Tag: Bible study

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time, The Armor of God

The Way of Success

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based on the LGG Study, The Armor of God / w6d2

Scripture: Joshua 1:7-9 / SOAP: Joshua 1:7

Make sure you are very strong and brave! Carefully obey all the law my servant Moses charged you to keep. Do not swerve from it to the right or to the left, so that you may be successful in all you do.

Joshua 1:7

In today’s verse, Joshua charges the people with three things that will lead them to success as God’s people. As believers, we are to live in this same way. Joshua gives a list to the people in his day of what this looks like, and it carries over throughout Scripture. We see it in the verses we have used consistently throughout this study from Ephesians 6:10-18.

According to Joshua, we are to be strong and brave, to carefully obey God’s commands, to stay on God’s path, which leads to success for the believer, and to memorize, or to know, God’s Word. Note the similarities in Paul’s instructions to find strength and power from the Lord and to clothe themselves with the whole armor of God. We also know that both the belt of Truth and the Sword of the Spirit – which are the first and the last pieces of armor have to do with knowing the Word of God; in actuality, every piece of the armor comes back to the Word of God. For surely there is no righteousness or peace or faith aside from God’s Word. As Joshua told the Israelites, their success depended on their obedience, and so too does ours, as failure to use the weapons God has given us will undoubtedly lead to our destruction rather than the victories we experience when we live obedient to Christ.

Knowing God’s Word

We cannot live obediently to something we do not know, and we will not know that which we do not expose ourselves to often.

ME from the Inside-out

I know that memorizing Scripture can be daunting, but clearly, it is our calling as God’s people. However, please remember that while the word memorize means to commit something to memory, it also means to learn something by heart. I would venture to say that while you may not be able to tell me word for word what the Bible says, if you have been a believer for very long, you would be able to tell me the way to Christ or the way of forgiveness or who created the world and in how many days. Spending consistent and meaningful time in God’s Word will always lead to knowing God and His Word, and the more time we spend, the more we will know. I would also remind you before you say you just can’t – that God has empowered us to do everything He has called us to do.💜

I can pray this because his divine power has bestowed on us everything necessary for life and godliness through the rich knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence. 4 Through these things he has bestowed on us his precious and most magnificent promises, so that by means of what was promised you may become partakers of the divine nature, after escaping the worldly corruption that is produced by evil desire.

2 Peter 1:3
Prayer of Response

Father, I confess that without Your Word I am not strong and brave, without Your Word and the power of it I would live by the fleshly desires of this life rather than by the godly ways you have made known to us. Thank You for today’s reminder that we are to not just come to a saving faith but we are to know Your Word so that we can know the way You want us to live and so that we will live successfully as Your sons and daughters. Help us to remember Your Word. Help us to spend quality time in Your Word so that we can remember It – help us to remember that Your Word is a sure and present and victorious weapon agains the evil one and those who prey upon Your children. We are Yours – In Jesus Name – help us to be strong and brave. Amen and Amen.

Reflection of the Journey

How does Joshua 1:7 encourage us to be strong and courageous in the face of challenges and difficulties?

Going Further in our Journey

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time, The Armor of God

Don’t Let Your Guard Down

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based on the LGG Study, The Arrmor of God / w6d1

Scripture: Ephesians 6;10-18 / SOAP verses 17-18

Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

Ephesians 6:17-18

Hopefully, after six weeks of starting Mondays with this passage, we have all become more familiar with the wisdom, truth, and help it offers us – so that we will not let down our guard. May we keep the armor of God on 24/7, 365 days of the year – ready to help us stand firm and resist the devil’s schemes.

Let’s not forget the necessity of suiting up daily with the whole armor of God. Let’s make it a daily practice to put on…

  • the Belt of Truth
  • the Breast Plate of Righteousness – and
  • the Shoes of Peace

May we faithfully…

  • Take up the Shield of Faith – and
  • Put on the Helmet of Salvation and
  • take the Sword of the of the Spirit

And don’t forget to …

  • pray at all times… for all believers everywhere

We will study the final piece of our armor this week, which is the sword of the Spirit – defined by Paul as the Word of God. Then, we will, at Paul’s suggestion, cover it all with prayer and an alertness. Remember this armor belongs to God and we will not be successful using any of it without first seeking His strength and power as Paul instructed us in the beginning of our study.

“Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.”

Colossians 4:2
Did You Know?

