For men shall be… unthankful, unholy….
— 2 Timothy 3:2

In the 1970s, a book by a well-known Christian leader was published that shook the entire Christian community to its core. The reason it so deeply impacted so many people was the dreadful predictions it made about the future. Perhaps the most shocking prediction was that a day would come when sexual situations and homosexuality would be seen on television in people’s homes. People were aghast!

The Christian community reacted sharply. Across the nation people resounded, “The man who wrote this book is obviously off in his predictions, because such things could never happen in America.” But now years have passed, and what this man predicted is exactly what has come to pass. No one would have believed that the trash now seen and laughed at on television every night would become so commonplace that people wouldn’t even be disturbed by it.

This downward spiral that has occurred in the moral code of Western society is hooked to another modern trend that we can trace through the years. Western nations — and especially America — are extremely blessed with financial prosperity and material possessions. So who could ever dream that people in such a blessed environment could be ungrateful for the blessings they possess? Yet instead of focusing on the blessings they have and thanking God for them, a lost and selfish world focuses on what they do not have — claiming they deserve more than they are getting.

As we continue looking at signposts of the last days outlined in Second Timothy 3, we see that an unthankful attitude is listed with unholiness as two major indicators that the final stages of the last days have begun. Paul told us that society at the end of the age will become “unthankful.”

The word “unthankful” is a translation of the Greek word acharistos. The word charistos on its own simply means thankful, but when an a is attached to the front of it, it reverses the condition and turns it into an attitude that is unthankful and ungrateful. It is a picture of people who previously had a thankful heart but now are unthankful and unappreciative. They no longer focus on their blessings they have in their lives; instead, they fixate on what they don’t have. These are people who have become unappreciative and unthankful and who live their lives void of any sense of gratitude.

The only other place where the word acharistos is found in the New Testament is Luke 6:35. There Jesus connects unthankfulness with evil, which lets us know that ingratitude is evil in God’s sight. It is spiritually criminal to not be thankful for what we have.

The unsaved man is selfish because iniquity rules his heart. And a chief manifestation of iniquity is ingratitude, which is a symptom of selfishness. But Christians are not immune from a selfish, ungrateful attitude. Christians can also succumb to the sense of entitlement and selfishness that marks the spirit of this age.

You need to know that as long as an ungrateful attitude prevails in your life, you will never be happy. Thankfulness is a prerequisite to happiness, because only a thankful heart can be a happy heart.

Unfortunately, we live in a world today where people are so self-focused and self-consumed that they are rarely grateful for anything. In fact, people have been blessed with so much that they take their blessings for granted and don’t even realize how fortunate they truly are. Rather than being thankful — the Greek word charistos — they are unthankful (acharistos), and Paul taught that this is a signpost of the last days.

Before we proceed to Paul’s next point, I want to ask you:

One thing is clear: Unthankfulness and unholiness are connected. One always leads to the other. That is why Paul lists the word “unholy” immediately after the word “unthankful.” When people stop expressing a heart of gratitude toward God, unholy attitudes inevitably begin to materialize, and these attitudes are soon followed by blatant unholy behavior.

Think of it — in our world today, nations that were established on godly principles have become infested with godlessness and wickedness. Things have changed radically even within the span of our lifetimes! In just a few short decades, society has devolved from sanctioning open prayer in public schools to outlawing God altogether in those places. Instead of acknowledging God as the Supreme Creator, society refuses to recognize Him at all. And when the recognition of God is removed, everything evil has room to take root and propagate. As long as a society recognizes God, it will live by a higher moral code — but when God is removed, man immediately begins to slide downward into sin and debauchery. Unthankfulness always leads to unholiness.

The word “unholy” that Paul used in this text is from the Greek word anosios. The Greek root, nosios, refers to that which is holy, sacred, pure, or sanctioned by God. However, when an a is attached to the front of the word, it reverses the condition. Just as an a attached to the front of the word charistos changes the meaning from thankfulness to unthankfulness, an a added to the front of the word osios changes its meaning to unholy, unsacred, impure, and unsanctioned by God. This word anosios describes a person who once was ruled by holiness, but who now has become dominated by the rule of unholiness. At one point, this individual revered that which was holy, sacred, pure, and sanctioned by God — but he became contaminated by the unholy, unsacred, and impure. He made the choice to embrace attitudes and actions that are unsanctioned by God.

In addition to describing that which is unsacred, the Greek word anosios (“unholy”) can also be used to describe activities or actions that are impure, ill-mannered, improper, unclean, indecent, coarse, vulgar, offensive, crude, lewd, and rude. That book I mentioned earlier produced a sharp reaction from the wider Christian community when it was published in the 1970s because no one believed such things could happen in a God-fearing nation. Yet in the years since that time, that author’s predictions have proven true, time and time again. God has been removed from classrooms and from public places — and the nation has slidden into a moral downward spiral. One visit to an evening of television will quickly show that which is impure, ill-mannered, improper, unclean, indecent, coarse, vulgar, offensive, crude, lewd, and rude is dominating the airwaves and society. What was once considered vulgar is now widely considered appropriate subject matter for jokes and entertainment. What God calls unholy is what society thinks is funny. What has happened to us?

These are all signs of the last days.

However, just because you live in the last days does not mean that you should be affected by this moral downslide. By making God’s Word your standard and upholding it in your life, you can stay free from the spiritual corrosion that is eating away at the world today. What is happening to a lost society does not have to happen to you or to your family.

To remain untouched by this moral degeneration, you must make the decision to keep your eyes on Jesus and live to please Him. Choose to make His Word the guide for your heart, and never permit yourself to entertain or find funny those things that God deems “unholy.” This situation is not funny — it is spiritually deadly and damning. The world laughs while it goes to hell. Lost society is oblivious to the deception that is dragging it lower and lower into depravity and judgment. What is funny about this scenario? Nothing!

If society focused its gaze on God and kept Him in their minds, it would be more difficult for Satan’s deception to work its plan in the world. But when man becomes unthankful — ceasing to acknowledge God and to be thankful for His abundant blessings — that is when he begins to sink into decadence.

These words in Second Timothy 3:2 are so packed with meaning that this part of the verse could be expanded and paraphrased to read:

“…Although they were once thankful and appreciative, people will become void of gratitude and generally unappreciative of everything in the last times. As a result, impurity will seep into society and cause it to become unholy — impure, ill-mannered, unclean, indecent, coarse, vulgar, offensive, crude, lewd, and rude, behaving and carrying on in a way that God would never sanction….”

The same effect can happen to you as a believer if you cease to recognize God and express thankfulness to Him. You see, a Christian may not slide into the same sins to which the world quickly succumbs, but ungratefulness, bitterness, and other heart-hardening attitudes will worm their way into your soul if you do not maintain an attitude of thankfulness and constantly recognize God’s goodness in your life.

This is exactly why King David spoke to his own soul in Psalm 103:2, saying, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” In a moment of difficulty, David paused to remind himself that God had been good to him. By rehearsing in his mind all the good things that God had done in his life, it created in him a thankful and grateful heart.

