This is why Paul was so embarrassed as he wrote, “Shame on you! Surely there is at least one wise person who can settle a dispute rather than promote in which splits into warring factions that take each other relentlessly back to court.
Running from a problem,
pretending it doesn’t exist, or being afraid to talk about it
is actually cowardice.
Jesus, the Prince of Peace, was
never afraid of conflict.
On occasion he provoked it
for the good of everyone.
Sometimes we need to
avoid conflict, sometimes we need to create it, and
sometimes we need to resolve it. That’s why we must
pray for the Holy Spirit’s continual guidance.
Always giving
in, acting like a doormat, and allowing others to always run
over you is not what Jesus had in mind.
He refused to back down
on many issues, standing his ground in the face of evil opposition.
Discuss the
problem with God.
If you will pray about the conflict first instead
of gossiping to a friend, you will often discover that either God
changes your heart or he changes the other person without your
help.
As David did with his psalms, use prayer to
ventilate vertically. Tell God your frustrations.
Cry out to him. He’s never surprised or upset by
your anger, hurt, insecurity, or any other
emotions. So tell him exactly how you feel.
Most conflict is rooted in unmet needs. Some of these needs
can only be met by God.
When you expect anyone—a friend,
spouse, boss, or family member—to meet a need that only God
can fulfill, you are setting yourself up for disappointment and
bitterness.
No one can meet all of your needs except God.
The apostle James noted that many of our conflicts are caused
by prayerlessness: “What causes fights and quarrels among you? . . .
You want something but don’t get it. . . . You do not have, because
you do not ask God.”
Instead of looking to God, we look to
others to make us happy and then get angry when they fail us.
God says, “Why don’t you come to me first?”
Paul sums it up this
way: “Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind
that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will
do good to those who hear you.”
This doesn’t mean that as body we are to give up on finding those necessary solutions that aide slow learners.
We may
need to continue discussing and even debating—but We do it in
a spirit of harmony.
Reconciliation means We bury the hatchet,
not necessarily the issue.
The same diamond looks different
from different angles.
God expects unity, not uniformity, as we walk arm-in-arm without seeing eye-to-eye on every issue.
Remember that the temptations that come
into your life are no different from what others
experience. And God is faithful.
He will keep
the temptation from becoming so strong
that you can’t stand up against it.
When you are tempted, he will show you
a way out so that you will not give in to it.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT)
There is always a way out.
God has promised
never to allow more on you than he puts within you to handle it
Refocus your attention on something else.
Since temptation always begins
with a thought, the quickest way to
neutralize its allure is to turn your
attention to something else. Don’t
fight the thought, just change the
channel of your mind and get interested in another idea. This is
the first step in defeating temptation.
The battle for sin is won or lost in your mind. David prayed, “Keep me from paying attention to what is
worthless.”
Temptation begins by capturing your attention. What gets
your attention arouses your emotions. Then your emotions
activate your behavior, and you act on what you felt.
The more
you focus on “I don’t want to do this,” the stronger it draws
you into its web.
Ignoring a temptation is far more effective than fighting it.
Once your mind is on something else, the temptation loses its
power.
So when temptation calls you on the phone, don’t argue
with it, just hang up!
Sometimes this means physically leaving a tempting situation.
This is one time it is okay to run away. Get up and turn
off the television set. Walk away from a group that
is gossiping.
To avoid being stung, stay away from
the bees.
Do whatever is necessary to turn your
attention to something else.
Spiritually, your mind is your most vulnerable
organ. To reduce temptation, keep your mind
occupied with God’s Word and other good
thoughts. You defeat bad thoughts by thinking of
something better. This is the principle of replacement. You
overcome evil with good.4 Satan can’t get your attention when
your mind is preoccupied with something else.
If you’re serious about defeating temptation you must manage
your mind and monitor your media intake.
The wisest man who
ever lived warned, “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by
your thoughts.” 8
Don’t allow trash into your mind indiscriminately.
Be selective.
Choose carefully what you think about.
Follow Paul’s
model: “We capture every thought and make it give up and obey
Christ.” 9
This takes a lifetime of practice, but with the help of the
Holy Spirit you can reprogram the way you think.
Authentic, honest
fellowship is the antidote to John Q. Public's lonely struggle against those
sins that won’t budge.
God’s solution is plain: Don’t conceal it; reveal it. Revealing
your feeling is the beginning of healing.