I found a fascinating note about the Sword of the Spirit that helped me understand just how powerful this offensive weapon really is. When I picture a “sword” I pictured a long sheath like sword, however, according to BIbileref.com the sword Paul describes is a short-bladed sword, easy to carry and draw quickly in combat. It is meant to kill and defeat the enemy during attack.

God’s Word is able and meant to be used like this in our spiritual battles. Christ Himself sets the example for us as we read in Matthew 4:1-11, where we find three examples of Jesus using the Word of God to defeat the enemy. I encourage you to read how He did it and not to miss the ending when the devil left him alone. May we be quick to follow His lead by being prepared with the Word whenever the enemy strikes.

Our Secret Weapon

When Jesus told His disciples He would be leaving them He also told them about another that would come and be with them so that they could carry on the work of the Father. Here in our passage today, Paul tells them to “pray in the Spirit,” the One that Christ said would be their helper.

The Advocate, the Holy Spirit will teach us all things and will remind us of everything [Christ] has told us.
John 14:26

Reflecting on the Journey

What is the importance of praying at all times?

Response to God’s Word

Father, hide Your Word in our hearts that we might stand firm in the battles with temptation and all of the devil’s schemes. May we be sensitive to Your Spirit and powerful in Your might. Help us to remember that the battle belongs to You and You have empowered us with all that we need to stand firm. Remind us to stay devoted to prayer not only for ourselves but for the body of Christ and as the enemy wages war against Your people. May we not be detoured by his tactics and lose sight of the call to spread the Gospel. In Jesus’ Name – Amen!

Going Further on the Journey

Don’t forget to check out today’s Love God Greatly Blog Post

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time, The Armor of God

Destined for Victory

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based on the LGG Study, The Armor of God / w5d4

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 / SOAP: 8-9

8 But since we are of the day, we must stay sober by putting on the breastplate of faith and love and as a helmet our hope for salvation.9 For God did not destine us for wrath but for gaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

1 Thes 5:8-9

As he does in many of his letters, Paul teaches here – that, in light of the rapture we need to “live alert and self-controlled” unlike those who walk or live in darkness. In other words, believers are to be careful how they live. They must not live as those who are unsaved and walking in the darkness – but as children of God who walk in the Light. Paul makes a comparison between those of the night and those of the day. He emphasizes that those who are “children of the day,” or “sons of the light” as some translations render it, have been given the responsibility to stay alert and to wear God’s armor. Note that he specifically references the breastplate of faith and the helmet of salvation, which guard our hearts and minds. Yet when he speaks of those of the night he gives the example of those who are drunk or asleep, in other words not alert and vulnerable to the things of the earthy rather than the things of God.

Destined for Victory

In verse nine, Paul mentions that believers are not destined to experience the wrath of God that will come but rather to know salvation through Jesus, His son – whose name is Light, John 8:12.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12
Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time, The Armor of God

The Transformer

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based on the LGG Study, The Armor of God / w5d3

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2 / SOAP: verse 2

 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Romans 12:2 NLT

It may seem odd to hear Paul – or anyone for that matter – encourage the believers to present their bodies as living sacrifices, but Paul was teaching, as Bibleref.com explains, “as the Jewish people offered killed animals as sacrifices to God, Christians should instead offer ourselves, our bodies, to Him as living sacrifices.”

For everything comes from Him and exists by His power and is intended for His glory. All glory to Him forever! Amen.”

Romans 11:36

Paul’s point is that God is worthy, or as he says – “It is your reasonable act of service” to know and live out the will of God. Paul understood as we saw in our journey yesterday, that when we keep on thinking about the things of God – all He is and has done or promised to do – then our minds will be transformed and our will aligned with God’s. His desires become ours and we will be able to better distinguish what is good and pleasing to Him.

When we keep our mind on earthly things we will be influenced by those things, or people, or cultural norms which is the natural bent of humans. The sinful nature leads us to follow after our own desires rather than God’s, however, we are told throughout the letters of Paul to “put on the new nature – and be renewed.”

The way to escape conformation to the world is through transformation by God, which is the renewing of your mind -🦋

Me🦋 FromtheNsideoutt

It is important to understand that we cannot transform ourselves. Paul says to, “Let God transform You into a new person by changing the way you think.” In other words, we do not – actually we cannot – transform ourselves. Notice with me, while in many of his writings Paul tells us that we need to put off the old and put on the new, he does not tell them here to change they way they live, look, or even act but instead he tells them to “Let God change the way they think.” Paul is teaching them the same thing he taught the Colossians, the mind greatly influences our decisions. When we allow God to transform our minds from the old nature to the new one we have been given in Christ we will live in a way that is pleasing and acceptable to Him.