So before you do anything else today, why don’t you take a few minutes to be alone with the Lord and express your thankfulness to Him for the wonderful things He has done for you? If you are tempted to feel sorry for yourself or to think that others are more blessed than you, this is an indicator that you may have slipped into the sin of being more focused on what you don’t have than you are on all the good things you do have — and on the wonderful things God has already done for you. The truth is, you have a lot to be thankful for if you’ll just take time to think about it. Regardless of what you are facing today — God has been good to you, and it’s time to thank Him for His blessing in your life!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY


Father, I ask You to help me remember all the good things You have done for me! Forgive me for being so focused on what I don’t have that I’ve overlooked what I do have. I refuse to be unthankful. Today I pause to rehearse all the good and wonderful things You have done in my life. I repent for allowing ingratitude and a lack of thankfulness to creep into my life when the list of things I have to be thankful for is so long that I don’t know if I can even recall all of Your goodness. Thank You for being so good to me!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY


I confess that I have a grateful and thankful heart! My soul blesses the Lord, and I forget not all His benefits toward me! The world around me may forget God’s goodness, but I will not be guilty of this neglect. He saved me from sin; He rescued me from myself; He delivered me from harm and destruction; He has kept me safely through all kinds of situations in life; and He has given me His Word as His promise and His Spirit to empower my life and to help keep me free from sin. He has done so much for me! I make the decision right now that my mouth is going to be filled with His praises, and thankfulness will spring forth from my heart. By recognizing Him and what He has done in my life, I will positively affect my attitude and super-charge my environment with the Spirit of God!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

  1. How long has it been since you made a list of the things you are thankful for that God has done for you? In order to keep your heart soft before the Lord, it is necessary for you to maintain a grateful attitude, so today I want to encourage you to take a little time to reflect on all God has done for you and to make a list of the things for which you are thankful.
  2. As you’ve watched television, have you noticed how so much of what is broadcast into people’s homes is impure, ill-mannered, improper, unclean, indecent, coarse, vulgar, offensive, crude, lewd, and rude? As you listen to unholy jokes or watch subject matter that is grievous to God, what effect does it have on you?
  3. What changes do you need to make in your own life to be more pleasing to God in the way you live and think? What do you need to eliminate in order to keep your mind pure and your thoughts clean? Has the Holy Spirit been dealing with you about any areas you need to change — and if yes, what are those areas?

For men shall be…boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents….
— 2 Timothy 3:2

Today let’s continue looking at the signposts the apostle Paul wrote about to let us know when we have entered the very last of the last days. If we see all of these signs simultaneously occurring in society on a widespread basis, the Holy Spirit wants us to know that we have crossed an invisible prophetic line and have now entered into the very last of the last days.

Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Paul next wrote that society at the end of the age will be filled with people who are “…boasters, proud, disobedient to parents…” (2 Timothy 3:2).

Let’s begin today with the word “boasters.” The Greek word used here is the alazon — a word that is only used in the New Testament twice: in this verse and in Romans 1:30. It expresses the idea of someone who is a braggart or boaster. However, this person is not just a braggart — he is a liar, for the Greek word alazon actually represents a person so committed to his own self-promotion and agenda that he is willing to exaggerate, overstate the facts, stretch the truth, embellish a story, and even lie if it will get him a new position or goal that he desires. Today we call this situational ethics: adjusting your morals, beliefs, and convictions to fit any situation. In essence, it is doing and saying whatever you must in order to further your agenda, even if it clashes with your conscience or convictions.

Unfortunately, this philosophy is precisely what is being taught in public schools across the world today. Moral absolutes have been replaced by floating ethics, and the rights and wrongs concretely stated by the Bible are now deemed obsolete. The truth of the Gospel is actively supplanted by the immoral minority, who want to remove the Bible from every courthouse and every place of government and to turn each nation into a secular society free from the rule of Scripture and the mention of God. Ask your own children or grandchildren about the situational ethics being promoted in school.

The only other place this word alazon is used in the New Testament is Romans 1:30, where Paul described a world that lives apart from God. According to Romans 1:29-31, a godless society is “filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful….” Notice the italicized word “boasters” in the middle of this text. It is exactly the same word as in Second Timothy 3:2. But here we see this word “boasters” — the Greek word alazon — positioned in the middle of the godless deeds of a world that has thrown moral absolutes to the wind.

It is truly amazing that this anti-God culture will carry out all of these unrighteous deeds with a haughty, bold, proud, “we-know-better-than-you” attitude. That’s why Paul next mentioned the word “proud.” The word “proud” is the Greek word huperephanos, which is a compound of the words huper and phanos. The word huper means above or depicts something that is superior. The word phanos means to be manifested.

When the two words are compounded, the new word depicts a person who sees himself as above the rest of the crowd. This represents an arrogant, haughty, impudent, snooty, high-and- mighty, insolent attitude that thinks it is intellectually advantaged and therefore has the right to set the agenda for everyone else. What an accurate description of those who would like to remove God from our lives and force their liberal agenda on the rest of us. According to Paul’s prophetic words in Second Timothy 3:2, this will be a mark of society at the end of the Church Age.

Paul elaborated by telling us that these high-minded, immoral agenda-setters will also be “blasphemers.” The word “blasphemers” in Greek is the word blasphemeo, which can refer to blaspheming God, but most often means to speak discourteously, slanderously, and reproachfully or to rail against by bringing abusive, debasing, degrading accusations against those with whom one does not agree.

Peter used blasphemeo in Second Peter 2:11 to describe people who are disrespectful of the things of God. People in this category see themselves as superior to those whom they deem to be resistant to change and stuck in a primitive mode of thinking — that is, moral absolutes that uphold righteous conduct. They disdain, mock, slander, and speak ill of them. That is precisely what the Spirit is forecasting about the end of the age as Paul laid out the telltale signposts that declare the last of the last days is upon us.

But wait — there’s more! In the midst of this last-days society where situational ethics reign and Bible absolutes are thrown to the wind, Paul prophesied it would produce an epidemic emergence of “disobedience to parents.” The word “disobedient” in Greek is the word apeithes. The root of this word is peitho, which means to persuade. However, with the Greek prefix a attached to the front, this word apeithes takes on the opposite meaning. It carries the idea of being unpersuadable or uncontrollable and thereby unleadable. Thus, the phrase “disobedient to parents” in Second Timothy 3:2 actually carries the idea of children that parents can no longer persuade, control, lead, or exercise authority over. In other words, a day is coming when children will no longer be required to submit to or follow the orders and leadership of their dad and mom.

This problem is already widespread in the world today. Children speak disrespectfully to their parents; they don’t want their rights violated by parents telling them what to do; and the court system has stood by the right of a child to sue his or her parents. Parents are so bound by the laws of the new moral agenda that they are fearful to discipline their own children, lest they be arrested for child abuse. Although some children have certainly been protected by such laws, the fact is that these laws have put the child in a superior position in the eyes of the legal system and weakened the leadership of the parents to teach, discipline, and lead their own kids. Just as Paul prophesied, the day has come when parents are under pressure to surrender their parental authority to rule their own children.

If you put all these words and phrases together, an interpretive translation of this verse could read:

“…These boasters are so committed to their own self-promotion and agenda that they are willing to exaggerate, overstate the facts, stretch the truth, embellish a story, and even lie if it will get them the position, advantage, or goal they desire. They are arrogant, haughty, impudent, snooty, and insolent. They disdain, mock, slander, and speak ill of anyone that stands in the way of their plans. And in this environment, parents will no longer be able to persuade, control, lead, or exercise authority over their children….”

All of these are signposts that the last of the last days is upon us. Based on these scriptures and Greek word meanings, can you see the marks of the last days in the world today? Does any of this sound familiar to you?

Just because this is what will happen in the world in the last days doesn’t mean it must happen to you. These are events that will occur in the lost world — not in the Church of the living God! We are in the world, but we are not of this lost world’s system (see John 17:14-16). And since the Holy Spirit warned us of these things in advance, we must take heed to His prophetic word and take action to protect families and homes while we march forward with speed to preach the Gospel to people who are lost and without Christ.