Problems grow in the
dark and become bigger and bigger, but when exposed to the
light of truth, they shrink.
Some problems are too ingrained, too habitual, and too big to
solve on your own.
Resist the Devil. After we have humbled ourselves and
submitted to God, we are then told to defy the Devil.
The rest of
James 4:7 says, “Resist the Devil and he will flee from you.” We
don’t passively resign ourselves to his attacks. We are to fight back.
How can we resist the Devil? Paul tells us, “Put on salvation as
your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God.” 15
The first step is to accept God’s salvation. You won’t be
able to say no to the Devil unless you’ve said yes to Christ.
Without Christ we are defenseless against the Devil, but with “the
helmet of salvation” our minds are protected by God.
Remember
this: If you are a believer, Satan cannot force you to do anything.
He can only suggest.
Second, you must use the Word of God as your weapon
against Satan. Jesus modeled this when he was tempted in the wilderness.
Every time Satan suggested a temptation, Jesus
countered by quoting Scripture. He didn’t argue with Satan. He
didn’t say, “I’m not hungry,” when tempted to use his power to
meet a personal need. He simply quoted Scripture from memory.
We must do the same.
There is power in God’s Word, and Satan
fears it.
Don’t ever try to argue with the Devil. He’s better at arguing
than you are, having had thousands of years to practice. You can’t
bluff Satan with logic or your opinion, but you can use the
weapon that makes him tremble—the truth of God.
This is why
memorizing Scripture is absolutely essential to defeating
temptation. You have quick access to it whenever you’re tempted.
Like Jesus, you have the truth stored in your heart, ready to be
remembered.
If you don’t have any Bible verses memorized, you’ve got
no bullets in your gun!
Challenge yourself to memorize one verse
a week for the rest of your life.
Imagine how much stronger
you’ll be.
Realize your vulnerability.
God
warns us never to get cocky and
overconfident; that is the recipe for
disaster.
Jeremiah said, “The heart is
deceitful above all things and beyond
cure.” 16 That means we are good at
fooling ourselves. Given the right circumstances, any of us are
capable of any sin.
We must never let down our guard and think
we’re beyond temptation.
Don’t carelessly place yourself in tempting situations. Avoid
them.17 Remember that it is easier to stay out of temptation than
to get out of it. The Bible says, “Don’t be so naive and self confident.
You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as
easily as anyone else.
Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless.
Cultivate God-confidence.” 18
Question: "What is the mystery of iniquity?" Answer: The phrase the mystery of iniquity occurs in the KJV of 2 Thessalonians 2:7, “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.” Other translations render the phrase as “the secret power of lawlessness” (NIV) or “the mystery of lawlessness” (ESV and NASB). Before we attempt to interpret the meaning of this phrase, let’s look at the context of the passage in question: Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness (2 Thessalonians 2:1–12, emphasis added).
Paul’s intent in this passage is to correct a false teaching that was being propagated, namely, that the Day of the Lord (the end times’ judgment) had already come and the Christians of Thessalonica had been left behind to endure it. Paul wants to set the record straight about Christ’s return and our gathering together to Him—the rapture. Paul states that the two events that go before the Day of the Lord are the apostasy (or “the rebellion”) and the revelation of the man of lawlessness (the Antichrist). The “mystery of iniquity” that will one day culminate in the appearance of the Antichrist is already at work in the world, but it is being restrained for now so that the world is not as evil as it could be (but will be, once the Restrainer is removed from the world). What is the apostasy? The Greek word apostasia in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 means “departure, falling away, defection, revolt.” This end times’ apostasy is the mass “falling away” of people from God as the world prepares to receive the lawless one who claims to be God (verse 4). It is an unprecedented, worldwide revolt against all things godly, and even many who claim to be Christians will be caught up in it. Another possibility, espoused by a small minority of scholars, is that the “apostasy” is the “departure” of the church from the world, that is, the rapture that Paul alludes to in verse 1 and which he had previously discussed in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18. It is important to note that a pre-trib interpretation does not require equating apostasia with the rapture.
