That The Word May Be Honored

"Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 ESV)

 

There is a battle raging today within “the church” with regard to who or what should be in charge of our lives, and who or what we should be listening to and applying to our lives. The battle is between the flesh of humankind and the Lord God, our creator, our sustainer, and our deliverer. So many “Christians” are adopting the ways of the world, and of the flesh, and of human nature and human philosophy in place of the Word of God and his teachings and his divine nature and will and purpose for our lives.

 

So many are being guided by the flesh and by human philosophy with regard to their personal lives as well as concerning the church, as a whole. And they are accepting what is of man and what is of the flesh to guide them in their life choices rather than putting their trust in the Lord Jesus to show them the way in which they are to walk. And this is a very serious issue, because so many professing Christians are being guided and directed by the world and by human philosophy rather than by God and by his Holy Word.

 

So this is an encouragement to all who profess the name of Jesus Christ to make certain that your life is being guided and directed by the Lord and by His Word and not by human flesh and by human philosophy. For not all have faith. Not all who say, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven. For if sin is what we practice, and not righteousness, and not obedience to God, then we will not inherit eternal life with God, regardless of what our lips profess.

 

So, the “wicked and evil men,” from whom we need deliverance, could very well be the pastors of “churches” who are teaching human philosophy over and above or in place of the truth of the Scriptures, as taught in their appropriate context. Or they could be famous book authors or actors or politicians or sports heroes or anyone popularly being admired and followed, sometimes as though they are God themselves, that we should listen to them and believe them above the Scriptures and above what is of God.

 

So, just because someone says, “I believe in Jesus Christ,” or “I am a Christian,” it does not necessarily mean at all that they are of genuine faith in the Lord Jesus or that they are Christians, by biblical standards. And that is where we have to test the spirits, and their fruits, to see whether or not they be of God. And we test them by what the Scriptures teach (IN CONTEXT) regarding what it looks like to believe in Jesus and to be saved from our sins and to be on our way to heaven for eternity with God.

 

But we have to be students of the Scriptures ourselves who not only study them in their appropriate context, but who then, by the Spirit, put what we are learning into practice in our daily walks of faith and obedience to our Lord. And then we will gain discernment of the Spirit to know what is of God and what is of human flesh, so that we reject the flesh, and so that we follow our Lord in walks of obedience to his commands. And then the evil one will no longer be able to influence us in any direction away from God.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-21; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

 

Just a Closer Walk with Thee  

 

Hymn lyrics by Anonymous/Unknown

Music by American Melody

 

“For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you” (2 Co. 13:4 NASB).

 

I am weak, but Thou art strong;

Jesus, keep me from all wrong;

I’ll be satisfied as long

As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

 

Through this world of toil and snares,

If I falter, Lord, who cares?

Who with me my burden shares?

None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

 

When my feeble life is o’er,

Time for me will be no more;

Guide me gently, safely o’er

To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.

 

Just a closer walk with Thee,

Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,

Daily walking close to Thee,

Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6Ks49apflE

 

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That The Word May Be Honored

An Original Work / February 9, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love