This can be our greatest hour if we will keep ourselves pure in the love of God, live separate from the lost standards of the world, maintain the moral code of God in our hearts and homes, and shine the light of Jesus Christ into the darkness that has flooded into nearly every corner of society. People are looking for solutions to their deeply embedded moral dilemmas, and we have the answers they need — so let’s let our light shine brightly!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY


Lord, I am deeply moved by the accuracy of Your Word and Your long-planned desire to prepare us in advance for the developments that are happening in the world around us today. Thank You for loving us so much that You desired to tell us in advance what would happen in the last days. Because Your Word is so clear, I know exactly what I need to do to protect my heart, safeguard my home, and keep Your law alive and fresh in my mind. Holy Spirit, I ask You to help me stay free from the distorted reasoning of the world and to stay on fire with the love of God. And I sincerely ask You to help me reach out to others who have been affected by the lost and deceived thinking of the world and whose lives have been made shambles as a result of no moral law. They need Your Word and help — and I know that You are asking Me to be Your hand extended to them. So today I surrender my life to be Your helping hand to this hurting world around me.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY


I boldly declare that regardless of what the world or society says, I will live my life according to the law of God. The world does not dictate my moral code or standard because I am a child of God. When the world around me mocks, laughs, or ridicules me for taking a stand that is contrary to theirs, I am empowered by the Spirit of God to stand strong and to remain true to my convictions. God’s Word is unchanging — and just as the truth of His Word never changes, I will not change my behavior or my convictions to be like the world. Rather, I will live in a righteous manner to please God, and by so doing, my life will shine a great light to people who sit in darkness. Due to my conviction and godly life, I will be a beacon of hope and help to others who have been devastated by the lost immoral standards of the world.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

  1. As you read today’s Sparkling Gem, did any of it sound like the society in which you live today? What part especially hit you as being relevant and pertinent to our modern-day world?
  2. Can you think of any areas in your life or thinking where you have allowed the world to affect your view? Maybe you once held tightly to a strict moral code, but in recent years you have let some of your convictions slip to accommodate people who are different from you or people you like but who are living outside of God’s will and His ways? What are those areas where you have compromised your convictions and beliefs?
  3. In what way should you respond to what you have read today? Is the Holy Spirit tugging at your heart? If so, what is the Spirit of God asking you to do to get back in line with His Word and His unchanging truth?

For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous….
— 2 Timothy 3:2

As you drive down the highway to a town or city, signs are regularly posted along the side of the road to keep you on track and help you monitor how far you are from your destination. Those signposts are guides, markers, and indicators intended to point you in the right direction and keep you on track until you finally arrive at your destination. When you reach your journey’s end, a prominent sign usually stands at the entrance of the town, which reads in large, bold letters “Welcome!” When you see that welcome sign, it is the declaration that you have finally arrived!

Similarly, in Second Timothy 3:2, Paul listed the events that will act as spiritual signposts, indicating that we are headed toward the very last of the last days. He wrote, “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous….” If all of these events are occurring simultaneously, we need to take it as a big “welcome” sign that lets us know we are no longer journeying toward the last of the last days; we have finally entered them. If all of these things are in evidence in society around us, we are already there — in the last of the last days.

At the first of his list, Paul said, “For men shall be lovers of their own selves….” Speaking through the apostle, the Holy Spirit alerts us to the fact that one of the principal signs of the last days will be self-love, self-consumption, and selfishness. When Paul wrote, “…Men shall be lovers of their own selves…,” he packed this announcement full of insight!

This verse presents the picture of people who are self-focused, self-centered, and self-consumed. These are self-absorbed people whose wants and needs are the very core and center of their world. Rather than live selfless lives in service to others, their first consideration is always their own self-interests and desires. Everything else takes a back seat to their needs being met.

Paul clarified this truth when he stated that they will be “lovers of their own selves.” The phrase “lovers of their own selves” is very strange in the Greek language, because it is the Greek word philautos — a weird compound of two Greek words. The first of these Greek words is philos, a form of the Greek word phileo, which mean to love or to be fond of someone else. It denotes the love, fondness, attraction, or romantic feelings that people have toward one another. In fact, the Greek word for kissing also comes from this word phileo.

As you know, kissing is something you do with someone else; generally speaking, no one stands in front of the mirror and kisses himself. The word philos should never be used to describe oneself. However, in this verse, the word philos is used in conjunction with the Greek word autos, meaning oneself. Thus the compound word philautos does not describe the love, fondness, romance, or attraction for someone else — it refers to one’s love and attraction for oneself.

This word philautos is the picture of complete self-absorption, self-focus, self-preoccupation, and self-love. When you pile all these words on top of each other — the words eimi, meaning I am, and the word philautos, depicting inordinate self-consumption and self-love — the message is plain: In the last days, society will be utterly consumed with itself.

With this in mind, I advise you to take a look at the world around you today. Do you see a high level of selfishness and self-centeredness permeating every sphere of society? If you do, you need to take heed! This is a major sign that you have entered the last days.

Next, Paul said that men will be “covetous” in the last days. This is a translation of the word philarguros, which is another strange adjective used to depict people in the last days. Similar to the word philautos described above, this word is a compound of the words philos and arguros. As we saw, the word philos refers to love, fondness, romance, or attraction. But the second part of the word is the word arguros, which is the old Greek word for silver or money. When these two terms are compounded as they are in this verse, the new word describes a love of money.

In ancient Greece, the word philarguros was often used to depict covetousness, a love of money, or someone who is money hungry. Even more specifically, it portrayed people who had funds available but were so self-absorbed that they refused to share their wealth with others. Thus, they were so involved in self-embellishment that they were miserly about using their money for others. By using this word, Paul let us know that at the end of the age, a lost society will be so self-centered, they will spend ridiculous sums of money on themselves. Being primarily preoccupied with themselves, they will spend, spend, and spend on themselves — constantly searching for ways to treat themselves to more and more while they give less and less for the sake of others.

A major sign that we have entered the last days will be an epidemic of this type of lavish self-spending by people who are self-consumed and self-absorbed. When you look at the world around you, do you see society moving in this direction?

This verse could be interpreted to mean:

“People will be self-consumed, self-absorbed, self-focused, and in love with themselves more than anyone else. As a result of this self-love, they will hoard money for themselves while spending very little to help others….”

Certainly God wants His people to be blessed and prosperous, but as riches increase, we must remember that the Bible warns us: “If riches increase, set not your heart upon them” (Psalm 62:10). Our goal is not self-consumption but to use the riches God gives us to fund the preaching of the Gospel around the world. Deuteronomy 8:18 says, “But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.” Establishing His covenant on the earth is our greatest assignment!

How do you know if you have fallen into the same trap of self-centeredness that is so prevalent in the world today? Let me ask you this question — if the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart and tells you to give, can you say no to the things you were planning to buy so that you can obey the Spirit’s unction instead? Or do you find that you regularly hold yourself and your desires above the Lord’s calling to help others?

If your first response is to obey the Holy Spirit, it is a sure sign that the self-consumed attitude of the world does not have a place in your heart. If, however, you find it hard to say no to your own creature comforts and regularly ignore the invitation of the Holy Spirit to help someone else, it is a sign that the attitude of the world is worming its way into your heart and soul.

We are in the world, but Jesus has called us to be different from the world. Therefore, we must ask the Holy Spirit to help us guard our hearts lest we fall into the trap that the world has fallen into in these last days.

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY


Father, I ask You to help me keep my heart free from materialism and to keep the Gospel as the greatest and highest priority in my life. I know that You want me to be blessed and to be financially and materially increased, but I don’t want to set my heart on riches and fall into the trap of this lost world in these last days. Help me stay focused on souls — what You love most — and to do my part to help establish Your covenant in every part of the earth. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I know I can maintain the godly balance You desire for my life regarding possessions and finances.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY


I am sensitive to the Spirit of God in regard to money, materialism, and riches. God wants to massively bless me, but He also wants me to make Him and the preaching of the Gospel worldwide the greatest priority in my life. Jesus gave His life for souls — and I must give my all to help see that those souls hear the Good News. Therefore, I will walk in balance in regard to money and possessions. I will pursue the things I know the Lord wants me to have, but I will not overstep and become so self-absorbed that I ignore the souls that need to know about the saving knowledge of Jesus. I refuse to be self-consumed, so I make the willful decision to let the Holy Spirit rule this area of my life.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

  1. When you read this Sparkling Gem today, did you think about the way the world lavishes upon itself with no restraint? Because of easy-to-get credit, people spend money without even thinking of the ramifications of their expenditures. Do you think this signpost of the last days is evident in the world around you today?
  2. What does your own spending reveal about you? Do you have a difficult time saying no to your flesh and practicing restraint and budgetary control? Have you fallen into the trap that the world is in by spending more and more all the time?
  3. Have you ever sensed the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart that you have gone over the limit in spending on yourself and that you need to stop being so self-consumed? How did you respond? How will you respond in the future if He lets you know that you need to make an adjustment in this area?