Who is this man of lawlessness? He is a literal person, often referred to as the Antichrist. He will be Satan’s henchman, a pseudo-Christ who will perform miracles, signs, and wonders by the power of Satan and ultimately deceive the world. John wrote that many antichrists will precede the coming of the ultimate Antichrist (1 John 2:18), referred to as “the beast” in Revelation 13:1–10, “the little horn” in Daniel 7:8, and “the king who does as he pleases” in Daniel 11:36. The mystery of iniquity is already at work in the world. The forces that would bring the Antichrist to power are eager to establish his unholy kingdom, but they are currently being restrained (2 Thessalonians 2:6–7). What or who is the Restrainer? Possibilities include the Holy Spirit, the church, human governments, and angels. The Thessalonians knew the identity of the Restrainer, so Paul did not elaborate (verse 6). We believe the best answer is that the Holy Spirit is the Restrainer. The Spirit convicts the world and indwells the church, enabling God’s people to be a limiting influence on the world’s evil. The presence of the Holy Spirit in the world is right now thwarting the revelation of the man of lawlessness. Wickedness gets no traction in seizing global power—but this will change. Upon the departure of the church from this earth (at which time the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence will depart), the mystery of iniquity will have free rein, and the tribulation on earth will begin (Matthew 24).
What exactly is the mystery of iniquity (KJV) or the secret power of lawlessness (NIV) that is being restrained by the Holy Spirit? The word mystery denotes something hidden for a time before God chooses to reveal it. Some “mysteries” revealed in the New Testament include the doctrine of the Gentile church (Romans 16:25–27; Ephesians 3:4–12; Colossians 1:25–27) and the rapture (1 Corinthians 15:51–52).
This particular “mystery” in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 concerns the working of lawlessness in the world, leading to a worldwide rebellion against God. It works in secret right now, but it is working. The revelation of this lawlessness will coincide with the revelation of the Antichrist, mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:8. The man of sin’s rise to power will represent a climax of lawlessness, a satanic movement against the administration of God. This secret, behind-the-scenes movement is as yet restrained but waiting to be revealed.
The mystery of iniquity has been at work for a long time—since Paul’s day—and, when it finally erupts in all its hideousness, the world will be shaken to its core. The Antichrist, who leads the descent into lawlessness, will set a new standard of depravity. The enormity of the acts of moral monsters such as Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Robespierre, and Caligula will pale in comparison to the evil of the Antichrist.
Believers have the privilege of helping restrain the mystery of iniquity even as they look for their blessed hope, the Savior, Jesus Christ. At His second coming, Jesus will reign as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. By the breath of His mouth, He will destroy the works of the enemy. The Antichrist will have “his power . . . taken away and completely destroyed forever” (Daniel 7:26).
Question: "Who is the man of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12?"
The Antichrist is given the title “man of lawlessness” because he will oppose in every way the biblical God and His law. He will be completely lawless.
Daniel 7 speaks of this man as a “boastful” king who will “try to change the set times and the laws” (verses 11 and 25). He will come offering a false peace to the world and will with his charismatic personality, incredible promises, and breathtaking miracles unite all nations politically, economically, and religiously under his leadership.
At the same time, he will make a covenant with Israel for three and one-half years (cf. Daniel 9:27, where “seven” indicates seven years). In the middle of the seven years, the man of lawlessness will break his covenant with Israel, stop their sacrifices (Daniel 9:27), and enter the temple to set himself up as “god” and demand worship (2 Thessalonians 2:4). This is the “abomination that causes desolation” that Jesus spoke of in Mark 13:14.
Satan works through the Antichrist, for Satan himself is not able to become incarnate.
By possessing and controlling the Antichrist, Satan is worshipped in the temple where the biblical God is to be worshipped. No wonder the Antichrist is called the man of lawlessness. To act as “god” is the ultimate rejection of the biblical God’s character and laws.
This action of the Antichrist will cause an upheaval in his worldwide kingdom, and forces from the East will gather to fight against him. But instead of fighting each other, the forces of the world unite to fight the King of kings and Lord of lords, who comes to put down the man of lawlessness and his allies in the great battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16; 19:19). Of course, the man of lawlessness loses that battle. He and his false prophet are then cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20). The Word of God (Revelation 19:13), Jesus Christ, will be the Victor.
A quick observation of the happenings in our world today reveals that lawlessness is on the rise. Such lawlessness will continue and increase (2 Timothy 3:13), and when the man of lawlessness appears on the scene, he will be welcomed with open arms. Those who have rejected the true Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, will fall for the Antichrist’s empty promise of peace. It is vitally important that each of us is sure that we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and are living for Him. “Be on guard! Be alert!
When God puts a public well being need right in front of any session, he is giving all seated the
opportunity to grow in their servant hood.
The
needs of general voter families are expectant to be given preference, not put at
the bottom of their “things to do” list.
