Today’s New Covenant nugget is from 2 Timothy 3:1-7
But know this, that in the last daysperilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving,unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
2 Timothy 3:1-7 sadly describes a large part of the last day church. People who go to church, and participate in many aspects of organized religion that have a form of godliness without the power of God – people who are always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
2 Timothy 3:1-7 is a prophecy that can be divided into three sections, firstly it gives us the timing of the prophecy – In the last days – we are now living in the days of this prophecy.
Secondly Paul outlines the fruit of the problem… perilous times - men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving,unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.
Thirdly the prophecy gives us the root of the problem in much of the last day’s apostate church…
They will have a form of godliness but they will deny its power and they will always be learning but they will never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
In today’s devotion I want to deal with the root of the problems many are having today as prophesied by Paul. Denying the power of God and always learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth – In todays world we live in the information age where more knowledge is available than ever before. When a believer learns without applying what they have learned, they do not need the power of God. It takes the power of God to apply the Word – in fact no believer can apply the Word effectively without the enabling power of God!
If you fall into the trap of heaping one teaching upon another without application, those teachings of life will become death and will actually inoculate you against them. James the apostle warns that believers should be doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving themselves!
Meditating on the Word includes study, confession hearing and then action. Hear it, say it, study it and then do it – do not fall into the trap of hearing and hearing and hearing only – hear it, say it, study it and then step out and do it by grace through faith by the enabling power of God.
Take notes when you hear a good word being preached, then immediately make application – go do something that you heard! As you read the bible, look for the application – ask the Holy Spirit to highlight the part that He wants you to apply. Take something that has stood out to you and make confession, meditate, study and then step out and do it over and over again by the power of God until that revelation Word becomes a part of you.
