Powerful Truth

Stand against godlessness. Pray for power. This list at the opening of 2 Timothy 3 makes me tense. It is all of things that we are carefully guarding to NOT happen in our families and in our relationships. This passage is addressing the godlessness of the last days. We are living in last days. So we pray for Spirit fruit to be grown and enjoyed in this home. We, along with our friends and our parents are praying to NOT be a statistic of the list that Paul wrote here.

We ask to enjoy our children. We pray for children who love others, who build up others, who forgive, who obey their parents, who are grateful, who love good, who are thoughtful and humble, and who love God. We are looking for ways to encourage our kids to embrace godliness and God's power. (We specifically ask for the inverse of verses 2-5.)

Unload the sin. Receive the truth. Paul describes these people as "loaded down with sins and swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning, but never able to acknowledge the truth." This describes a frustrating cycle that we see in people who have been seeking God for a long time, but can't seem to grasp the freedom and the power of walking with the Spirit. How many discouraged people say that they want change, but cannot do better? They are loaded down. They are stuck. I have been there. And although I have compassion for stuck people, I know that compassion is not going to unload their burdens. Power IS!

The powerful truth is that Jesus already paid our debt and offered to carry our load. We really don't need to help Him. This may sound un-American where we are taught that hard work yields the best harvest. Actually, strong seed, good soil, bright sun, and rain from the heavens will tend the crops better than perfect harvesting. (Funny that Jesus referred to the Father as the gardener in John 15. He also instructed us- His disciples- to remain or abide in Him if we want to bear fruit.)

So, I see the truth of how my very best for myself or for our children is to watch for these symptoms of "last days sins" in my life and then quickly unload them. I don't want anything to block my understanding of Spirit things. I want to have hands that are free from burdens and ready to receive. This passage is preaching itself to me lately. Thanks for letting me share.

Stand against godlessness. Pray for power. Unload the sin. Receive the truth.