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
— 2 Timothy 3:1

It is simply a fact that we are living in the last days. All around us, the world is changing at a staggeringly rapid pace, and events long ago foretold in Scripture are unfolding before our very eyes. In light of the increasing turmoil in the world, it can be tempting for us to succumb to feelings of uncertainty or anxiety regarding the future.

But as we talked about in yesterday’s Sparkling Gem, we as believers are to hold fast to God’s higher perspective and take our place as victors in this hour — no matter what is going on around us! We don’t have to wonder about what the future has in store. God’s Word provides us with a clear picture of what we can expect in the coming years and gives us the spiritual tools we need to face these turbulent times and remain victorious. His Word also lays out our role in the midst of this gathering darkness: to live as children of light, reaching a lost generation with His love and His message of hope in Jesus Christ!

In Second Timothy 3:1, Paul wrote, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” Notice he said these events will occur in the “last days.” The word “last” is from the Greek word eschatos. This word always points to the ultimate end of a thing — such as the last month of the year; the last week of the month; the last day of a week; or the very extreme end of an age. In other words, eschatos doesn’t merely describe the last days in general; it depicts the very last of the last days. It was used in Classical Greek literature to depict a place furthest away, such as the very ends of the earth. It also signified something that is final. It is from this Greek word eschatos that we get the term eschatology — which is a theological term for the study of last times.

By using this word eschatos in this verse, the Holy Spirit is vividly declaring what characteristics will be indicative of society at the very last of the last days. Therefore, the depictions in the following verses of Second Timothy 3 are intended to be signposts that you have entered into the final stage of the last days. If you see these things occurring commonly or on a widespread basis, you are to take it as a signal that we have passed across the line and have entered into the final chapter of history as we have known it.

Thank God that by studying the Scriptures, we can identify where we are on God’s timeline. Because God loves us, He spoke through the apostle Paul to enlighten our eyes and help us see what the world environment would be like in the concluding moments of the Church Age. Having this knowledge before us helps us live soberly with eternity in our view. Time is short, so we must use the time that remains wisely and shine the light of the Gospel into the lives of those whom Satan has blinded.

Because of the word eschatos in Second Timothy 3:1, an interpretive translation of this verse could read:

“You emphatically must know what I am about to tell you. In the very last part of the last times — at the very end of the age and at the very last of the last days — hurtful, harmful, dangerous, unpredictable, uncontrollable, high-risk periods of time will come.…”

As a committed Christian, you have a responsibility to live with your eyes wide open to the events that are occurring around you. And if you have friends or family who are unsaved and blind to the truth, it is time for you to fervently pray for God to open their eyes so they can see and know the truth! Because of the events described in Second Timothy 3, we know that we have already entered into the very last of the last days.

Soon Jesus will come, and everything will change forever. Until then, we have time to pray for those whom Satan has blinded. It’s not that they are naïve — they are blind. Satan has blocked their view and affected their minds. They have no eyes to see. Eyes are created for them when the light of the Gospel, through the work of the Holy Spirit, touches their hearts and minds.

Are you the one God wants to use to share the Good News of Jesus with the people you encounter today so their eyes can be opened to the truth and find true hope in the midst of this turbulent time we live in? Maybe you should quit praying for someone else to do the job and accept the fact that God is asking you to share the Gospel with those who come across your path and need the saving power of Jesus Christ. And you don’t have to do it on your own! He has thoroughly equipped and empowered you to be His witness to a lost world in these very last of the last days!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY


Father, I recognize that I am living in the last of the last days. Your Word gives me a clear description of the end times and the characteristics that will be evident. Help me live more soberly than ever before with a constant awareness of eternity. Show me day by day how to fulfill my responsibility not only to pray for people to awaken to righteousness, but also to spread the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth, starting with those nearest to me now. I ask You, Father, to give me a spirit of boldness to speak and live without compromise. Jesus is coming, and soon everything will change forever. Help me to be prepared and to prepare others also.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY


I confess that I live soberly in this hour. I set my affections on things that are eternal as I seek first the Kingdom of God and pursue His ways. I do not allow myself to become entangled in low-level living or distracted by the cares of this life. I give myself to prayer, to the study of God’s Word, and to a lifestyle that honors God and blesses people. I keep myself in the love of God so that I remain strong in faith to please God in all things.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

  1. Do you know a person or a group of individuals who seem blinded to the fact that we are living in the last days? How does this spiritual blindness affect the way they are living their lives?
  2. Do you pray for these people on a regular basis? If not, why don’t you make a list of people you know who are lost and begin to pray for their salvation every day. Ask God to send someone to reach their hearts so they can know Jesus Christ as you know Him.  Aren’t you glad someone prayed for you?
  3. Is it possible that you are the person God wants to send to them? Why wouldn’t you want to tell them this good news so they can escape an eternity separated from God? What is holding you back from telling them the most important news they could ever hear?

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
— 2 Timothy 3:1

Few people would question that we are living in dangerous and treacherous times. Especially for people without God, the last decades have brought fear and terror into the hearts of people around the world. Regardless of where you live — whether in the United States, Europe, Asia, or the former Soviet Union — people have been rudely awakened to the truth that the world is no longer the place it used to be.

This is definitely a different age, far removed from the world many of us remember as children. Even today it is difficult to imagine how things could have spiraled out of control so quickly; however, nearly 2,000 years ago when the apostle Paul wrote the book of Second Timothy, the Holy Spirit spoke through him to alert us that such a day would come. By the inspiration of the Spirit, Paul wrote, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come” (2 Timothy 3:1).

The word “know” in this verse is a translation of the Greek word ginosko. The word ginosko is a common word that is normally translated knowledge. In this verse, Paul used ginosko in the present imperative tense, which means this message is something so critical that it must be known, must be recognized, and must be acknowledged. Whatever the Holy Spirit is about to say, it is so important that hearing it is not optional — it MUST be known and understood.

Paul then told us what we must know. He let us know that “perilous times shall come.” The word “perilous” comes from the Greek word chalepos, a word that is used only two times in the 27 books of the New Testament. This word chalepos was used to denote spoken words that were hurtful, harsh, cruel, ruthless, cutting, wounding, and therefore hard to bear. But it was also used to describe animals that were vicious, ferocious, fierce, unruly, uncontrollable, unpredictable, and dangerous. In nearly every place where this word is used in secular literature of the ancient world, it depicts something said that is harmful or an environment besieged with high risk or danger.

The only other time the word chalepos is found in the New Testament is in Matthew 8:28, where Matthew used it to describe two demon-possessed men. Matthew 8:28 vividly tells us, “And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.”

This phrase “exceeding fierce” in Matthew 8:28 is actually a translation of this very same Greek word chalepos. Because the word chalepos is used to describe these two demon-possessed men, it categorically conveys that they were vicious, ferocious, fierce, unruly, uncontrollable, unpredictable, and dangerous. In fact, if you read the entire story in Matthew’s gospel, it’s clear that the people who lived in the region of the Gadarenes kept a safe distance between themselves and these two men because they knew that being in close proximity to them would put their lives in jeopardy. These two demon-possessed men were chalepos — vicious, ferocious, fierce, unruly, uncontrollable, unpredictable, and dangerous. But they represented no threat to Jesus because He knew that He had authority over them. Therefore, instead of running like everyone else, Jesus stood up against those dark forces and set those men free.

This brings us back to Second Timothy 3:1 where the Holy Spirit prophesies through Paul that “perilous times shall come.” If you take all of the original Greek words into consideration, it delivers a potent message from the Spirit of God.

Taking the definitions of all these words into consideration, Second Timothy 3:1 could be taken to mean:

“You emphatically must know what I am about to tell you! In the last days, periods of time will come that are hurtful, harmful, dangerous, unpredictable, uncontrollable, and high-risk.…”

The Holy Spirit warned us 2,000 years ago that the world would become a dangerous place at the end of the age. However, we had no idea how fast or how far it would spin out of control. But as we live in the world today, we are waking up to the harsh reality of a world that is exceedingly fierce.

