The Greatest Faith

Never Stop Fighting


Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons, for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High. So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart.
—Psalm 107:10-14

In 1994, a movie came out titled, “The Shawshank Redemption.” One of the characters was an elderly man named Brooks. He had been in prison most of his adult life and was what some call, “institutionalized.” When, against his will, he was released from confinement, he tried to make it on the outside, but he longed to be back in prison. That is where he was most comfortable for, he had come to love his bondage. He lost the desire to fight for his freedom.

There are many today who, in the spiritual sense, are just like Brooks. Jesus spoke of them. “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). Though freedom from sin could be theirs, they choose to remain enslaved.

But the main character in the film, Andy Dufresne, was not like Brooks. He fought to be free and eventually escaped from the iron bars.

In this Psalm, those who suffered did so because they had rejected God’s commands. “Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction” (Psalm 107:17). They put themselves into prison. But, becoming weary of the cruelty inflicted by the warden (Satan), they cried out to the Lord and he freed them from their chains. “He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction” (Psalm 107:20).

Our flesh wants to continue engaging in the worldly temptations the devil brings our way, but we know sin is destructive and hurts our relationship with our Father, so, we fight. Thankfully, we are not alone in this battle. “I will go before you and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron” (Isaiah 45:2).

Fear, pride, greed, lust, anger… There are enemies (many from within) that will rise up to oppose us in the remaining time we have on this earth. Satan will never stop trying to take us back into captivity. Though we may be wounded from time to time, the important thing is… We Never Stop Fighting!

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them,
for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
—1 John 4:4