension of God's nature and government upon the earth. The highest revelation of God's nature on earth is man. Not plants, not animals — though all of creation carries something of God. The highest and richest revelation of God on earth is man. To the degree a person allows themselves to be refined, that is the degree to which they look like God to their world. The Bible calls believers living epistles. The fallen man does not give a correct picture of who God is.
2. Man was created to know God. It is in knowing him that relationship becomes possible. John 17:3 — knowing God is life everlasting. There are many things that try to be God in a believer's life: the belly, mammon, and the flesh — all try to be God.
3. Man was created to love him, to worship him.
4. Man was saved to draw others to the saving knowledge of Christ. John 1:6–7 — the mandate is to bear witness of the light, that men through us might believe. That men through your profession, your resources, your preaching, your creativity might believe. The value of any gift — skill, beauty, talent, anointing — is that through the channel of what God has given you, men are caused to believe. To believe in Jesus is the saving knowledge.

The corporate mandate: to be an extension of the image, the life, and the government of Jesus Christ upon the earth — and through the efficiency of witness, to bring many to the saving knowledge of Jesus. Habakkuk 2:14 — the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God.

The Provisions Made Available in Christ

In addition to knowing God and understanding why man was created, a believer must be aware of the provisions and promises available in Christ for a victorious life.

2 Peter 1:3–4 — exceeding great and precious promises have been given to us, that by these we might be partakers of his divine nature.

Ephesians 1:3 — God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.

In Christ is the passcode for access. Wisdom is in Christ. Favor is in Christ. Authority is in Christ. Outside of Christ, there is no access. It is his righteousness a believer has. It is of his fullness that we have received.

God equipped believers to walk in dominion in three ways:

1. Access to superior knowledge — through the word. A believer is equipped to the degree they have superior knowledge.
2. Access to the person of the Holy Spirit — alongside the divine resources that come with his presence: wisdom, power, favor, grace in all its definition.
3. Access to the promises of God — promises that commit him to step in over lives. Leviticus 9:6 — obey what the Lord commands, and his glory shall appear. One must know his ways and how to activate the ancient paths that lead to the place of power.

If a life fails to manifest dominion today — spiritually, financially, in influence, in health — the problem is not the integrity of God. God is holy. God is righteous. God is faithful and true. The reason is a failure to know the provisions made available in Christ, or ignorance of how to activate them. If a believer does not know how to access wisdom, they can be in Christ and their life will not work. If a believer does not know how to activate favor, they can be in Christ and their life will not work.

The Activation Protocol: Why the Fight of Faith Is Necessary

Knowing the provisions available in Christ is wonderful but not sufficient to produce victory. What is required is understanding the administration and the activation protocol for the promises to work.

Consider: someone deposits a large sum into your account. Knowing it is there is wonderful. Holding the ATM card is valuable. But if you do not know how to slot the card, how to punch the correct numbers — the card gets swallowed. The problem is not the integrity of the sender. The balance is still there. The problem is ignorance in front of the machine. Many believers stand with their access — their salvation, their inheritance in Christ — and do not know how to operate the withdrawal system. Psalm 82:5 — they know not, neither do they understand; they walk on in darkness.

Knowing what God has given is not enough. A believer must understand how dominion is administered and activated.

The activation protocol — the fight of faith — is how realities that are finished in Christ become functional realities in a life here and now. Just because something is finished in Christ does not guarantee it will manifest. There are believers who, by the time they die and meet Jesus, will weep — not because they missed their eternal destiny, but because they failed to maximize the fullness of the riches of Christ. When victory is not accessed, God's program suffers on earth.

Defining the Good Fight of Faith

1 Timothy 6:12 — Paul spoke to Timothy encouraging him to fight the good fight of faith. Contextually, the fight referenced the labor to preserve sound doctrine — the battle against false doctrine. But it extends also to mean the fight that brings every spiritual resource God has made available to the believer into manifest experience. 2 Timothy 4:7 — Paul declared at the end that he had fought the good fight, finished his course, and kept the faith.

The word good fight immediately implies there are bad fights.