Because the word “perilous,” the Greek word chalepos, is used to describe the demon-possessed men in Matthew 8:28, I personally believe that the Holy Spirit was warning us that demonic activity will be released in the last days that will bring about hurtful, harsh, cruel, ruthless, cutting, wounding situations that will be emotionally hard to bear. As a result of demonic activity, the world will become a place that is vicious, ferocious, fierce, unruly, uncontrollable, unpredictable, and dangerous. We are living in a generation that faces threats that no other generation has ever known. As always, the Holy Spirit was correct in what He was trying to tell us.

Instead of retreating in fear, you and I must accept the challenge to step forward as Jesus did when He encountered the demon-possessed men of the Gadarenes. What terrified other people and made them retreat in fear is exactly what beckoned Jesus to action. In this hour, we must not retreat in fear!

The situation in today’s world beckons you to action. This is the time for you to step forward and use the authority Jesus Christ gave you to bring deliverance, freedom, and peace to each place that the devil has tried to bring chaos, harm, hurt, hazard, and risk. The situation that exists in the world today is your opportunity to let the power and glory of God shine through you!

Read carefully the words of Isaiah 60:1,2. Accept the challenge of the Holy Spirit as He cries out to you and me: “Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee”!

Although the world is sinking deeper into fear and darkness, this is our finest hour as children of God! So tell fear to leave you in Jesus’ name, and embrace the opportunities you encounter along the way to bring deliverance and freedom to people gripped with fear by the news they hear each day. Think of it — God considers you well able to live for Him and to fulfill His purpose for your life, even in the midst of these perilous last days! Embrace the honor of that position in His plan, and determine to trust Him with your life and be who He needs you to be every moment of the day!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY


Father, I thank You for choosing me to live in the last days when prophecies are being fulfilled before my very eyes. I ask You to help me keep a soft heart and not become hardened when others around me grow cold and hardened through the deceitfulness of this age. People everywhere need freedom, and deliverance from the torment of fear and pain. Instead of retreating into self-preservation mode, I will deliberately yield to Your heart for the hurting world that is all around me. Your love is shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit who was given to me. Therefore, I give place to Your love within me to see them with Your eyes, to feel for them as You feel for them. I hear and respond to Your call that is beckoning me to step forward with the authority of Jesus to make a difference in the lives of everyone near to me.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY


I declare by faith that I am anointed by God to live in this day and age! I am alive today for a purpose. God has chosen me to be a part of this special generation so that I can shine His glory and power into the darkness that exists in so many places and in so many people’s lives. I will not allow fear to paralyze or intimidate me. Instead, I will allow God’s goodness, power, and love to operate in me for the freedom, deliverance, safety, and preservation of those who are near me. I am fully equipped by the Holy Spirit to glorify God without compromise in these difficult times. God is depending on me to do my part to bring His authority, His peace, His rule, and His reign into every place where Satan wants to create hurt, harm, hazard, and fear. Jesus commanded me to occupy until He comes. Therefore, I choose to establish His Kingdom and to enforce His will on the earth as it is in Heaven!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

  1. Can you think of someone who is seized with fear because of the events happening in the world today? What effect has fear had on that person’s life?
  2. What does the Spirit of God want you to do to bring deliverance, freedom, and peace to people in your life who are tormented with fear? You have the answers they need — so what is He asking you to do to make a significant difference in their lives?
  3. When you step into a situation where fear or panic exists, in what ways can you exercise the authority of Jesus Christ — publicly or privately — to bring peace and safety to that situation? Have you made a practice of doing this?

As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
— Romans 8:14

When I was a young man growing up in the city of Tulsa, I always thought I would attend Oral Roberts University (ORU). ORU was and continues to be one of the premier Christian universities in the world, and it just happened to be located in my hometown. I was so fervent about attending ORU that I even began taking a class there while I was still in high school in order to try to get a jump-start on my education.

Finally the time came for me to graduate from high school, and I eagerly anticipated attending ORU full-time in the fall. However, one day as I was praying about my future, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and forbade me from attending. I was completely stunned!

“Why don’t You want me to go to ORU, Lord?” I asked incredulously. “There’s no better place for a young man like me than ORU.”

The Holy Spirit answered, “Because there are things I want to teach you that you can only learn somewhere else. You’ll be in a good environment at ORU, but you’ll miss the greater things that I want to impart to you that are important for your future.

When I consider how the Holy Spirit worked with me as I faced the decision of what university to attend, I think of Romans 8:14. It says, “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

The word “led” is the Greek word ago, a word that was used in the agricultural and athletic worlds. In agricultural terms, it described a person who led an animal who was attached to the end of a rope. Wherever the farmer led, the animal was to follow. But interestingly, it is also where we get the word agonidzo, which described the intense struggle of a wrestler as he fought an opponent. From this word, we derive the word agony. It depicts the struggle — or the wrestling — of two opponents, each who are fighting furiously to throw the other to the mat in defeat.

Romans 8:14 tells us that the Holy Spirit wants to lead us about, but often there is a wrestling between our flesh and our spirits. The Holy Spirit leads one direction, but because the flesh doesn’t understand the leading of the Holy Spirit or doesn’t want to obey, it throws us into a struggle. The Holy Spirit is willing to lead us — and He will make sure we are in the right place at the right time — but we may have to overcome the flesh in order to follow. To be honest, it was a very big struggle for my mind to yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit to forego ORU and to attend a secular university.

But as difficult as the decision was, I knew in my heart that I needed to follow the Holy Spirit’s direction. So I made the choice to forego Oral Roberts University and enroll at a state university located a couple hours away from my hometown. As the school year progressed, it soon became apparent that by attending this secular institution, many new doors were being opened to me that might otherwise have been left shut if I had attended a Christian university. It was in this environment where I first began to get deeply involved in the ministry. My earliest experiences teaching the Bible publicly took place in the university church — and because I was constantly surrounded by unbelievers, I had opportunities to share Christ with people. These experiences emboldened me and familiarized me with the academic community’s objections to the Gospel, which in turn sharpened my ability to be an effective witness for the Lord.

That university was also where I began to study Classical Greek in earnest. These studies allowed me to delve deeper into the Word of God by analyzing the New Testament in its original Greek form. Before long, believers at the university church I attended began to approach me if they had a question about the Greek New Testament. Through these interactions, I saw how I could fill a vital niche in the Body of Christ by using my understanding of New Testament Greek to open up Scripture in such a way that listeners could gain new insight about God’s Word. The skills I gleaned from this discipline profoundly affected my entire life — reshaping my approach to studying the Bible and laying the foundations for my teaching ministry that would touch the lives of thousands of people across the world in the years to come.

When I look back on my years at that state university, I completely understand why it was God’s will for me to attend a secular school. It was a necessary training ground that provided me with the foundational skills I needed to succeed in ministry, and I am very thankful for that experience. As wonderful as Oral Roberts University is, God wanted me at a secular university so He could impart certain truths that I personally could not have received in another environment. And to top it all off, I even met my wife Denise at the university church!

Your environment — the surroundings and conditions in which you live and operate — is so important! Being in the right place at the right time according to God’s plan for your life is crucial as you seek to discover and fulfill His will for your life. God will use people, places, and the opportunities around you to shape you, sharpen your gifts, and prepare you to do His will. As First Corinthians 12:18 (NKJV) teaches, “…God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.”

Are you where God has directed you to be? It might be that the place to which you are called is outside of your comfort zone and you wish you could escape to somewhere else far away. However, if you know in your heart that God has spoken a word over your life, don’t second-guess Him. Instead, trust that He is working to fully develop the gifts He has placed within you so you can fulfill your divine mandate. God knows exactly what you need and where you need to be

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY


Lord, as I reflect on my life, I can see how You have led me at times when I didn’t understand that I was even being led. You put me exactly where I needed to be. You surrounded me with the people who were essential for my training and preparation. I am so thankful that I allowed You to show me what to do and that You gave me the courage to obey. I ask that You reignite that willingness and courage in me right now as I follow Your leading again and again. I receive Your wisdom and strength to do Heaven’s work upon the earth. I believe that You are doing everything to develop the gifts and callings in my life so that I can fulfill my divine mandate.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY


I thankfully confess that God leads me even when I don’t understand that I’m being led. He puts me exactly where I need to be and surrounds me with the people that are essential for my training and preparation. God’s Spirit shows me what to do. He gives me courage to obey. And right now, He is reigniting that willingness and courage in me as I follow His leading again. He is doing everything to develop the gifts and callings in my life so I can fulfill my divine mandate!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

  1. Have you ever thought you knew where you were supposed to be, but God interrupted your plans and led you differently than you anticipated?
  2. Although you may have been taken off-guard at how God led you, as you look back on that experience, can you see how important it was that God led you to where you were and to be with the people you were with? How did that place and those people help prepare you for the next season of your life?
  3. Is God leading you differently right now than you had anticipated? Is it a place that is outside of your comfort zone?

Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
— 1 John 5:21

When the apostle John was on the island of Patmos, he received seven messages to the seven churches in Asia. His spirit had been pierced by Jesus’ words, and he vividly recalled the Lord’s loving rebuke concerning the sin that was trying to creep back into some of those congregations. John knew from Christ’s words that idolatry was trying to seep into the Church. The apostle understood that the willingness of believers to compromise jeopardized the Church’s holiness, weakened the power of the Holy Spirit among them, and nullified their witness for Christ. Thus, the apostle solemnly admonished them, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”

This was a strong admonition for believers to guard their lives against evil that was looking for a way to get back into the mainstream of their lives. John instructed his readers to “keep” themselves from idols and the disastrous implications of idolatrous worship — which was connected with all types of sinful, sexual, riotous behavior. Since First John 5:21 is the living Word of God, it also speaks to you and me: We are to “keep” ourselves from insidious evil and sin that would try to creep back into our own lives.

The word “keep” in this verse is the Greek word phulasso, a word that occurs at least 400 times in the Old Testament Septuagint and 31 times in the New Testament. In each instance, the usage of this word is indisputable. It describes the guarding and protecting of a thing, such as the guarding of a house, property, possessions, or even graves, and it denotes the alertness and sleeplessness of the person who is on guard. The word phulasso could also imply the safekeeping of something entrusted to someone, and it was often used in a military sense to describe a garrison, a guard, or a sentinel. To “keep” (phulasso) something demanded that a person be loyal to the task — never lethargic or lackadaisical. If that individual “fell asleep on the job,” the consequences could be grave; therefore, he must be on full alert at all times.

The Greek word phulasso means we are to remain wide awake and stay on course to the very end. We are to defend ourselves against the evil just as a garrison defends a strategic position. We are to be the sentinels of our lives and of the Church.

When John commanded his readers to “…keep yourself from idols…,” he was urging them to stay on alert regarding the danger of idolatry and sin. The tense used in First John 5:21 stresses continuous responsibility, which indicates this vigilance must be constantly maintained. Idolatry and other sin — and all their insidious effects — were so close that the believers needed to continually stay alert in order to remain free from their contaminating effects. It was absolutely essential that they stood firm, steadfastly refusing to compromise in the face of worldly pressures.

The believers in the First Century were surrounded with temptation. Pagan temples abounded with perverse sexual practices connected with idolatry. Those pagan temples were hotbeds of demonic activity and sinful actions. In order for Christians to stay free, they had to decide to stay free — that meant deliberately avoiding contact with these places. If they didn’t maintain an alert attitude and stay continually alert, idolatry would creep back into their midst with devastating consequences. This is the reason why John called on believers to “keep” themselves from it — that is, to protect themselves from idols and to stay continuously alert about the need to be vigilant against idolatry’s temptations.

Likewise, we must take John’s words to our hearts and realize that it is our responsibility to protect ourselves from sin that would try to creep back into our lives. The world is full of sin — and as time progresses, the sin will get darker and more depraved. Society (without God) is gravitating toward normalizing even the most debased base instincts in order to make these things acceptable in society. Hence, it is essential that you and I stay fully alert to the creeping effects of sin.

We may not have actual idols to deal with in today’s modern world, but sin is still a reality — and believers must avoid the pull to compromise with a world that is drifting further and further from the absolute truths of God’s Word. Regardless of what the world says is acceptable, we still have an unchangeable compass — the Bible — which serves as our absolute and final authority in these last days until Jesus returns for His Church. Until then, we must hide the Word of God in our hearts so we do not sin against God (see Psalm 119:11).

You are the guardian and overseer over your heart, and it is up to you to make sure your heart stays sensitive to the Holy Spirit and to God’s Word by setting aside time each day to spend with Him. It is up to you to do all you can to “keep” yourself from the creeping effects of sin in this crucial hour. And here’s the good news: You are well able to remain steadfast and pure in every area of your life, because through Jesus, you have everything you need to hold on to that victorious testimony!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY


Father, I hear what You are saying to me, and I take this responsibility deep into my heart. You have called me to be the guardian and sentinel of my life and to retain this vigilant position until the end of my spiritual journey. Forgive me for times when I have been spiritually slack. I pray for the Holy Spirit to empower me to remain alert and wide awake and to stay on track — completely unresponsive to and unaffected by sin and its creeping effects that are in the world. Regardless of what the world and society may say or do, I thank You for Your continual supply of supernatural strength to draw upon, Father, to keep myself from sin and to live my life according to Your Word.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY


I confess that I am dedicated to obeying the Word of God and that I do not allow society or the world around me to dictate what is right or wrong. Sin is looking for a way to creep back into my life — and into the lives of all believers — but I have determined that I will remain on guard, as a sentinel of my life. God expects this of me and will hold me responsible for keeping my life free from the contaminant of sin and its creeping effects. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I will walk with God in a manner that is pleasing to Him and that is free of the sinful influence of the world.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

  1. Do you know any believers who have been morally compromised by the world and the thinking of society? As you consider their waywardness, what were the early signs that showed sin was creeping back into their minds and lives again?
  2. What do you need to do to “keep” yourself from the moral and spiritual contamination that is in the world? What steps do you need to take to build a strong spiritual barrier between you and the creeping effects of sin?
  3. Are there any areas where you’ve already been affected by the world? If so, what do you need to do to reverse this trend, to cleanse your life of it, and to get back on the straight and narrow path with the Lord?

…He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
— Hebrews 11:6

Some people never see anything accomplished with their lives because they start and stop too many projects. But Hebrews 11:6 says that God “…is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

If you want to qualify for God’s reward and you know He has called you to do something, you have to be completely committed to pressing forward all the way until you have fully accomplished the assignment. For this, you need diligence to stick with it.

In today’s Sparkling Gem, I want us to take a look at this phrase “diligently seek” and see how diligence is absolutely necessary to see any dream, vision, or calling come to pass. According to this verse, those who diligently seek God and His will are eventually rewarded!

The phrase “diligently seek” is a translation of the Greek word ekzeteo, a compound of ek and zeteo. The first part is the Greek word ek, which means out, and the second word is zeteo, which means to seek. When these words are compounded, the new word means to seek out. As used in Hebrews 11:6, it means to zealously seek for something with all of one’s heart, strength, and might. It conveys the idea of being hard-working, attentive, busy, constant, and persistent in one’s devotion to what he or she is doing.

If you and I take our life assignment lightly — approaching it with a casual, easygoing, take-it-easy, relaxed attitude — we’ll never go far in the fulfillment of our calling or dream. It takes hard work to achieve anything worthwhile, and complaining about how hard it is won’t make the process any easier. I always say, “Live like a slug, and you’ll eat dirt the rest of your life.” So unless we want to “eat a lot of dirt,” we have to make the decision to get up and put our hands to the plow! If you and I are serious about doing what God has told us to do, we must adjust our level of commitment and get to work. Being a hard worker is a part of being diligent.

If you and I want to see our dreams fulfilled, we must give our full attention to what God has called us to do. It must have our full consideration, our undivided attention, and our full mental and spiritual concentration. Ceaseless, around-the-clock, nonstop devotion is essential in order to be diligent.

