1 Timothy 4
Be Still: Father, thank you that you know me and love me completely. Please fill me with the Holy Spirit and speak to me through your Word today. Amen
Read: 1 Timothy 4
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons....
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. (vv1, 16)
Encounter: Newsflash! The devil hates the Church and will do everything in his power to deceive, corrupt and lead us astray. Thankfully there are very few people or churches today that are teaching that marriage is forbidden or that we should abstain from eating burgers (thank goodness!) as was happening in the city that Timothy was ministering in.
But that doesn’t mean that the devil isn’t trying to sow lies in our church communities today to keep us from the fullness of the life that Jesus has won for us. In recent times in the UK, we’ve seen all sorts of unbiblical teachings propagated in the name of Christ, from the blatantly racist to the dilution or abandonment of the authority of scripture.
Paul’s instruction to Timothy is that he should be vigilant in both the way he lives his life and the doctrine that he teaches. We likewise should exercise vigilance, taking the teachings that we hear from the stage and the screen and testing them against scripture. We must be mindful of the voices that we listen to and be active rather than passive participants in our own discipleship.
Apply: Take some time this morning to pray for the church, that we would be protected from the plans of the enemy to distort the gospel and lead us astray. Pray for our preachers that they would teach truth and that the Spirit would be speaking to them as they prepare their messages this week. And pray for yourself, ask the Spirit to highlight any lies that you are currently believing or practices you are engaging in that aren’t of God. Take a moment to repent of anything that comes up and maybe make a note to chat to a friend or pastor about it.
Devote: Thank you Jesus that you are truth and that you defeated evil and lies on the Cross. Please help me to walk in truth and protect me from the schemes of the enemy that would seek to disrupt my relationship with you.