Saturday 2 Mar 2013

Saturday Reading: 1 Timothy 1:18-20

Key Verse: 1 Timothy 1:19
19  Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:

Devotion:
Let us never forget that we are always going to have to face Satan when we bring forward God’s Word. He is always going to be the one trying to stop us from reaching out to others with the truth. So when we see someone reaching out to others we need to be there to encourage them and support them because they have dared to go up against Satan. God may be the only one that can protect us from Satan, but without encouragement things can break down.

Timothy was being encouraged to keep up the good fight so that he would be able to continue helping and supporting the people that needed it most. But he was also being reminded that when we are in this fight, taking our eyes off the target will normally mean that we fail in our next step. If we are getting ready to shoot a bow at a target, closing our eyes is about the worst thing we can do!

When we are in this fight for God we need to keep our wits about us and continue to depend on all the abilities that God has given us. One of those is our consciences! God has given us the ability to know when things are wrong before we get into trouble. He has given us the ability to know whether things are right or wrong before we know the absolute truth about those things. This conscience allows us to be better prepared for the battle and better prepared for what is going to happen next.

As soon as we lay down our sword (the Word of God) and ignore our conscience (our God given gift) then we are no longer fully prepared for the battle that we are in and we may well find that we trip up and fall. And when we do trip up and fall it may well look like a shipwreck rather than a simple trip because everything else collapses and we are exposed on every side. Shipwrecks or car crashes are not good things to be in because they happen when we are no longer in control. God would rather that we stay in control by allowing Him to guide us every step of the way – and for us to listen to that instruction constantly, obeying it and growing in faith and strength through it!

Points to Ponder:
How many ‘shipwrecks’ have happened in your life?

How many of those times had you lost focus on God?