When we are seriously pursuing what God has told us to do, we won’t have time for wrong attitudes and wrong thinking. To remain diligent, we must be engrossed, totally absorbed, and fully engaged. We must immerse ourselves in faith, prayer, and meditation regarding God’s call on our lives. All of this takes 100 percent of our focus and effort for us to accomplish what God has placed in our hearts. This is part of what it means to be diligent.

Being constant and consistent is also an essential quality needed to diligently pursue your God-given dream. Fickle, flighty, erratic behavior will never produce the fulfillment of God’s will in your life. It takes consistency and determination to push aside the powers of hell and obtain the victory you desire. If you and I constantly fluctuate — wandering back and forth and in and out of faith — we will never reap anything enduring for the Kingdom of God. To produce powerful results, we must be constant in our commitments. We must be “steady-as-she-goes” — fixed, unchanging, and steadfast. It’s all part of being diligent.

Persistence is also a key to remaining diligent. When a person is persistent, he refuses to relent. He is tenaciously immovable, even in the face of opposition, and unbending until his objective is achieved.

Withstanding opposition and braving adversity is just a part of the walk of faith. In order for us to resist attempts to abort our dreams, we must be persistent. This is the kind of commitment required to live and walk in faith.

With this in mind, Hebrews 11:6 could be read:

“God is a Rewarder of those who are hard-working, attentive, busy, constant, and persistent in their pursuit of seeking Him.”

A casual approach will never get you to the triumphant end of the spiritual race God has placed before you. You have to give 100 percent of your focus and energy in order to press through the barriers that will stand against you to keep you from making it to the finish line.

Diligence and all that it entails is a requirement for you to get to a place of victory. So now that we’ve discussed what diligence looks like, it’s essential that you make sure you’re right on track in this area so you can fully accomplish what God has asked you to do. Are you diligently seeking God and His will for your life? This is the perfect day to make sure your answer is yes!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY


Father, I realize that I can apply more concentrated effort in my pursuit of You and Your will for my life. Thank You, Lord, for revealing to me the areas where I need to make adjustments and how I need to make them. I ask You for clearer revelation of my life’s assignment so I can walk with greater focus and commitment to fulfill that purpose — whatever may be required. Holy Spirit, I ask for and receive Your help to apply diligence and all that it entails. Strengthen me in my inner man to lay aside slothfulness in every area of my life so that I can experience the reward of those who devote themselves to seek Your will with all diligence. I receive fresh grace from you now, in Jesus’ name!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY


I choose to live diligently, and I refuse to live like a slug! I am zealous and persistent in my pursuit of God’s plan for my life. Instead of being fickle, flighty or erratic, I am hardworking, attentive, busy, and constant! I give earnest attention to being a consistent doer of the Word of God. As a result, my mind is continually being renewed, and my thoughts are conformed to be in agreement with God’s will. I inspect and evaluate my ways on a regular basis. As I do this, I am quick to make any adjustments necessary in order to persevere in the fulfillment of God’s will for my life.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

  1. If you asked God whether or not He saw diligence working in your life, what would He say to you? Be honest with yourself, because God will be completely honest with you if you ask Him to help you answer this important question.
  2. In what ways does your life demonstrate diligence? If you possess this quality, it should be recognizable in your daily life, so identify some ways you show diligence.
  3. In what areas do you lack diligence, and what are you willing to do to bring diligence into those aspects of your life? It would be helpful for you to write your thoughts about this question on a piece of paper so your eyes can see them.  That might be uncomfortable for you to do, but if you really want to grow in diligence, you must be willing to confront any area of your life where a lack of this quality still tries to define you.

Do ye look on things after the outward appearance?
— 2 Corinthians 10:7

Denise and I decided to attend an art auction in Moscow simply because we wanted to do something fun and different. We were not going to purchase art, but we thought it might be fun to observe how an event like an art auction would be conducted. We figured it would be a high-class event, so we dressed accordingly. We got into the car, headed across town, and arrived in the location where the auction was to be conducted. We arrived a little early, so we walked through the gallery — flabbergasted at the asking prices of the art that was to be auctioned that evening.

When it was time for the auction to begin, we made our way to our seats. Before everything started, I looked around to see what kind of people were there to participate that evening. By the way most people were dressed, I never would have imagined they had any money. Denise and I were the best-dressed people in the place, and we were there only as observers! From all outward appearances, we were the ones who looked affluent, and the people who had big money to spend looked like they had dropped by the auction on the way to a picnic!

When the auction started, it wasn’t long until the auctioneer starting pounding the podium with his gavel. “SOLD!” he said, over and over again. The man sitting in front of me wore sneakers, jeans, and a wrinkled shirt, and he held in his hand a list of paintings he intended to “war” over and take home that night. I could hardly believe my eyes and ears as that young man lifted his auction card again and again to bid for pieces of art. Within moments, he had spent a fortune on paintings. But the final shock was when an unshaven and disheveled-looking man across the room from us paid nearly $1,000,000 for two abstract paintings that were so ugly, I wouldn’t have hung them in our garage!

When the event was over, I meandered through the small crowd so I could get a closer look at the people who had paid these whopping prices for art that evening. None of them looked like he or she had any money. Most of them looked like they needed fashion assistance! From all outward appearances, I wouldn’t have thought any of them had a dime to spare.

Denise and I went to the car to head home. When we got into the car and looked at each other, we were speechless at first. We just didn’t know what to say about the enormous sums of money people spent more quickly than we could blink — or about the unimpressive way these enormously rich people were dressed that evening. One lesson we clearly learned that evening: Looks can be deceiving!

This experience made me ponder the number of people we encounter in life who are much more powerful internally than they look outwardly. Just consider the apostle Paul! We have no illustrations or photos of what Paul looked like, but from what he wrote about himself in Second Corinthians 10:10, we can surmise that he wasn’t among the best-looking of his day. In fact, Paul actually quoted an opponent who laughed at his physical appearance and voice. Paul told them in essence, “I’ve heard what you’ve said about me. You say, ‘…His bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.’”

The words “bodily presence” is a translation of the Greek words parousia tou somatos, which may be better translated, “the mere appearance of his body.” Paul’s opponents were not impressed with his physical body! They called it “weak.” The word “weak” that Paul quotes here is the Greek word astheneo, which can mean physically weak, but it can also mean dubious, defective, or questionable in appearance. It could actually be rendered, “the appearance of his body is a little puzzling.”

It appears that they were laughing at Paul’s physical body; yet it was that same physical body that had carried the power of God wherever he went. The external “package” may not have been very impressive to the apostle’s opponents, but it contained the dynamic power of God! So Paul warned them, “You better be careful about judging me by my exterior appearance, because when I come to you the next time, you will find out how much power is contained inside this body!” (to paraphrase Paul’s words in Second Corinthians 10:2,11).

Apparently they were also laughing at Paul’s voice or the way he spoke, because he said, “I hear you saying that my speech is contemptible.” The word “speech” is the word logos, which means words but in this case most likely means his voice or possibly his manner of speech. The word “contemptible” is the Greek word exoutheneo, which means awful, despicable, disgusting, or horrible.

What was it about Paul’s voice or his way of speaking that some people loathed so much? We don’t know, but something in his manner of speech or what his voice sounded like made them say that listening to him was disgusting! Yet it was this voice that first preached the Gospel to them and brought them out of spiritual darkness into spiritual light! We don’t know what Paul sounded like, but regardless of his voice’s tenor, depth, or tone — and regardless of how Paul articulated his message — it had been the voice of this apostle that had been the vehicle to bring the knowledge of God’s power and love to the Corinthians and to people all over the Roman Empire.

There may have been weaknesses in Paul’s physical appearance and vocal abilities, but his interior was mighty and powerful. People could mock all they wanted, but his opponents were never able to match what he accomplished because he was so inwardly filled with divine power and revelation. His opponents may have been more physically attractive, but inwardly they simply couldn’t measure up to what Paul carried within himself.

That night at the art auction, Denise and I outwardly looked like the ones who had money to spend, and the people who actually possessed the necessary resources to purchase that expensive art didn’t look impressive at all. Judging by appearances, we would have missed it altogether. It was an amazing night of learning anew that a person’s outward package may not always tell the truth about what he or she is carrying on the inside.