One way I have found to let God change the way I think is through His Word. Whether it is reading it, listening to it in sermons, memorizing it, singing it, or discussing it with others, God’s Word will bring real and lasting transformation of our minds which will lead to a life-changing transformation from the inside-out 🦋 affecting not just us but all those around us.

 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Hebrews 5:14
Prayer of Response to the Word

Father, please help us to faithfully stay in Your Word and to live by it. Let us be women of faith who dwell in the Word so that Your Word may dwell in us – so that we may be forever changed – living lives that are pleasing and acceptable to You and igniting change in others! In Jesus’ Name I pray – Amen!

Going Further in the journey

Be sure and read today’s LGG Blog Post

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time, The Armor of God

Our Standard of Thinking

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based on the LGG Study, The Armor of God / w5d2

Scripture: Colossians 3:1-11 / verse 2

Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth

Colossians 3:2

So what does mean to “keep thinking about something?” The bottom line is it means to continually choose to think about a certain thing, event, or person. When we do this we allow that thing, person, or situation to become what influences our choices – such as how we talk or what actions we take or who we spend time with. When we do this our thinking will ultimately influence what goals, priorities or standards we set.

Setting our minds on things above establishes Godly priorities and sets Godly standards.

me – from the inside out 🦋

Paul poses two courses of thought, things on earth or things above, and he guides the Church to set their thoughts on the things above. The NLT translates things above as the realities of Heaven, but both mean the same thing: Think about the things of God. Think about what He’s done for us through Christ. Think about His promise of eternity and anything else that turns our thinking toward God. Okay, you say, but we have families and jobs and responsibilities that also take thought, right? Yes, and we do have to give thought to those things during the day, and in times of crises that arise here on earth life can demand or require our attention; but Paul’s point is not to neglect thinking about the crisis situations nor even what you’ll fix for dinner or which job you’ll take or where your kids will go to school. Instead, his point is to “keep on” thinking about the things of God even while you are weighing out or dealing with the other issues of life. Basically, we are to have our minds so set on the things of God that those thoughts influence all the other aspects of our life.

How can we do this while living on earth? Paul gives us the answer in many of his letters, but perhaps no where more clearly than here in Colossians chapter three. He makes it clear to the church that they are no longer to live by the standards of their old life. In verse five he uses some very strong words to emphasize the importance of setting new standards by saying, “put to death” any part of their old “earthly” living – including everything from sexual immorality to greed. He makes the point that these things are not pleasing to God. Paul understands that this is the way they used to live and that some were still struggling with the ungodly issues he referenced – and just in case they might have been thinking – ‘good grief, I’m not that bad’, he also covered things like anger and malice, as well as slander and ungodly words. When we profess Jesus as our Lord with our mouth we are to profess Him with our lives as well.

What does It Look Like?

Paul gave us a pretty good snap shot of what we will look like when we “keep thinking about things above instead of things on the earth.” He described those who choose to think like this as ones ” who are filled with tenderhearted mercy, they are kind. gentle, and patient, and they live in humility rather haughtiness. They remember how the Lord has forgiven them and loved them despite their faults – so they make allowance for other’s faults and are forgiving of those who offend them. They are loving and live in harmony with others and are noted for the peace that rules in their hearts; it’s a peace that helps them to live in peace with others. Their’s is a peace so obviously from Christ that is a reflective light of our faith.

Prayer of Response to God’s Word

Father, I confess it isn’t always easy to keep my mind from getting weighed down with the cares of this world. Whether it is the day to day routines or events or people in my life or the seasons of crises and turmoil – if I’m not careful – my mind is easily captivated and I find myself struggling with fears and worries or a myriad of other emotions that rob me of the peace that I have known when my mind is fixed on the things of Heaven, instead of the world. Thank You for continually reviewing this truth with me, for using this passage to change my life in so many ways. Help me to keep my mind on things above, to know Your strength when I am weak, and to avail myself often of your loving invitation to cast all my cares on You – because You care for me –

Going Further in the Journey

Colossians 3:12-17

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time, The Armor of God

Every Thought

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based on the LGG Study, The Armor of God / w5d1

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-18 / SOAP: verse 17

And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit (which is the word of God).