A bad fight is:

• Any contention that does not lead to the revelation of God's glory
• Any fight that does not lead to the fulfillment of destiny
• Any fight that does not make the world a better place
• Any fight motivated by selfishness, flesh, or the influence of evil spirits

A good fight is:

• Any contention that leads to the revelation of Jesus Christ and the glorification of the same
• Any contention that leads to the growth of the believer and causes the life of God to be made manifest in greater dimensions

Many believers have been involved in bad fights — fights that deplete spiritual, intellectual, emotional, and physical energy with no reward. Before David fought Goliath, he first confirmed what would be given to the man who brought him down. He fought knowing the rewards were defined. Precision in warfare matters. The weapons of a believer's warfare must not be wasted on battles that yield nothing.

The good fight of faith refers to the contentions and the overall spiritual process that leads to establishing and manifesting the victory that is in Christ as a functional, present-day reality in the life of the believer.

The fight of faith is necessary for two reasons:

1. Realities that are finished in Christ do not automatically manifest in the life of the believer. There is the legal side of redemption and the vital side. The legal side refers to realities that are finished in Christ. The vital side refers to the dynamics of making those realities manifest. Healing is finished in Christ but may not yet be finished in a body. Salvation has been finished in Christ, but people are still going to hell today — because salvation that is finished in Christ is not imputed automatically. It is at the instance of declaring the lordship of Christ that it becomes a reality. If someone rises from a wheelchair today, the day of rising is not the day the healing was purchased — the healing was purchased more than 2,000 years ago. That is the day the legal became vital. Every pharmacy already has the cure for a disease. But the cure in the pharmacy does no good until it is administered.
2. Satan is a stubborn and rebellious spirit. Satan is more aware than most believers of what Jesus did on the cross — he was the principal victim of it. He was utterly defeated. The keys were collected from him. He knows the scripture on healing. He knows the scripture on the seed of the righteous. He knows the scripture on the blessings of the work of a believer's hands. But Satan is Antichrist — always against the program of God. He does not fight from ignorance. He fights because he is a rebellious spirit. The fight of faith is not adding to what Jesus has done. It is making a withdrawal from the account where the deposit has been made. The fight of faith is in partnership with the awareness of what Christ has done, to make good in reality what he has already done.

The Six Dimensions of the Fight of Faith

1. The Contention for Accuracy of Thoughts, Ideas, and Belief Systems

   — 2 Corinthians 10:4–5

   The weapons of a believer's warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds — casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

   The journey of transformation is real warfare — because the fight is against ancient thoughts, some of which were transferred from generation to generation.

   A stronghold is a belief system, a mindset that has demons guarding it to keep the victim perpetually thinking in a destructive pattern. That is why counseling alone cannot dislodge a stronghold. A person who has spent years in pornography has more than a habit — there is an image installed, a program running. Satan waits for biological seasons in human life and then triggers it. It will take more than advice. It takes warfare.

   Satan sends a mindset before he sends an attack. When the mindset is received, that is the virus that officially introduces him into a life. You can bind every demon in the world and Satan will walk away rejoicing — knowing his software is still running. The real warfare is the warfare of replacing thoughts, replacing ideas, replacing belief systems with the word of God.

   Bible study is warfare. It is not merely education — it is replacement. Every time the word is engaged, old Antichrist, anti-destiny, anti-greatness ideas are being evicted. Philippians 2:5 — the mind of Christ is what must be cultivated. Victory is a mindset before it is an achievement. Defeat is a mindset. A loser's mentality cannot produce a victor's destiny. The mindset to rise up and walk is what makes the prophecy to rise up and walk happen.

   Transformation is not the deletion of the mind — a deleted mind cannot function. What God does is an editing of files: files of hatred, wickedness, irresponsibility, prayerlessness, wrong confessions, entitlement mentality. The more a person has been refined through the word, the more clearly they reflect God to their world.

   Note: When transformation is referenced, it is not westernization — thinking like an American or a European is not the goal if the thought is still antichrist. Transformation means word-compliancy of thoughts, not merely technological or cultural advancement.

2. The Labor of Establishing Spiritual Realities Through Words in Prayer

   — Matthew 12:37, Isaiah 43:26, Isaiah 41:21

   Matthew 12:37 — words justify or condemn. You cannot separate dominion from words.

   Isaiah 43:26 — to declare in prayer is to be justified. When a believer takes their eyes away from present circumstances and begins to speak words of faith, that is using words in the place of prayer to establish spiritual reality.

