Scripture:
II Timothy 1:3-7 NKJV
[3] I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, [4] greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, [5] when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. [6] Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. [7] For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Observation:
I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about faith, and what that honestly looks like. The more I thought about it the more I realized it was something that I needed to dive into. It was hard to get back to sleep, and so as my alarm went off, it was easy to push snooze, which probably wasn’t a good idea. Now as my time is limited, the one thing I don’t want to do is rush this SOAP process. But knowing my time is even more limited than usual, it’s time to dive in. As Paul begins his second letter to a young pastor named Timothy, his desire was to encourage faith in him. Looking at the way Paul begins his approach says so much about faith without using the word that it can’t be ignored. His gratitude and unceasing prayer for Timothy shows faith in what he believes Timothy has been called to and knowing that the young man was in the right position. This letter was written to encourage Timothy to stay strong in the faith through hard times as he spoke against false teachers. Looking at verse 4 we can see Paul’s desire for Timothy is that he be mindful that the tears he is crying are not without purpose. I believe that what Paul is saying is that the tears and heartfelt prayers will not go unnoticed by the LORD. He had seen the genuine faith of not only Timothy’s grandmother but his mother asked well. Paul knew how and what Timothy had been taught, now encouraging him to put those things into action was the goal. Look at the end of verse 5, it’s a statement of faith. Paul states that he is persuaded that Timothy has the same faith that his mother and grandmother have. As he encourages Timothy to put this faith into action, he wastes no time in telling Timothy that it’s something that is going to have to grow, telling him to stir up this gift. But what does that mean, and how is that done? It was a gift that was given through the laying on of hands. The answer is given in the last verse we are looking at this morning, fear and faith can not occupy the same space at the same time. Knowing who the LORD is and the characteristics that HE would give are important. First and foremost I think it’s important to know exactly what is about to happen in Paul’s life as he writes this letter. He knows the end of his life is shortly around the corner. They are about to decapitate him, and he is totally aware of it. So his desire to write Timothy at all is a true act of faith. He knew the gospel had to push forward, and Timothy was a big part of that. Writing this letter shows a lack of fear. He knew that that it wasn’t the end, he had seen the risen LORD. Fear could not be a part of moving forward in confidence. Faith is confidence in what the LORD has said, and approaching every situation with fearless expectations of GOD to do exactly what HE said.
Application:
Satan is a bully, he likes to convince us that he has some kind of power that he really doesn’t have. If he can get us to second guess what the word says, then fear and over thinking will keep us from moving forward. But as I look at what the Bible says…. What I see is that GOD always gives us something that we can do naturally to push past the fear. You see fear is a major tactic of the enemy, because it does one of two things. It will either paralyze you or motivate you. The issue is if it paralyzes you, you won’t move forward and if it motivates you the odds are it’s to run from the situation. Faith stands in confidence knowing that GOD is not a liar. HE will do what HIS word says. Now here is the thing. The enemy is going to put everything he can in your path to make you think that what has been said in the bible is not true. Pushing past what it looks like into what it actually is will not be done by cowards. Thinking about the statement in the book of Joshua chapter 1 we can see that he was being encouraged to be strong and courageous. Faith has courage that most people don’t understand. It rests on what has been said in GOD’S word. It does not turn away from it. Fear is a spirit, faith is a gift. It’s a seed that we plant. The more we act in faith the more our faith will grow. I remember several months ago as I wrote, a lot of what I wrote about was faith, and satisfaction. GOD is growing us into who HE has called us to be, but HE can’t do that if we do not trust in what HE has said. One act of faith set everything we read in the Bible into motion. One man making a decision to do something that probably didn’t make sense. He packed up his family and moved to an unknown location. Just like Noah building a boat in the middle of the desert, we have no idea what that act of faith is going to do. But we have to rest on and act on what we have been told in GOD’S living word. Let me ask you a question, do you truly believe what GOD’S word says? If so, doing what it says should be easy… but I know the truth. You will have to push past what the enemy is doing his best to convince you won’t happen. If GOD said it you have to push everything else aside, keeping your eyes fixed on who HE is, the enemy wants you to believe HE has left or that it’s not true but who are you going to believe, GOD’S word or your lying eyes. You can’t trust what you see. If those whom GOD used in a mighty way trusted what they saw, we would not be where we are today. Faith has forged a path though the sea, it has knocked down walls, and held time still, it has killed giants with one stone, but without the confidence it takes to step forward in the face of what looks impossible…. Nothing happens. Stop letting the enemy bully you.
Prayer:
Father, we just want to thank you for the faith you have given us. It’s because of your words that we have the confidence to move forward in spite of what it looks like. What we see and what you say don’t always line up, but what we have noticed is that you are always just past what we see. Thank you for showing us how to walk by faith and not by sight. We trust that what you say is the truth. You have never left us lacking and you never will. We may not see it at the moment, but as you have called us forward we can swing our legs over the boat with confidence that you are bigger than the waves we are standing on, and we are only standing on them because we trust what you have said. You have given us a road map to an amazing life. But it will only come about if we can act on what you have said rather than what it looks like. As we reach for what you said we can have, we trust that when we draw our hand back it will be full of what you have promised. Thank you for remaining true to your promises. You are truly amazing, and you will never see us begging for bread, you “WILL” supply “ALL” our needs according to your riches and glory. Today we stand on your words in faith knowing that you can not lie. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus we pray amen.