Ephesians 6:17

Over the past four weeks of our journey we have seen evidence from God’s Word that:

  • His truth supports us as we live out His calling on our lives.
  • His righteousness is a protective covering for our hearts and souls from the evil one.
  •  His Shoes of Peace are to help us stand firm defensively and run swiftly offensively.
    • Defensively: when the enemy targets us (or others), we must press our ‘feet’ firmly into God’s Truth so that we are not easily shaken or knocked down.
    •  Offensively, we must always be ready to ‘run’ with the message of His Peace so that others will know the hope of our salvation through Jesus Christ.
  •  His Shield of Faith can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. These arrows of fear, doubt, temptations, and a myriad of others are part of the enemy’s strategy to steal, kill, and destroy God’s children. However, as we have seen, by faith, we are overcomers, and God’s Shield is a protective barrier for us to use against all the flaming arrows.
The Full Armor

When I consider the pieces of armor we’ve picked up in the first four weeks of our journey, I feel secure. However, I know I must not stop with the Shield of Faith. God’s instructions through Paul are to “Put on the full armor of God.” To do anything less is to be careless and put ourselves, and possibly others, in jeopardy.  

 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground –

Ephesians 6:12-13

Remember with me for a minute the scene in the Garden. The serpent tempted Eve by messing with her mind, making her doubt what God had said or meant, and enticing her through her senses. Scripture says that Eve saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise;  the serpent had captivated her mind, and Scripture says, she took the fruit and ate it, then she gave some to Adam and he also ate it. While we might want to say or think we will not do what Eve did, the reality is we all know that, but by the grace of God, we will. The enemy is still actively at work today, seeking to steal, kill, and destroy God’s people. He still messes with our minds, hoping we will fall for his cunning and deceitful words, just like Eve, which is why we must stay alert. It is why we must put on the Helmet of Salvation to protect our mind from the enemy and the lies and the games he plays with what we think and believe or perceive to be true. 

If you want victory over the mind the helmet is not optional. It can save you from the enemy’s schemes and lies.

As I’m sure you’ve heard me say, my mind is a battlefield. I have been putting the Helmet of Salvation on since the first time I studied Ephesians six, close to thirty years ago, and yet even this week, I have seen how very vulnerable I am if I don’t wear it well. God has shown me it isn’t enough to go through the motions of “putting the armor on.” I must live as a warrior who understands what the pieces are and how to use them so that when they are needed, I’m not caught off guard. God faithfully and graciously continues to train me in protective procedures through studies like this and the practical application in the daily battles of this world. Being alert to the enemy is one defense I cannot afford to let down; I’ve seen what happens when I do. I must stay on guard, alert to the enemy’s schemes, as well as my weaknesses, and ready to stand firm.

Because of our salvation through faith in Jesus Christ we have the assurance of God’s forgiveness. We have the great privilege of knowing that we are no longer under the requirements of the law but instead we live in the freedom of God’s grace and the hope of eternity. This is the bottom-line of the helmet of salvation. Gotquestions.org writes that, “The idea in this verse is that, as we prepare for Satan’s attacks, we must grab that helmet and buckle it on tightly. Salvation is not limited to a one-time act of the past or even a future hope. God’s salvation is an ongoing, eternal state that His children enjoy in the present. It is daily protection and deliverance from our sin nature and Satan’s schemes.”

Keep in Mind

Because of the power of the cross, our enemy no longer has any hold on us (Romans 6:10; 8:2; 1 Corinthians 1:18). He knows that, but he also knows that most of God’s children do not know that—or, at least, they do not live as if they know. We must learn to keep our helmets buckled so that his fiery missiles do not lodge in our thoughts and set us on fire. Through this helmet of salvation, we can “destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

So suit up and don’t forget the helmet – 💕

Going Further in the Journey

Be sure and check out today’s LGG Blog

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time, The Armor of God

Faith Overcomes the World

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based on the LGG Study, The Armor of God / w4d5

Scripture: 1 John 5:4-5

 because everyone who has been fathered by God conquers the world. This is the conquering power that has conquered the world: our faith. 5 Now who is the person who has conquered the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

1 John 5:4-5

From the first day of this week’s journey, I have had the song “Faith is the Victory”  playing daily in my head at some point. Today’s passage has amplified the song to full blast, and if I weren’t writing this late at night and worried about waking my daughter, I would be belting out the tune loud and clear – perhaps even marching around my room. For now, I must settle for the more timid celebration of marching and singing in my heart and head.

