Jude 1:3-4, “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. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

…And much of the time the fight is against those that are closest to us!

The theme of the book of Jude is exortation to constancy. By definition, constancy is the quality of being faithful and dependable.

Jude’s goal was to warn the church against immoral teachers an alarming heresies which were endangering the faith of believers.

Judes speaks of:

– Common salvation – free to all

– Earnestly contend for the faith – to be a continuing struggle. Why? Because the enemy snuck in the church without being detected. An enemy that has already been condemned. Who? Ungodly men who has turned (or tries to turn) the grace of God into lasciviousness (by definition is filled with or showing sexual desire; lewd, lustful).

The Fight Begins…

Earnestly is to be with sincere and intense conviction. Contend is to struggle to surmont. We are to fight for this faith! The bible we are all dealt a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). Our goal is to cultivate and grow our faith in the midest of forces, all around us, whose goal is to attack our faith. To render our faith ineffective.

But we must know what the word says. We must believe it and stand upon it. The word of God is our only weapon. It is strong enough to defeat the enemy. We have the shield of our faith as the focal point of our armour. It is mobile, it can move where is it needed to block ALL the firey arrows of the enemy’s attacks. See Ephesians 6:11-18.

The word of God and our faith must work together. Our faith grows by hearing the word. Our faith is made strong when it is exercised. The more we stand upon the word of God by faith, we are exercising our faith. The more our faith is used, the stronger it gets. We grow from faith to faith. We start with little faith, but we are instructed to exercise it so it becomes great faith.

However, those agents of our enemy, who have infiltrated the church, have become experts in deceiving the believer. If we are not careful, we can become a casualty in this war. They sow just enough truth to their lies, that if we are not careful, we can fall victim to them. This is seen all the time in various way. Have you ever hear someone tell you it is “okay” to do the very thing you know is against God’s law? Or it is okay to find yourself in places that are sources of temptations for you? Or it is okay to taste a little of this or do a little of that – when you know that they only serve to make you spiritually weak?

It is a constant battle. A fight that we must win.

We have to guard ourself against these attacks. Jude warned and encouraged us to constancy. To be faithful and dependable. We must be a student of the word of God, to get an understanding of this common salvation. We must know the word for ourselves so we can separate the lies from the truth. It is an ongoing battle. But it is also a battle we are built to win.

We have to fight on every side. We have to fight loved ones, family, friends, even society. Because, at times, they are all bombarding us with halftruths and outright lies. Not all are malicious, but they are lies just the same. Sometimes those closest to us are being used by the enemy just to attack our faith. So we must fight by faith and with our faith.

Ephesians 6:12 tells us who we are fighting. Not flesh and blood, but the spirit that are influencing them. So our fight is not with the person, but that spirit. Our fight is not a physical one. It is a spiritual battle that is won in prayer, praise and worship. We must rebuke the enemy, we must bind the spirit and loose God’s anointing and will (Matthew 18:18).

So I encourage to continue to fight the good fight of faith (1Timothy 6:12). You may fall down, but dont stay there. Get back up and dust yourself off. Then get back into the fight. You will be victorious.

Have a blessed night.