But you, man of God, flee from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith.
1 Timothy 6:12
What are “these things” that Paul is telling Timothy to fight by fleeing? False teachers, who “have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain,” and the love of money.
I fight the good fight of faith by running from one thing, in pursuit of another.
I’m not told to reason with false teachers, or attempt to change their teachings, I must remove myself. Get out of that place and chase godliness. Run away from the love of money and toward righteouness.
Running from these things is not cowardly, it is mandatory. And if fleeing is how I fight the fight of faith, then remaining is how I quit fighting. Remaining will open my faith up to destruction.
Not every battle requires me to stand my ground. Sometimes, fleeing is fighting.
Karla Jo Wasion 