The Bible commands:
“Whenever the opportunity, do what is good for
everyone, especially for the family of believers.” 3 under God.
Truth Servants see interruptions as the divine appointment for ministry and an opportunity to practice their servitude.
They don’t fill up their time with other pursuits that could limit their
availability.
They want to be ready to jump into service when
called on.
While knowing your shape is important for serving God,
having the heart of a servant is even more important.
Remember,
God shaped you for service, not for self-centeredness.
Without a
servant’s heart, you will be tempted to misuse your shape for
personal gain.
You will also be tempted to use it as an excuse to
exempt yourself from meeting some needs.
God often tests hearts by asking them to serve in ways not shaped.
If you see a man fall into a ditch, God expects you to
help him out, not say, “I don’t have the gift of mercy or service.”
While one may not be gifted for a particular task, they may be
called to do it if no one gifted at it is around.
Your primary
ministry should be in the area of
your shape, but your secondary
service is wherever you’re needed at
the moment. The Follow Ground and How to Break it Up.
Your shape reveals your ministry,
but your servant’s heart will reveal
your maturity.
How can we know if one has the heart of a servant?
Jesus said, “You can tell
what they are by what they do.” 1
No soldier of God in active truth service entangles themselves in the affairs of everyday life, so that they may please the one who enlisted
him.
True greatness under God always begins with do all the good you can, by all the means you
can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the
times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can then look for all small tasks that no one else wanted to do as if they were great
things, because God is watching. live broadcasts Sunday at 9:10AM and 11:40AM. (All times Central.)
Real servants do every task with equal dedication.
Whatever
they do, servants “do it with all their heart.” 6
The size of the task
is irrelevant. The only issue is, does it need to be done?
The Bible says, “If you think you are too important to help someone
in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody.” 7 It is
in these small services that we grow like Christ.
The
race to be a leader is crowded, but the field is wide open for those
willing to be servants.
Real servants are faithful to
their ministry.
Servants finish their
tasks, fulfill their responsibilities, keep their promises, and
complete their commitments.
They don’t leave a job half undone,
and they don’t quit when they get discouraged.
They are
trustworthy and dependable.
Faithfulness has always been a rare quality.11
Most people don’t
know the meaning of commitment.
They make commitments
casually, then break them for the slightest reason without any
hesitation, remorse, or regret.
Every week, churches and other
organizations must improvise because Politico's didn't prepare or show up in a demur that is highly reflective of I was never truthfully there.
These are the tests that will always conclusively reveal if any candidate Can you be counted on by nations general others?
Self-promotion and servanthood don’t mix.
Real servants don’t
serve for the approval or applause of others. They live for an
audience of One.
As Paul said, “If I were still trying to please men,
I would not be a servant of Christ.” 16
Unfortunately, many leaders today start off to appear as a trusted servant under God but once the celebrity status bug tests one's character in integrity many then forget their first fiduciary duty that requires them to recognize how addictive always being in the spotlight of attention can be as it takes over in which blinds sworn oath'd competence and consciousness toward the general taxpayers well being is always the first order of business behind any day, session, or awaited signature into law.
The most significant service is often the service that is unseen.18
When Jesus is your Master, money serves you, but if
money is your master, you become its slave.
You may hesitate, wondering whether you will
have strength to live for God.
Don’t worry. God will give you
what you need if you will just make the choice to live for him.
The Bible says, “Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has
been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and
intimately, the One who invited us to God.” 22
Right now, God is inviting you to live for his glory by fulfilling
the purposes he made you for.
It’s really the only way to live.
Everything else is just existing.
Real life begins by committing
yourself completely to Jesus Christ.
If you are not sure you have
done this, all you need to do is receive and believe.
The Bible
promises, “To all who received him, to those who believed in his
name, he gave the right to become children of God.” 23 Will you
accept God’s offer?
The Bible says, “Whoever accepts and trusts the
Son gets in on everything, life complete and forever!” 24 Wherever
you are reading this, I invite you to bow your head and quietly
whisper the prayer that will change your eternity: “Jesus, I believe
in you and I receive you.” Go ahead
If you sincerely meant that prayer, congratulations!
Welcome to
the family of God!
You are now ready to discover and start living
God’s purpose for your life.
I urge you to tell someone about it.
Today's Thinking about your Purpose
Point to Ponder: It’s all for him.
Verse to Remember: “For everything comes from God
alone.