   Isaiah 41:21 — produce your cause, bring forth your strong reasons. Why should witchcraft stop working in a family? Declare it in prayer — not as an argument, but as a faith declaration. Because the price has been paid.

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   Things will not change because you want them to change. Things change because you pray them to change. Ministry is not grown through complaints about tribe or location. It grows when a believer knows that territorial spirits fight the destiny of men, and engages in prayer: "The works of my hands are blessed. The vision cannot die."

   Words are the instruments of establishment. For as long as a believer lives, their mouth must not be silent over their destiny. The labor of establishing spiritual realities through words in prayer — this is the second dimension of the fight of faith.

   Father, in the name of Jesus, what my father could not do, what my mother could not do, because I am alive, they will be beneficiaries of the grace of God upon my life. The spirit of untimely death that has operated in my lineage — I rise as a savior against it. With long life shall you satisfy me and show me your salvation. I decree and declare: that spirit has no power over my life, in the name of Jesus.

3. The Labor and Contention to Walk Consistently in Obedience

   — Isaiah 1:19

   Obedience does not need a visa. It can draw good from anywhere and bring it. A believer can obey God in one city and the reward will come from another country — no human can stop it from coming because it gravitates from the place of prophecy.

   If you have never faced the pain of obedience, you have not obeyed God truly. Obedience is costly. Obedience is painful. It is warfare. There are times obedience leads to loneliness. Times it makes a person controversial. Times it looks foolish. Abraham was asked to carry Isaac with no explanation given. Obedience sometimes has immediate human consequences. But the profit of obedience cannot be quantified.

   2 Corinthians 10:6 — having the readiness to judge all disobedience when obedience is complete. Jesus used obedience to judge disobedience. The rebellion of Satan was not judged by Jesus's rebellion. He took obedience even unto death. There is no dominion for the disobedient. The word Lord means absolute master. There is a direct relationship between the consistency of obedience and dominion.

   The forms of obedience required in the fight of faith:

   • The obedience of prayer
   • The obedience of fasting
   • The obedience of learning
   • The obedience of giving
   • The obedience of honor
   • The obedience of compliance
   • The obedience of sacrifice
   • The obedience of surrender
   • The obedience of alignment

   Obedience may not produce immediate results. There are advanced agricultural systems today where precision timing can yield a harvest in 21 days. But one thing that cannot always be removed is the time factor. Plant, trust God, water with thanksgiving, and wait for the season.

4. Contending Against Demonic Spirits and Satanic Infrastructures

   — James 4:7, Ephesians 6:12

   Spirits are real. James 4:7 — resist the devil; there is a spirit called the devil. Ephesians 6:12 — the wrestle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness. These are different cadres in a demonic satanic hierarchy. Satan has an organized demonic infrastructure — the Bible calls it the gates of hell. A legion — ten thousand demons — can occupy the destiny and life of one man.

   The believer who ignores the reality and presence of Satan does not need to live in fear or near-worship of Satan. But walking in ignorance may cost a destiny. Satan is real — as an evil spirit, a rebellious spirit, an unclean spirit. Jesus himself acknowledged the presence of Satan and warned of an intelligent demonic infrastructure that is antichrist in its formation, with a singular goal: to thwart everything destiny, everything Christ, everything dominion.

   John 10:10 — the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. Nothing friendly in that mission. The people who carry out wickedness in the world are not Satan themselves — they are simply being manipulated. If Satan can slaughter an innocent child, he will not spare a destiny out of mercy. He will kill a reputation. He will kill a testimony. He will fight finances and convictions.

   John the Baptist — anointed from his mother's womb, the one who ordained Jesus to ministry — was brought low by Satan through a door of offense. He became John the unfortunate and was beheaded. The lesson: do not fear Satan, but do not take him for granted. He is a vicious, determined spirit.

   The fight of faith at this level means establishing the finished work of Christ over demonic arsenals — binding them, casting them, declaring that they are limited in their entrance to a life and destiny.

   By the power that raised Christ from the dead — anywhere Satan has gained ground, we cast him far from your life, far from your family, far from your business, far from your ministry, far from your body in the name of Jesus Christ.

