1st Timothy 1:18. “This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare:.” THIS CHARGE. This is not some light or subtle suggestion – This is a charge! This is not something to be taken or dropped at leisure – This is a charge! This is not something you can change to make it more palatable This is a charge! This is not something that is awaiting your decision –
This is a charge! This is not something that can be put off for any reason – This is a charge! This is not able to pass on to a more convenient season – This is a charge! This is not a collection of words to be interpreted – This is a charge! This is not a collection of simple words for children – This is a charge! This is not something for you to discriminate about – This is a charge! This is not some simple human edict – This is a charge! This is not something you can expect others to do – This is a charge!
So, stand up like a man and defend the faith! Go forward! Do not retreat! Do not wait any longer! The world hates it! Religions ignore it! Christians forget it! The enemy pursues it! You defend it! HOLD THE FAITH!
“May I never forget heavenly Father, the urgency of the work Thou hast called me to do. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”
Those who lead us need our support when they face difficult problems. When we know the Lord has qualified a person for His work, and is able and willing to do the work to which he or she is called, we know there is divine authority behind them. The work of the Lord is not an easy work, because we "wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers; against spiritual wickedness in high places." This work is referred to as warfare. Timothy was in Ephesus to "wage a good warfare" by divine authority in fellowship with the Lord and His servant, Paul. We who are at a distance from a work in which others are engaged, can only understand a little of what they are going through from day to day. This warfare is a lifetime work, and those involved need our prayers, fellowship, and financial support to keep pressing forward in the pressures, difficulties, and disappointments in the work.
A good conscience and faith go together. To maintain a good conscience means to keep as a treasure our faith in Christ and do what we know is right, in view of God's will now and His blessing in the future. When we exercise faith with a good conscience, we are conscious of God working through us to bring benefit to others. If we ignore our conscience, there is a tendency to harden our hearts, and after a while, we will not know the difference between what is right and what is wrong. God speaks to us through our conscience, as well as through His word, to give us the standards of righteousness by which we live. Our conscience remains clear when we do what is right.