2 Thessalonians 3:3 - God is Faithful! - Are You?
2Th.3:3: God is Faithful! - Are You?
2 Th 3:3 (KJV) But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish
you, and keep you from evil.
2 Th 3:3 (NIV) But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen
and protect you from the evil one.
Stablish. "to confirm," "to establish," "to strengthen." [SDA
Commentary]
Keep you from evil. Literally, "guard you from the evil," or
"guard you from the evil [one]." The reference may be to evil in
general, or to Satan, the evil one. [SDA Commentary]
Beneath the surface of the routine of daily life, a fierce
struggle among invisible spiritual powers is being waged. Our main
defense is prayer that God will protect us from the evil one and that he
will strengthen us. (See also comments on Ephes. 6:10-19 concerning
our armor for spiritual warfare.) The following guidelines can help
you prepare for and survive satanic attacks: (1) take the threat of
spiritual attack seriously; (2) pray for strength and help from God; (3)
study the Bible to recognize Satan's style and tactics; (4) memorize
Scripture so it will be a source of help no matter where you are; (5)
associate with those who speak the truth; and (6) practice what you are
taught by spiritual leaders. [Life Application SB]
To fight spiritual battles we need God's armor. The enemy is
unseen, but the battle is real. In the Christian life we battle against
"the spiritual forces of evil (the evil forces of fallen angels
headed by Satan who is a vicious fighter, see 1 Peter 5:8). To
withstand their attacks, we must depend on God's strength and use every
piece of his armor. Paul is not only giving this counsel to the church
as a whole, but to each individual within the church. The entire
body of Christ needs to be armed. As you do battle against "the
powers of this dark world," fight in the strength of the church, whose
power comes from the Holy Spirit.[Life Application SB re Eph.6:10-17;
Spiritual Armor]
We have no enemies but the enemies of God. Our fights are not
against men but against spiritual wickednesses. We war with the devil
and the blasphemy and error and despair which he brings into the
field of battle. We fight with all the armies of sin - impurity,
drunkenness, oppression, infidelity, and ungodliness. With these we contend
earnestly, but not with sword or spear; the weapons of our warfare are not
carnal.
Jehovah, our God, abhors everything which is evil, and,
therefore, He goeth with us to fight for us in this crusade. He will save
us, and He will give us grace to war a good warfare and win the
victory. We may depend upon it that if we are on God's side God is on
our side. With such an august ally the conflict is never in the
least degree doubtful. It is not that truth is mighty and must
prevail but that might lies with the Father who is almighty, with Jesus
who has all power in heaven and in earth, and with the Holy Spirit
who worketh His will among men.
Soldiers of Christ, gird on your armor. Strike home in the name
of the God of holiness, and by faith grasp His salvation. Let not
this day pass without striking a blow for Jesus and holiness.
[Charles Spurgeon; Time with God devotional SB re Eph.6:10-17; Spiritual
Armor]
The prayer of Psalms 19:14 - Let the words of my mouth, and the
meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength,
and my redeemer. - ought to be on our lips and in our hearts all day
long. The meditation of the heart controls the words of the mouth
(Mark 7:14-23). The word "meditation" here has the image of a musician
plucking the strings of a harp. Who controls the music of your heart, God
or Satan? Meditation is to the heart what digestion is to the body;
it is the taking in of the Word of God and making it a part of the
inner being. As the heart and mind think on the Word all day long, the
Spirit guides the life. This is what it means to walk in the Spirit
(Gal. 5:16) and to have the spiritual mind (Rom. 8:1-8).... ask God to
enable you to love the Word, live in it, and obey it--and He will bless
you. [Wiersbe Expository Outlines re Psa. 19:14]
The danger on the battlefield is that we do not take the enemy
seriously and therefore fail to put on all of the armor. By faith, you put
on the armor through prayer, which must be done at the beginning of
every day. Never underestimate the strategy and strength of the devil.
[Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren Wiersbe re Eph.6:10-17;
Spiritual Armor]
Our evil nature, like an ill-tempered horse, is apt to run away.
May the grace of God put the bridle upon it, and hold it in, that it
rush not into mischief. What might not the best of us do if it were
not for the checks which the Lord sets upon us both in providence
and in grace! The psalmist's prayer is directed against the worst
form of sin--that which is done with deliberation and wilfulness. Even
the holiest need to be "kept back" from the vilest transgressions.
It is a solemn thing to find the apostle Paul warning saints
against the most loathsome sins. "Mortify therefore your members which
are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection,
evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry." What! do
saints want warning against such sins as these? Yes, they do. The
whitest robes, unless their purity be preserved by divine grace, will be
defiled by the blackest spots. Experienced Christian, boast not in your
experience; you will trip yet if you look away from him who is able to keep
you from falling. Ye whose love is fervent, whose faith is constant,
whose hopes are bright, say not, "We shall never sin," but rather cry,
"Lead us not into temptation." There is enough tinder in the heart of
the best of men to light a fire that shall burn to the lowest hell,
unless God shall quench the sparks as they fall. Who would have dreamed
that righteous Lot could be found drunken, and committing
uncleanness? Hazael said, "Is thy servant a dog, that he should do this
thing?" and we are very apt to use the same self-righteous question. May
infinite wisdom cure us of the madness of self-confidence. Charles H.
Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, re Psa. 19:13
Temptation is enticement to sin, and this does not proceed from
God, but from Satan and from the evil of our own hearts... He (God)
permits us to encounter obstacles, persecution, and hardships, not as a
curse, but as the greatest blessing of our lives. Every temptation
resisted, every trial bravely borne, gives us a new experience and
advances us in the work of character building. The soul that through
divine power resists temptation reveals to the world and to the
heavenly universe the efficiency of the grace of Christ... We should
pray that God will not permit us to be brought where we shall be
drawn away by the desires of our own evil hearts. In offering the
prayer that Christ has given, we surrender ourselves to the guidance of
God, asking Him to lead us in safe paths. We cannot offer this
prayer in sincerity, and yet decide to walk in any way of our own
choosing. [MB116-118 re Mat.6:13]
As Jesus was entering into the last days of his life on earth,
he prayed for his disciples and for all disciples to come. His
petitions were for union with the Father, joy, protection, and usefulness.
The sequence of those petitions is significant (Joh.17:11-17)
Friendship with Christ is the first priority and is basic for
the qualities that follow. Out of that intimate, love relationship,
joy is a logical consequence. Jesus knew, as he prayed for his
disciples, that if they did indeed come into fellowship with him and
exhibit the kind of full-fledged joy that he gives, there would be
opposition from the world, and so he prayed not that his disciples would be
protected from the world or taken out of it into a kind of insulated, holy
huddle, but that they would be protected form anything that would
destroy that union and joy. Then, out of that dynamic partnership,
usefulness would naturally flow.
The more I know Him, the more I experience that deep inner well
of joy that is not dependent on external circumstances. This joy
is present even in the midst of suffering and sorrow; it is a
motivating power even in discouragement and dismay. [Jeanie Miley; Time
with God devotional SB re Joh.17:11-17]
God's faithfulness to us is the basis for our faithfulness to
Him. If we love Him, we will keep His Word, and we will be patient in
times of trial. [Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren
Wiersbe]
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