I want to encourage you not to judge yourself too harshly by your exterior appearance. Do all you can to make yourself look better. But when you’re done with improvements and there’s nothing else you can do, you must remember that your inward man is filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Remember this truth also when you meet others. It is simply a fact that you will meet some people who look very impressive but are inwardly empty. And you will meet others who look very unimpressive but are among those who will change the world! So determine today to judge first yourself and then everyone else you know in life not by external appearances, but by the heart, just as God does. That one decision alone will help you see more clearly in every situation and keep you from evaluating yourself and those around you according to low-level human standards!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY


Lord, I admit that I’ve judged others by what they look like externally, and today I am asking You to forgive me. I’m sure that others have thought they could figure me out by what they see, yet have missed it many times. Please help me do all I can to improve my outward appearance, but help me remember that I carry Your power and the revelation of Your Word inside me and that there is more to me than meets the eye!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY


I confess that I am the temple of the Holy Spirit and that the power and the life of God live inside me. I carry within me the authority of the name of Jesus; my voice is an instrument that speaks life; and I am filled with divine treasures. Just as I do not want others to judge me by my external appearance, I will no longer judge others only by what my eyes see. From this moment forward, I will remember and live by the truth that there is more than meets the eye in me and in those whom I meet.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

  1. Have you ever met individuals who totally disarmed you because from outward appearances, you didn’t expect them to be as talented or gifted as you found out they were?
  2. How does it make you feel if you think others are judging you entirely by outward appearances? Do you want to run and hide, do you feel embarrassed, or does it make you want to stand up on the inside and show them who you really are?
  3. Make a list of Bible characters who seemed weak or whom people deemed insignificant yet God used them mightily as history-changers.

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
— Matthew 24:7,8

For me, there is no doubt that we are living at the end of the Church Age. It is a fact that many world-shaking events will occur before the coming of the Lord, and we’ve already witnessed many of them. In recent years, the world has experienced many upheavals and disasters that have left many believers reeling and wondering if the coming of Christ is imminent. Fortunately, the Bible provides clear guidance on this topic in numerous passages throughout the Old and New Testament.

In fact, Jesus Himself prophesied about state of the world in the last days. In Matthew 24:7 and 8, He said, “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”

Notice the phrase “beginning of sorrows” in this verse. This word “sorrows” is the Greek word oodin, and it specifically describes the labor pains a pregnant woman experiences before she gives birth. However, Jesus called this period in time the “beginning of sorrows” — not the end of sorrows. The Greek word for “beginning” is arche, which in this particular case simply means a starting point. By using this word, Jesus was teaching that the events described in verse 7 would mark the beginning of an undefined period of time that would transpire before the coming of Christ. He does not give us a specific timeframe, but He does reveal signs and indicators that will let us know when we have entered into this turbulent period. It is important to understand that just because some of these events are occurring today, it doesn’t mean we have reached the end — it simply means the process has begun.

As we approach the end of the Church Age, Jesus said the world will begin to feel stress and pressure like a woman preparing to give birth to a baby. Let’s think for a moment about the process of giving birth. A woman’s pains start slowly then gradually grow stronger and stronger. Finally, her whole body is pushing downward to deliver that child. At the last moment, the pains come quickly, and they are intense. This is the indicator that she is right at the moment of delivery.

Likewise, as the world comes closer and closer to the end of the age, the pains in the world will become greater. These pains will become more intense and more frequent. As these grow in intensity and frequency, they are a signal that we are approaching the time when Jesus will return for the Church.

The Bible outlines many events that will occur in the last days (see Matthew 24, Luke 21, and 2 Timothy 3), but does Scripture give us a primary sign that will mark the uttermost conclusion of the age and imminent return of Jesus? And if so, what is it?

The only sure sign of Jesus’ imminent return is found in Matthew 24:14, where He proclaimed, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

The very last sign Jesus gave concerning right before His imminent return was the preaching of the Gospel all over the world. That’s how we can get a good idea of how close we are to the return of Jesus: the extent to which the Gospel is being preached all over the world! Jesus clearly said that when the Gospel is preached unto all the nations, “then shall the end come.” If we want to know how close we are to the coming of Jesus, we must look to the nations. How well we are penetrating and reaching them with the Gospel tells us how close we are to the end! When the whole world has had a witness of the Gospel, then the end shall come according to the Lord Jesus Christ.

We must be very careful as we approach the future. Jesus admonished us in Matthew 24:6, “See that ye are not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” We must not let the noises surrounding us throw us into a state of turmoil or panic. We are people of faith, and we know the end of the story before it even begins! We must keep our eyes on the Lord and our minds on the Word because we have a faith that overcomes the world (see 1 John 5:4)!

Jesus said the last, greatest sign of His return is when all the nations of the earth have had a witness of the Gospel. So don’t let negative news reports make you think it’s all over, because it’s not over until that last nation has had an opportunity to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior!

Since this is true, it makes sense, then, that the devil would be actively trying to make believers fearful about the future so they will stop sowing seed. It’s to his advantage if he can get believers to succumb to a fear-riddled mindset of self-preservation and abort their harvests of financial well-being. Not only would that hinder the fulfilling of their own God-given callings and destinies, but it would also hinder the spread of the Gospel and thus delay the coming of Jesus.

Of course the devil doesn’t want the nations to hear the Good News! Do you realize how close we are to the whole world having heard the Gospel? He wants to stop it and sidetrack us so we’ll stop what we’re doing!

By luring us to stop sowing seed, the devil also ensures that we jeopardize any future financial harvest in our own lives. Therefore, when times get hard and supernatural provision is needed, it won’t be there because there is no seed in the ground to bless and multiply!

Don’t let the devil do this to you!

Sowing seed will keep you financially blessed through any storm that lies ahead. If you allow fear to dictate your giving and forget the masses of desperate, unsaved people for whom Jesus died, you will only end up hurting yourself. Your financial gifts have the power to save nations!

Neither the wind nor the clouds of this dark spiritual climate are to determine our obedience to God! As Ecclesiastes 11:4 says, “He that observeth the wind shall not sow: and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.”

We cannot let the political or financial climate of the world dictate whether or not we keep sowing seed to allow the Word of God to reach the lost nations of the world. There has never been a greater opportunity for spreading the Gospel across the world than right now. All over the planet, people are crying for someone to bring them the truth of Jesus Christ. The whole world knows something is happening; they just don’t know what it is! They don’t understand that the earth is crying out for Jesus to return. So we must go tell them!

The problems of the world are real, and we would be foolish not to prepare. But we are also foolish if we trust in riches and move into a self-protective mode. We must keep our hearts and priorities right, regardless of what we hear around us. We must not let the devil push us back into retreat. And we must keep pushing forward — aggressively reaching toward the goal of preaching the Gospel to the ends of the earth. When that goal is achieved, Jesus will come!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY


Father, I thank You for the privilege of contributing toward the spread of the Gospel across the earth. I ask You to help me always put first things first. Help me focus on Heaven’s priorities — souls — so that I will not become distracted by the cares of this life or the pressures and anxieties of this age. Teach me how to prepare for the difficult times to come without slipping into self-preservation. I submit myself to You, Father, and I resist the spirit of fear. As I receive Your wisdom and grace, I follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance to do my part in building the Kingdom of God and hastening Christ’s return.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY


I consistently sow financial seed into the work of preaching Jesus Christ among the nations. I strengthen the work of missionary outreaches throughout the earth through my participation in prayer and offerings. As I do my part to spread the Gospel, I am helping to hasten His return. I remain focused without distraction — and bold without fear — to occupy until He comes.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

  1. Do you believe the coming of Jesus for His Church is near? What makes you believe this? What are the signs that really speak to your heart, that make you believe Jesus is coming soon?
  2. Do you regularly give to missions or to missionary organizations that are spreading the good news of the Gospel to the ends of the earth? Do you believe that you have a financial responsibility to give to missions?
  3. How do you perceive that your giving affects people in other parts of the world?