No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. 2 Timothy 2:4-7.
But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their word will spread like gangrene. 2 Timothy 2:16-17.
Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. 2 Timothy 2:20-21.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God says:
Many of you are asking Me what I want you to do. When you call to Me, I answer you. And today I want to give you an answer. It is an answer that Paul wrote to Timothy by inspiration of My Spirit and which is for you as much as for Timothy. My Word is for all times and all seasons. It is established forever in Heaven and it applies to each one of you in a different way. My Word will never perish and it speaks to each of you in a special way just when you need it. Remember, Jesus told you that the Holy Spirit would teach you all things, guide you to all truth, and remind you of all the things Jesus said, and Jesus only spoke My Words as I told Him, so My Spirit is reminding you of what I said. And you have a whole book of things I have told you for your good. Paul put it this way to Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God (i.e., “God breathed”) and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17. I equip you with My Word.
Now, before we go further, I want to say that many of you are wondering if you are in the right place or if you should be somewhere else. This will cause you to be constantly putting your life on hold in the wilderness trying to get to the promised land. But I have told you to make the most of your time, to redeem the time. And not to be slumbering in darkness without a clue where you are headed. My Son, of course, has given you the answer already. Having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, they were looking around physically for the place, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with careful observation; nor will they say, ‘Look, here!’ or, ‘There!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is within you, within your very being.” Luke 17:20-21.
You as a believer in Jesus have the Holy Spirit in you by which you access My Kingdom within you, in the inner man of the heart you will find the entrance to a vast and peaceful Kingdom that has no limits. My Kingdom is right where you are. Put the BLESSING to work to turn where you are into a place of beauty and abundance. Does it remind you of Psalm 139? “You have enclosed me behind and before and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me.” Psalm 139:5-10. Make where you are the right place by keeping My Word and being a blessing. You can do that wherever you are. And if I need you to go elsewhere, I will let you know. Even if I have to transport you by your angel to get you going, as I did Philip out of preaching in Samaria to meeting the Ethiopian official on the desert road out of Jerusalem.
And right after telling you that where you are is Kingdom territory, Jesus said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. They will say to you, ‘Look there! Look here!’ Do not go away, and do not run after them. For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day.” Luke 17:22-24. Like lightning. One bolt of lightning can light up the entire sky from one end to the other. You can be like that right where you are, bright light to the world offering it My Word of life as you do the work of the ministry. You are all called to minister in some way to bring My Kingdom into your world.
And, of course, when you think about lightning you think about thunder. The lightning and the thunder happen at the same time, but you hear the thunderclap after the lightning has already flashed. And it is that way with revelation from My Word. You read the Word but until the light of revelation lights up the passage it does not resound in your heart, you do not really hear it until the lightning comes.
Now each one of you is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and David sang of how he longed to dwell in My temple to behold My beauty and inquire within. You can inquire of Me anytime and I answer. My sheep hear My voice. I know those who are My own. They follow Me and refuse to follow the voice of a stranger.
So, you have asked Me what I want you to do. And today I will share 2 Timothy 2, though there are many places I answer this question in My Word, for it is all about not being a hearer only but a doer of My Word, but this is a very good instruction for your life journey.
It begins, “You therefore, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:1-2. Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, in the anointed One, in your Messiah. You can do all things in Him who strengthens you. I gave you Jesus filled with grace and truth that you might live your life through Him, rooted and grounded in Him, and established in righteousness, immovable like an oak of righteousness planted in My house. Receiving and drawing up all you need from Him. And I do not want this good news for you alone, share it, witness to it, teach it to the next generation that they too may know and receive salvation, know and receive My goodness! And then they can teach others. The great and glorious gospel was at first entrusted to just twelve men and look what a good job they did of sharing it with others in such a way that the ones they shared with could teach it too.
And then comes a very great directive that you will do well to understand, “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” 2 Timothy 2:4-7.
Entangle. Sin snares you. Do not encumber your life or you cannot run the race to the finish line. Entangled is getting pulled into office gossip, divisions, speaking against the boss and those in authority, letting your mind get preoccupied with work, fears, worry—the thorns that choke off the growth of the seed of My Word in your life so it never comes to yield a harvest. Family squabbles, fighting among brethren, church divisions, backbiting, trying to please men even to the point of sinning to gain favor with the world, immorality, drunkenness, and the like. Sounds like so many people’s lives, even believers, who have forgotten they are enlisted in My army and are about their Father’s business. Treason is when you go to the side of the enemy, taken captive to do his will.
Notice that I told you that the athlete does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. There are spiritual laws make the rules for winning too. For example, do you want to prosper? Well, follow the rules and you are assured of the result. Tithe and give. Want to be healed? Keep the Word and refuse to speak anything else but healing. Want the best of the land? Be willing and obey. Want to be forgiven and all your sins gone? Receive Jesus as your Lord and be saved. Want you prayers always answered? Forgive others as I have forgiven you in Christ. Want to know the truth? Continue, abide, remain in My Word.
And I tell you that the hard working farmer is the first one to receive a share of the harvest. Be diligent in this. The measure with which you measure is measured back to you. And you determine whether it is thirty, sixty or a hundredfold by the extent to which you apply My Word in your life. Cultivate the seed and pull out the weeds and the thorns, and get rid of the little foxes that will gnaw away until all collapses.
I will give you understanding in this. For I give wisdom and from My mouth comes understanding and knowledge. Proverbs 2:6. For man does not live on bread alone, but on every Word that comes from My mouth.
AVOID WORLDLY AND EMPTY CHATTER. There is far too much of this in most of your lives and it leads to further ungodliness. 2 Timothy 2:16. Where there are idle words, sin is not wanting. And this kind of talk, once it starts, spreads quickly and will burn down your harvest before it comes to full fruition.
I know those who are Mine and if you are one who calls on My Name keep from wickedness. You know when you have done this. Let My Spirit in you teach you how to speak and when to speak. It will give you great peace. And it will give you full access to the love I have poured into your hearts by My gift of the Holy Spirit.
I want you to pay careful attention to the next instruction. “Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.” 2 Timothy 2:20-21. How can you keep your way pure? By keeping it according to My Word. That is the blameless way of integrity. And you can have it. I told Abraham, “Walk before Me and be blameless.” Walk in My Light, the Light of My Face, and the blood of My Son continually cleanses you. 1 John 2:7. And that means walking in My Word, which is a light to your path and a lamp to your feet. Wash your robes in the blood of the Lamb and apply the washing of the water of the Word to be a vessel of honor ready for every good work. For what equips you for this life of good deeds I have prepared for you in advance in Christ Jesus? You know already, “All Scripture is inspired by God (i.e., “God breathed”) and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17. I equip you with My Word. The great Shepherd of the sheep—”Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep [g]through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21.
And finally, as we conclude 2 Timothy 2 (but actually, it would do you good to read the entire letter), “pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” 2 Timothy 2: 22-26. You would do well to follow these things. Why? They work.
I love you. I have much more to share, but if you learn and apply what you have read today, you will be doing very well. My Spirit will give you the power, Jesus will give you the grace, and I will give you Shalom.