5. The Patience and Persistence of Faith

   — Hebrews 6:12, 15, Romans 8:25

   Hebrews 6:12, 15 — those who through faith and patience inherit the promises; after Abraham patiently endured, he obtained the promise. It is always faith and patience together. Romans 8:25 — if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it with patience.

   Fighting does not always mean motion. Fighting also means stamina — the staying power, waiting in hope until the promise manifests, until destiny emerges.

   The difference between waiting in faith and waiting unto vanity is this: waiting in faith is based on what God has said. Waiting without the word backing it is waiting that will lead to disappointment. When God speaks, the posture is one of appointed waiting — standing on the word until change comes.

   Impatience will always give birth to the child that fights your promise. Every time you cannot wait for Isaac, impatience will make you give birth to Ishmael. And Ishmael and Isaac will remain in contention forever.

   People join bad associations because they are trying to hurry seasons. Every time a green mango is stoned off a tree before its time, the result is a mango that is bitter and hard — and the trouble of breaking someone's glass in the attempt to get it. Some of those things being fought for through impatience will, in their due season, arrive on their own.

   The waiting period is often when God is silent. But his silence is a voice. His silence means: trust me. I am working away for you. I am carrying you until you get into the season of your manifestation. And by the time the wait is over, it is God himself who opens the door — ushering you into the next season with dignity. There will be nothing to explain or defend, because the one who brought you in is God.

   James 1:3–4 — the trying of faith works patience; let patience have her perfect work that the believer may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing. Patience births maturity. What to do while waiting:

   • Keep praying
   • Keep giving thanks
   • Be a learner — use hindsight from those ahead of you, study their mistakes so you do not repeat them
   • Sow into the lives of those who have entered the season you are coming into

6. The Wisdom to Navigate the Complexities of the World of Men

   The fight of faith is not only contending against spirits or resisting inferior thoughts. It also involves the wisdom to navigate the complexities that exist in the world of men.

   It is possible to win the war against spirits, to win the war against inferior thoughts, and still be a victim — because you lack the wisdom to navigate the world of men. Principles like the law of honor, people skills, friendliness, and the law of value are warfare arsenals. They help a believer survive and advance in today's world.

   There are battles with men that must be avoided — because some battles, if fought, will be lost regardless of anointing. There are men who are gatekeepers — they may not be born again, but they are Cyruses. Avoiding a battle with them is not weakness; it is wisdom. There are battles that if entered, it will take great-grandchildren still fighting what was started because the entry cost a life.

   There are some battles that would not have started if a person had the humility to say, "I am sorry." "I am sorry" is not always from the one who is wrong to the one who is right. Sometimes it is from the one who is wise, as a way of brokering peace. Some battles should never be fought. God does not send everyone into every confrontation.

   David would not fight Saul — even though the anointing had left Saul and rested on David. Even though everyone pressured him to. David still called Saul God's anointed. There are battles that cost a life and the victory never comes regardless.

   When Paul stood before Agrippa, it was by wisdom that he navigated the discussion of the gospel. He opened by honoring Agrippa's intelligence — a genuine celebration before the request. Agrippa was left almost converted. The wisdom to walk with men is part of the fight of faith.

   There are men who are very difficult but very gifted, and their endorsement can open a ten-year door in one day. The key is knowing how to navigate through their emotional limitations until the treasure is received. There are men who are very confident and mature — they must not be taken for granted. The world of men is complex, and navigating it with wisdom is part of possessing your possession.

   It takes vision to start. It takes discipline to continue. But it takes the mercy of God to finish.

Summary: What the Fight of Faith Requires

When Paul said, "I have fought the good fight," this is what he meant: he had taken advantage of the word of God from his days as a scribe — hiding it in his heart and mind. He had engaged in prayer, establishing spiritual realities. He had paid the price to walk in obedience. He had fought the beasts of Ephesus and kept them at bay. He had stayed in prisons under unfavorable conditions until things changed. And finally, he had received the wisdom to walk with men.

Without these six dimensions, there is no possessing your possession. These are the elements that turn what is finished in Christ into a functional, manifest reality in a life.

The land has been given. But a believer must arise, contend, and possess what is theirs. The difference between a prophetic word that never manifests and one that becomes a functional reality is simply this: a good warfare was fought with the prophecy. As Paul told Timothy — 1 Timothy 1:18 — war a good warfare.

Prayer of Engagement