Faithful. Focused. Fighter.

Every year from Christmas day to New Year’s Day, my extended family goes down to vacation in Sanibel Island, Florida.  We have a family tradition that on New Year’s Eve, everyone shares their theme for this upcoming year, and recaps their theme of the past year while sitting on the beach.  So as December arrives and the end of the year and the semester are only a few weeks away, I’ve been spending some time reflecting on 2011 and my theme.

My theme for this past year was “Faithful. Focused. Fighter.”  I wanted to be a Faithful disciple, Focused on Christ, and a Fighter of sin and temptation.  Well, to be completely honest, I have not been any of these things with any sort of consistency.  As Ezekiel 16 tells me, I’m not faithful to God.  But He is faithful to me.  My focus fluctuates.  Christ’s focus every second of His life on earth was focused on being obedient to the Father.  I still sin, and fall into my sinful flesh and sinful desires.  Christ has fought, and finished the fight with sin.  It’s finished.  It’s over. 

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

“For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.  The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.” Romans 6:9-10

I am not a Faithful Focused Fighter.  But Christ was, is, and will continue to be.  Abide in this Truth.

“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”  Exodus 14:14