Over the past several weeks, our ladies “Coffee Break” group has been going through the book of 1 Timothy. Timothy was a young pastor who had dedicated his life to spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. The church that was entrusted to his care was the church in Ephesus and, in this letter, Paul (his mentor and father in the faith) was challenging Him to remember to keep the Gospel message of Christ and the truth of God’s Word always before him.
In chapter 6, Paul is giving Timothy final instructions. He has already listed out the dangers threatening the church (much like the dangers we face today) and the dangers to Timothy as an individual – areas where Satan sought to sneak in and create division and destruction.
1 Timothy 6:11-12
Paul’s Final Instructions
But you, Timothy, are a man of God;
so run from all these evil things.
Pursue righteousness and a godly life,
along with faith,
love,
perseverance,
and gentleness.
Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses.
I love how Paul is so practical about living out the Christian faith. I have found, in my own experience, that God works in the details of my life to draw me into a deeper relationship with Himself. Through prayer and Bible reading I learn more of who He is and what He desires of me. And then, in every day life, I feel Him leading me in paths of righteousness as I put into action the truth I am learning. The outcome is more freedom in my heart and life and a greater understanding of the wonderful, faithful, loving God I serve.
Following Him is not always easy. In fact, steps of obedience often create a tension…a tug-o-war between my flesh and my spirit. It is in these daily, even moment to moment, battles where God wins more of me or I retreat and ignore His prompting. Thankfully, God never gives up and continues to orchestrate opportunities for me to grow into Christ-likeness.
But understand. There IS a danger to my growth and freedom…the danger of refusal to surrender to His will and way.
We all know what it looks like. It’s different from struggling through a step of obedience and even grumbling at the circumstances God sets before me. Instead, it’s a refusal to go on in a particular matter.
It’s a halt.
A stop.
A digging in of the heals.
“God, you can have every other part of me but here I draw the line.”
Have you ever been there?
Is God asking something of you right now?
Is He asking you to give something over to Him?
Is He asking you to let go of something?
Is He asking you to obey in some area?
Is He asking you to exercise faith in a way that seems too risky?
Beware, when God asks you to do “the hard thing” to avoid any agents of compromise.
You may ask what I mean. These are the people who have come to the similar crossroads in which you find yourself and have said “no” to God on that particularly hard step of obedience.
If you confer with them about the struggle of conviction you face, they will almost always dissuade you from obeying God in the matter.
Because, to acknowledge God’s voice speaking into your life would mean they must acknowledge their disobedience to His voice in their own.
Instead of receiving words to spur you on to good works, (Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. Heb 10:24)
Instead of an offer of prayer on your behalf,
You will often hear words of sympathy,
“What a difficulty you find yourself in!”
“No one is perfect, surely God isn’t expecting this of you.”
“It’s not right to feel guilty or troubled.”
“I felt that way once…”
These people often explain away conviction as man made pressures and even your own personal expectations.
Only you know when God is pressing in. And even when an agent of compromise tickles your ears, your heart knows the truth of the matter. My suggestion to you is RUN.
In the closing of Paul’s letter to Timothy he finishes with the following passage.
1 Timothy 6:20-21
Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you.
Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so- called knowledge.
Some people have wandered from the faith by following such foolishness.
He is talking about those who have abandoned the truth of the gospel for something more palatable, something that perhaps offers them individual gain. They defy the power and work of Christ in the lives of believers and become a obstacle to spiritual freedom with their distorted message of truth. An agent of compromise can be equally as dangerous.
Maybe this blog post today is your life-line. Maybe there is someone who stands at the door of decision and has listened to the easy words of the “agent of compromise”. I encourage you to DO “the hard thing” God sets before you. Trust Him.
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Phil 1:6
And, in closing, do you find that you’ve become an “agent of compromise”? It’s not too late to turn to God. It’s not too late to “do the hard thing”.
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 1 John 1:9
My prayer is that we will be agents of righteousness, agents of prayer and encouragement.
Do that thing that God has set before you and cheer others on to do the same.
