Jude 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.

 Many times when people receive salvation they will assume that’s all to it. I have repented, I’ve given my life to Jesus, now what else is there for me to do? According to the above Scripture, there is more to it than just receiving salvation and believing. The devils believe also, but they don’t serve God nor do they intend to. The Bible instructs us to contend for the faith which was delivered to the saints.

Contend – To struggle as in battle, fight, compete, as in a race, to strive in a debate. To maintain or assert.

Assert – To state or express positively. To defend or maintain, to express oneself boldly or forcefully.

To walk as the saints of old walked in faith, we too must submit ourselves to prayer and fasting and studying the Word of God. It takes more than just giving our hearts to God, we must also give Him our time, our bodies, and whatever else He commands us to do.

Jude admonishes us to contend for the faith. In order to have faith, it comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17 – So faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God). In order for our faith to grow, we must attend some order of services other than on Sunday. We can’t expect to grow spiritually and we never attend Bible Study or time for prayer prior to service.

Sunday service is good, but we need teaching more than we need preaching. Teaching assists the believer to be doers of the Word of God whereas preaching exhort. The exhortation is good, but when you have people confessing to be Christians and their lifestyles are those of the unbelievers; teaching is much needed!

There is more preaching in church than teaching. People love to hear what God will do for them, but they aren’t interested in what we need to do for God as Christians. God expects from us the same way we expect from Him. That’s why He has left His instructions for us to follow, it’s the Bible, His teaching, and His instructions for those of us who confess to being Christians.  To contend for the faith takes fighting on our behalf in order to attend church other than on Sunday.  Satan and our flesh are going to show and tell us everything we need to do besides attending church. We need to be in church, but the church building isn’t what qualifies us as kingdom citizens. There are many people who attend church and as soon as church is dismissed they go and continue the things that are contrary to the Word of God. They attend church because they feel that’s their Christian duty, but they don’t abide by what they hear in the service. Many times bodies are in the pews and the mind is elsewhere.

Too many Christians are asleep, they have no idea they are in a spiritual war because they attend more to the things of the world rather than the things of God. As Christians, we must be sensitive to the Spirit of God and the spirit of Satan. We must know who’s influencing our actions and behaviors. If we’re not familiar with the Word of God, how would one know they are being influenced by Satan?  Satan wants Christians to be spiritually asleep so that he can continue influencing them from the things of God.  If Christians spend more time watching television, Facebook, and Twitter, more than they can take time and pray, and study the Bible they are spiritually asleep. Just as we set aside time to do things that appease our flesh, we need to set aside time to build our spirit with the Word of God. The majority of television programs praise sin and deny the Word of God, but if we’re not reading the Word of God we will not be able to discern what is right and wrong according to God’s law.

We’re being taught a doctrine daily whether we know it or not. Doctrine is basically a thing taught or instructions. Advertisement teaches one to be self-centered, it’s all about me, “what I need, what I should have, what I deserve”. Television program teaches it’s ok for children to disrespect their parent’s authority. It’s ok to participate in un-marital sex, it’s ok to be sexually active with the same gender. It’s glamorous to be a drug pusher. It’s ok to kill thirty people or more because the person is killing the bad guys. It’s ok for me to hate someone because they wronged me. This is corrupting your spirit and this is why so many Christians cannot have an encounter with God because they have placed so many other things before God and deny His doctrine.

It’s not a sin to watch television nor is it a sin to listen to music, but what type of programs and music are you listening to, do it edify your spirit or appease your flesh? If we’re catering more to the flesh than our spirit then the flesh is what’s going to dominate. The flesh doesn’t want to pray or fast. The flesh does not want to read the Word of God, but as Christians, we must press past our fleshly desires and get in tune with God. Just as the military needs men and women, God is in need of men and women to stand in the gap for the unbeliever. Satan is not playing, he is trying to take out as many unbelievers as well as believers as he can. The only way we’re going to survive is through prayer and fasting, keeping ourselves connected to the Spirit of the Living God. God hears our prayers if we take the time to pray. Prayer is calling and petitioning God for others. People are in need of employment, children are in danger of molesters, and women and children are in danger standing on the corners while it’s dark to get to their destination. It’s always something or someone we could be praying for rather than spending our time appeasing our flesh.

Satan is busy, stealing, killing, and destroying while were allowing our Bibles to collect dust, our spirit is being starved because we don’t spend time reading what God is saying to us through His written Word. We aren’t praying enough to be sensitive to the Spirit of God as well as Satan. Knowing when to pray and what to pray for. When to pray and when to demand; the Apostle demanded as well as prayed. The same Spirit that was in the Apostles lives in us. They didn’t have a different Spirit, they knew what they had and used it. The denomination wasn’t a priority, but souls and allowing the Spirit of God to use them to set the captive free!

The Apostles spent time with God in prayer and fasting. If we prayed the way we should, the believer wouldn’t always be on the altar for prayer. There is nothing wrong with going to the altar for prayer, but when the same people are coming for prayer, something is wrong spiritually.  Jesus is on His way back! We need to be in a place with God so that we can pray for others. We need the Spirit of God moving in and through us to bless others and we can only do that through pressing our way to the things of God.

There was a woman in the Bible who had an issue with blood for twelve years. She had gone to many physicians and spent her money without receiving healing. She heard about Jesus and she forgot about the people around and she said to herself, “If I can touch the hem of His garment, I will be made whole”. We must become like the woman with the issue of blood. Forget about what people will think or say about your seeking to touch the hem His of garment for your healing. Healing in your spirit, mind, body, soul and your family. Healing in your finances, healing in your marriage. Healing and deliverance for your neighbor, healing for the land. To receive we must give; give our time in prayer and fasting. Purposing in hearts to be willing and obedient to the Word and the Spirit of God.

 Keep your mind focused on the prize of the high calling that is in Christ Jesus. Forget about the way people may treat you because of your passion for the things of God. People that are not going your way, you need to leave behind, don’t forsake them, but don’t become a part of their in-crowd. Many are professing to be Christians but their lifestyle does not coincide with Scripture. If you’re not rooted in the Word of God you can easily be influenced by thinking there is nothing wrong with their lifestyle and condone it. As professing Christians we should be a light to the unbeliever, we should allow our behavior and character to represent what we stand for.

Seeking for the things of God will cause you to forsake foolishness and foolish people. You don’t have time to listen to he say she say. You don’t have time to point the finger because you have four pointing back at you telling you to step it up a notch with the things of God. Daily we should have a prayer time, daily we should read the Word of God, its God talking to us. If we can’t feel Him or hear Him, take time and read Him!

We need to come forth in the power of God that others may be set free, and the only way we can be used by God and for God, we are His instrument. (Know ye not, that to whom ye yield {present} yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness – Romans 6:14?).