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| Do not dismiss God! |
2 Timothy 3: 10 But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of
life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, love , perseverance, 11 persecutions, afflictions,
which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra----what persecutions I
endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12 Yes, & all
who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and imposters will grow worse
& worse, deceiving & being deceived. 14 But you must continue in the
things which you have learned & been assured of, knowing from whom you
have learned them, 15 & that from
childhood, you have known the Holy
Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for
salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God & is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for
every good work.
Paul who wrote inspired by the Holy Spirit was a man who was intercepted by Jesus, his
doctrine was from Jesus, his faith was in God, and his long-suffering with those who opposed
him and God’s divine love to continue preaching no matter the cost…is exactly what he did.
Will that be said of you and me? Have we done or are we really doing the will of God for our lives? Or are we trying to change what God has given thousands of years ago to direct us in this day and this hour?
2 Timothy 4:1-8 NKJV I charge you therefore
before God & the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living & the
dead at His appearing and His kingdom. 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season & out of season. Convince,
rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and teaching. 3 For the time
will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own
desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap for themselves
teachers; 4 & they will turn aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all
things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your
ministry.
You and I are to be ready in season and out of season: be
ready as the servant of Christ Jesus…fortified in faith… a trust in Him to convince: that is to prove or
refute…by the Scriptures and to rebuke what is false! We are to
stay in the true of what God has given us!
We are to exhort or encourage sinners to believe & believers or
saints to continue their ‘faith walk’
We are to be long-suffering and teaching others. For verse 3 tells us that there will be those who will turn from the doctrine: people will give a show
of their distaste for God’s word in His holy Scriptures. They will willfully turn away from those teachings: they will desire the comfortable and desire to hear the very pleasing “doctrines”.
Yes, Paul wrote that there will be those who were once infused with God's word now choosing to be infused with fables for a wretched reward! Again:
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration
of God & is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete,
thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Divine Inspiration is God speaking to us, and it is given to
enlighten us, to inspire us and strengthen us. He speaks
life into our hearts when we find the darkest days! ………This does not
come from human intellect or human inspiration but is God breathed into us each
time we choose to read the Holy Bible and each time we choose to mediate on it.
If we spend out time trying to change what God has given us, then we will miss the day and hour that we are to give God's truth to others. Those obeying His commands will go…will
continue to live and they will have lives that reveal fruit of His kingdom that has come. Those lives reveal that we are
one with Him….abiding in His truth, preaching& teaching in the favorable
& the unfavorable times which should be like we saw in the life of the apostle Paul!
Proverbs
3:3-8 tells us to not let mercy and truth forsake us. We are to bind them around our neck, and write them on the tablet of our heart, so that we find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man. We are to trust in the Lord with all our heart and to lean not on our own understanding. ( In all our ways) we are to acknowledge God and it is He who shall direct our paths by His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will be there with those answers to the things that concern us in our life at this moment, with our spouse, our marriage, children or the lack of them, and yes that job! You and I are not to be wise in our own eyes, but to fear the Lord and depart from evil, for we are told that when we do, health is there for our flesh and for our bones as well.
If we dismiss God and write out own ideas of life for us, we will end up in a whole world of hurt! Paul never dismissed God from his life once he had turned it completely over to HIM!
When he ministered truth, that message always included the truth that conversion was from darkness to light! And that is seen when we repent and turn to Jesus.
In that conversion we are turned from the power of Satan to God that yes, involves forgiveness from sins, and a life that is lived in sanctification. (Acts 26:18) Our part is knowing we need a Savior and to receive that ONE who died for us on the cross. It is Christ who suffered and rose from the dead. (Acts 26:23)
You and I have not gone to the cross to die for man-kind, nor would I expect us to do that at any time, but the Son of God was sent and became that precious sacrifice that we might live for God in that which we saw the apostle Paul live out for Him. Paul did not rewrite or edit anything "out" of what God had already given to them through His word.
And certainly Paul gave us his testimony about when Jesus met him on the Damascus Road. What an event that was indeed! Did Paul think he needed to be relevant for that day in which he lived? I believe what his life spelled out was, that to be effective in the body of Christ, we must be willing to preach and teach the cross, the blood that was shed for us and that repentance is required because of that great sacrifice!
We must not edit out that which teaches of Christ Jesus in the Old Testament nor remove those verses that speak of that blood shed for us in the New Testament. And yet there out there today biblical translations which have done just that!
Do you remember what Paul spoke from those thousands of years ago for us to read today? "Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel ". This is found in 1 Corinthians 9:16. What about what he said in 1 Corinthians 2:2: "I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Have we not seen those today who have set their hearts on anything and everything outside of Christ Jesus? Those lusts are the very ones that the apostle Paul spoke about. Those desire tolerances for their evil ways and deeds. You can even hear : "It is not really sin!" Really???
For certain, that apostolic priority is required today when dealing with those who will not repent but only want to continue in their walk that is one that ridicules the very demonstration of the Spirit and the power of God. For the very demonstration of the Spirit and power is for validating the glory of almighty God and not for any "show or sensationalism".
In being sanctified, that set apart for the Lord, we are declared His complete property. In that we are not guilty of any past record we have done. We are designated as new! So why would you or I want to change what God has given us. Our very source of power for living godly remains in the cross and in the power of the Holy Spirit. The only motive for our godliness continues to be that of love and our goal to magnify our God.
The only way we live life fully is not by hearing just what we want to hear, but to rely fully on the Lord's wisdom. By the Holy Spirit you and I discern that which is the way of God. It is agreeing with God, acknowledging that we were sinners saved by grace and now cleansed as the chaste bride of Christ. In this: you and I are signs and wonders to the glorious grace through the Gospel that demonstrates the power of God.
May we as Paul the apostle, have the confidence in the Lord, that He is our sufficiency and by the Holy Spirit we are empowered for life and ministry in the reality of the new covenant. Let us not drift away from this which has been provided to us that is rich with His love, health, and joy that we might give to others that very thing that has truly set the captives free! Amen.
New teaching at: Voice of Prayer
What is the Terror of the Lord?
Also visit my You Tube channel Voice of Prayer for more teaching
New teaching at: Life Giving Wells
To All Who Would Listen
Also visit Life Giving Wells You Tube Channel for more teaching
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