Everything lives by his power, and everything is for
his glory.” Romans 11:36 (LB)
Question to Consider: Where in my daily routine can I
become more aware of God’s glory?
You’re going to need support.
Without God, life has no purpose, and without
purpose, life has no meaning.
Without meaning, life has no significance or hope.
By the end of
this journey you will know God’s purpose for your life and will
understand the big picture—how all the pieces of your life fit
together. Having this perspective will reduce your stress, simplify
your decisions, increase your satisfaction, and, most important,
prepare you for eternity.
To fulfill the purposes God made you for,
you will have to challenge conventional wisdom and
replace it with the biblical metaphors of life. The Bible
says, “Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this
world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete
change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the
will of God.” 1
The Bible offers three metaphors that teach us
God’s view of life: Life is a test, life is a trust, and life is
a temporary assignment. These ideas are the foundation of
purpose-driven living.
God continually tests people’s character,
faith, obedience, love, integrity, and loyalty. Words like trials,
temptations, refining, and testing occur more than 200 times in
the Bible.
The unspoken life metaphor influences lives more than one may realize. It determines their expectations, their values, their relationships, their goals, and their priorities.
God constantly watches the general character behind national response toward people, problems, success, conflict, illness,
disappointment, and even the weather! He even watches the
simplest actions such as opening a door for others, when we pick up a piece of trash, or when were polite toward a clerk or
waitress.
Birth right does not know all the tests God
will give, but it can predict
some of them, based on the Bible. It will be tested by major changes, delayed promises, impossible
problems, unanswered prayers, undeserved criticism, and even
senseless tragedies.
In own lives many may begin to notice additionally that God has tested their faith through problems, tested their hope by how they handled possessions, and tested their love through people.
A very important test is how one acts when they can’t feel God’s
presence in their life.
Sometimes God intentionally draws back,
and we don’t sense his closeness.
A king named Hezekiah
experienced this test. The Bible says, “God withdrew from
Hezekiah in order to test him and to see what was really in his
heart.” 2 Hezekiah had enjoyed a close fellowship with God, but at
a crucial point in his life God left him alone to test his character,
to reveal a weakness, and to prepare him for more responsibility.
When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing
is insignificant in your life. Even the smallest incident has
significance for your character development. Every day is an
important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to
deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on
God. Some tests seem overwhelming, while others you don’t even
notice. But all of them have eternal implications,
The good news is that God wants you to pass the tests of life,
so he never allows the tests you face to be greater than the grace
he gives you to handle them. The Bible says, “God keeps
his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested
beyond your power to remain firm; at the time
you are put to the test, he will give you the
strength to endure it, and so provide you with
a way out.” 3
Every time you pass a test, God notices and
makes plans to reward you in eternity. James says,
“Blessed are those who endure when they are tested. When they pass
the test, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to
those who love him.” 4
Our culture says, “If you don’t own it, you won’t take care of
it.” But Christians live by a higher standard: “Because God owns
it, I must take the best care of it that I can.” The Bible says,
“Those who are trusted with something valuable must show they are
worthy of that trust.” 8 Jesus often referred to life as a trust and
told many stories to illustrate this responsibility toward God.
In
the story of the talents,9 a businessman entrusts his wealth to the
care of his servants while he’s away. When he returns, he evaluates
each servant’s responsibility and rewards them accordingly. The
owner says, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been
faithful with a few things; I will put
you in charge of many things. Come
and share your master’s happiness.” 10
Most people fail to realize that money is both a test and a trust
from God. God uses finances to teach us to trust him, and for
many people, money is the greatest test of all. God watches how
we use money to test how trustworthy we are. The Bible says, “If
you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with
the true riches of heaven?” 11
This is a very important truth. God says there is a direct
relationship between how I use my money and the quality of my
spiritual life. How I manage my money (“worldly wealth”)
determines how much God can trust me with spiritual blessings
(“true riches”).
Let me ask you: Is the way you manage your
money preventing God from doing more in your life? Can you be
trusted with spiritual riches?
Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be
demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much,
much more will be asked.” 12 Life is a test and a trust, and the more
God gives you, the more responsible he expects you to be.
Point to Ponder: Life is a test and a trust.
Verse to Remember: “Unless you are faithful in small
matters, you won’t be faithful in large ones.”
Luke 16:10a (NLT)
Never confuse activity with
productivity. You can be busy without a purpose, but what’s the
point? Paul said, “Let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who
want everything God has for us.” 15
