Loading... DO NOT BE SEDUCED - 1 Timothy 4:1
Friday, March 31st, 2006I Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
Do not be surprised when you see individuals backslide from the faith. While you should not be surprised, you should definitely be grieved that someone who had the faith is seduced into departing from the faith. It is one thing for an individual who has not had the truth never to accept it; it is another thing all together for someone who had the truth to now depart from it.
Satan does not give up simply because you became a Christian. Satan understands that you once belonged to him because of your sin and he will do everything in his power to bring you back into his fold. Satan understands that one day he will be destroyed because of his sin. It is his goal to take as many with him as he possibly can. Satan has nothing to lose. Just because you are now a child of the King, in his mind, it does not make you off limits for him to destroy your effectiveness for God and cause you to depart from the faith. Instead, the closer your relationship with God, the more he desires to destroy you.
Satan is not to be trifled with; he is a powerful opponent. Satan understands that he is eventually going to be a loser. However, Satan is just like a cornered mountain lion. The mountain lion is not going to sit down and be captured. The mountain lion is going to be captured while it fights. The mountain lion is going to look for an opportunity to attack. Satan knows what is going to happen, Satan’s sin has made it so that he can never have eternal life in heaven. Satan understands his punishment and his whole purpose is to now cause as much grief to God as he can.
You understand that nothing is sacred with the enemies of God. Just because you are a child of God, it does not mean that you are free from temptations and trials. Satan is going to try to cause you to forsake your faith. Satan desires to cause you to lose sight of the power of God. Satan knows that God created you and that he gain possessions of the souls of men by causing Adam and Eve to sin in the garden. Satan knows that God purchased you back with the life of HIS Only Son. Satan feels that if he has taken you from God once, that it does not hurt to try to take you away again.
You must be vigilant to keep your faith. Paul warns Timothy in this passage that some will depart from the faith. You must learn to be like Job who endured great testing and was able to say, naked came I into the world and naked shall I return. Job refused to curse God and he refused to deny his trust in God. While you may not personally suffer like Job suffered, Satan is still going to put you through the trials in an attempt to cause you to fall short of the glory of God.
Paul has warned you that some will turn from the faith. You have studied God’s word and you understand that Satan is going to lose in the end. Now it is time for you to strengthen your faith so that when the storms of life blow, you will be in a position that you will not quickly be seduced. Do not be seduced by false doctrines. Do not be seduced by lies. Do not be seduced by creating higher standards then those that God demands. You have the truth. Give thanks to God that you have the truth and that through HIM you are more then capable of overcoming the attacks of Satan.