Reread our verses and read them out loud this time. Listen as John first proclaims that our faith is the conquering power that has overcome the world, and then as he clarifies that the person of faith is the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.Surely, those hearing these words at the time would have broken out in loud cheers and shouts of victorious praise to their God that would have rivaled a Super Bowl crowd. After all, this is the final chapter of the First John letters. So far the church has received a series of four letters including: lessons about the fellowship of believers (1), instructions on being Followers of Christ(2), the requirement to love one another(3), instructions on the importance of testing the spirits to make sure they are from God(4), and then he wraps it all up, here in chapter 5, with this beautiful message of peace – that it is our faith, our believing that Jesus is the Son of God, that gives us the power to overcome the world! This is where our text focuses today. And I believe it is the crux of the demand to put on the whole armor of God and stand firm. For, without faith, there is no hope and there is no victory to celebrate – there is only fear and dread.

Our faith gives us power!
~~~~~
Because our faith places us in Christ and Christ in us ~
and thus, we are empowered to overcome the world.

Me – from the inside-out

We could stop here, but this is one of those scenic overlooks of a journey where you want to stop and take a picture of the majestic mountains or some other wonderful sight to remember. So, let’s stop for a minute before rushing on and look at the scenic overview to experience it and appreciate the beauty of what led up to John’s declaration of conquering the world.

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been fathered by God, and everyone who loves the father loves the child fathered by him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God: whenever we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God: that we keep his commandments. And his commandments do not weigh us down, 4 because everyone who has been fathered by God conquers the world. -This is the conquering power that has conquered the world: our faith. 5 Now who is the person who has conquered the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 

1 John 5:1-5

Did you see the beauty? Verse one explains or at least sheds light on verse four’s comment about being “fathered by God.” Then verse three poses this statement: And his commandments do not weigh us down, but John addresses his statement as if it were a question: “Because everyone who has been fathered by God conquers the world.” For me, this is an ultimate photo op, one best captured by this quote from gotquestions.org – “The apostle is not implying that only certain “super-Christians” are overcomers; rather, every true believer is an overcomer because he has been born of God.” There it is, a great photo op and a truth that should ignite loud shouts of cheers of victory and thunderous praise for the conquering power of our faith!

The apostle is not implying that only certain “super-Christians” are overcomers; rather, every true believer is an overcomer because he has been born of God: 

Gotquestions.org
Prayer of Response to God’s Word

Father, thank you for this message from John. May our application be to daily celebrate this beautiful knowledge of peace that we are overcomers by the conquering power of our faith in Christ Jesus, Your only begotten Son. Thank You for adopting us, who were once Your enemies, and fathering us as children naturally born to You. We are most blessed to have this faith – please help us to walk in it faithfully, claiming the victory that is ours in Christ and sharing the message of our faith so others may hear and believe in the One, whose name I pray, His name is Jesus and He is the author and perfecter of our victoriously powerful faith! And Father, if there is anyone, even one, who reads this but doesn’t share in our faith, will you open the eyes and the ears of their heart to understand and to claim the faith as their own by believing that Jesus is Your Son, the author, and perfecter of our faith – Amen and amen!

Going Further in the Journey

John refers to believers as victorious conquerors multiple times (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21)

How is faith the victory that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4)?

Be sure and check out today’s Love God Greatly Blog Post

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time, The Armor of God

Faithful Protector

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based on the LGG Study, The Armor Of God / w4d4

Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 / SOAP: verse 3

But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.

2 Thessalonians 3:3

Sometimes you can pull one verse out of a passage and SOAP it without the others, but sometimes it is made so much richer with the others. I find this to be true of these five verses. While each one has a distinct message, each one also highlights the next as well.

  • Paul starts off asking for prayer, “Finally,” he says, “pray for us, brothers and sisters, that the Lord’s message may spread quickly and be honored as in fact it was among you.”
    • It is an example that reminded me that as brothers and sisters in Christ, we are not only to pray for one another but we are to share our needs or the needs of the body with one another.
    • It is also a reminder that, like Paul, we are to understand and be concerned about the Lord’s message spreading quickly.
  • Paul continues with the prayer request in verse two with the concern for the dangers they faced in spreading the message. He continues, “and that we may be delivered from perverse and evil people, for not all have faith.” As we know from Paul’s letters to the churches, his life and those he served with were often in great danger from those who opposed the message of the cross. Such danger led to countless imprisonments and beatings by those not of the faith.

 His enemies were hardened unbelievers.

Bibleref.com
  • Now, our SOAP verse –

 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. – 2 Thessalonians 3:3

  • I love this verse because it starts with the word “BUT.” The word ‘but’ in Scripture is an ‘alarm’ word. Not only does it mean looking back and seeing what came before, but it typically means something is coming we don’t want to miss. In this case, what follows is ” the Lord is faithful.” Can’t you hear the collective sigh of relief for Paul among the church as they read this part of the letter naming the urgency of spreading the Gospel and the danger that comes with it? Paul knew they would need to be reminded and encouraged that – “The Lord is faithful! He understood that remembering the truth of God’s character would help them to pray with hope, knowing the Lord would hear and answer their prayers. Paul added even more hope with the reminder, “The Lord will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.” 

Paul had confidence from the Lord that their faith was strong and they were living it out well.

  • Paul’s encouragement to the Thessalonians continued in verse four, where he wrote “And we are confident in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we commanded you.” This had to bring them great encouragement to know that not only would they know the Lord’s protection from the evil one but Paul had confidence from the Lord that their faith was strong and they were living it out well.
  • Finally, verse five – which really stood out to me and is why I realized that the five verses were a package deal. For in order for them to continue to know the hope and encouragement and faithfulness to live the righteous life they would have to have their hearts directed toward God’s love and the endurance of Christ, or they would fail miserably. Their faith, had to be set firm in God (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and not in Paul, his ministry, or anything, or anyone else; and so Paul prayed: “Now may the Lord direct your hearts toward the love of God and the endurance of Christ.”

Note: Applications (underlined text) are laced throughout the observations of this SOAP

Prayer of Response to the Word

Father, thank You for Your teachings through men like Paul. His letters and examples of the faith encouraged those in his day and all the generations of believers to this day and beyond. They are living and active, and I pray for strength and faithfulness to apply them well. Grace me with the daily reminders of the truths of Your character, as we find in Paul’s words that You are faithful and will strengthen us and protect us from evil. We are now and forever more dependent on You, and these truths fill us with the hope we need to use the Shield of Faith well – to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. I bless Your Name and the name of Jesus through whom I pray. Amen!

Worship of Praise Response
Going Further in the Journey

Check out these But God verses

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Quiet Time, The Armor of God, The Gospel

31 But God Bible Verses

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Genesis 8:1
But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and domestic animals that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to blow over the earth and the waters receded.

Genesis 31:42
In fact, if the God of my father had not been on my side—the God of Abraham and the fearsome God of Isaac—you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen your abuse and my hard work. That is why he appeared to you last night and rebuked you!”

Genesis 31:7
yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God did not permit him to harm me.

Genesis 31:23-24
. . .he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven days and followed close after him into the hill country of Gilead. 24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”

Genesis 48:21
Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers.

Genesis 50:20
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

Deuteronomy 7:7-8
The LORD did not love you and choose you because you outnumbered other peoples; you were the smallest nation on earth. But the LORD loved you and wanted to keep the promise that he made to your ancestors. That is why he saved you by his great might and set you free from slavery to the king of Egypt.

1 Samuel 23:14
And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.

1 Kings 5:4
But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side. There is neither adversary nor misfortune.

2 Chronicles 20:15
And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s.

Psalm 49:14-15
Like sheep, they are led to the grave… But as for me, God will redeem my life.
    He will snatch me from the power of the grave.

Psalm 73:26
My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart;
    he is mine forever.

Psalm 86:15
But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.

Hosea 1:7
Yet I will have compassion on the house of Judah, and I will deliver them—not by bow or sword or war, not by horses and cavalry, but by the LORD their God.

Jonah 2:6
I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death!

Matthew 19:26
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

John 1:18
No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.

Acts 2:24
But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

Acts 3:15
You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.

Acts 7:9
And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him

Acts 10:28
He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God  has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.

Acts 13:29-30
When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead . . .

Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 Corinthians 1:27
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

1 Corinthians 2:10
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard . . . the things which God has prepared for those who love Him . . . But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.

1 Corinthians 3:6
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.

1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able . . .

Galatians 1:15-16
You also heard how I was far ahead of other Jews in my age group in following the Jewish religion. I had become that fanatical for the traditions of my ancestors. But God, who appointed me before I was born and who called me by his kindness, was pleased to show me his Son. . .

Galatians 3:18
For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

2 Timothy 2:9
. . .for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.

Ephesians 2:1,3;4-5
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins. . . and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved . . .

Don’t you love them? Oh how wonderful it is to know God has the final say and the victory over sickness and death and all the circumstances of our lives, over the enemy and all his flaming arrows. The battles will continue, they may be bearing down on us right now, but our God, the one true and living God, has the final say!