Category Archives: Inspirational

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IT MAY FEEL GOOD, BUT…


2 THESSALONIANS 2:12

“in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.”

We all like pleasure. For some it’s a day at the beach. For others it is a long run (no, that’s not me). But others take their pleasure in wickedness. I know it may be hard to believe, but there are really people out there who do. I don’t know any personally, but they are all around us.

Sadly, we think they are getting away with their pleasure seeking. We see them hurt others and thrive on it. Today’s verse, however, assures us that one day, they will be judged for these evil motives. They will receive exactly what they deserve for ignoring the truth and going their own way.

APPLICATION

This is exactly why we parents spend so much time teaching our children to choose the truth. We do not want them to go down that road of wickedness. Now, I am not against pleasure. Pleasure is not a bad thing. I take pleasure in serving others. I get pleasure is seeing God’s principles followed by a husband and a father.

Truth is the key. Teach our children to follow the truth of the Gospel. They have to understand that there is no other truth. Any other “truth” is really deceit which will lead them further away from the real truth. Confused yet? I hope not. Take the Word of God each day and share it with your children, always referring to it as the truth. 

Let me ask you a question. What are you pursuing today? Truth or wickedness? If you are pursuing anything other than truth, you will never experience true pleasure. It is only available in its purest form through the truth of God’s Word.  Let it make your life pleasurable as only the Lord can do.

Lord, I want to walk in truth so I can experience pleasure. The pleasure I desire is to please You, not myself. That’s my goal today.

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IF YOU WANT TO BELIEVE THAT

2 THESSALONIANS 2:11

“For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false,” 

This verse really bothered me at first reading. If you take it out of context, it sounds like God WANTED them to be fooled into believing a lie. Nothing could be further from the truth. We know it is God’s Will that all would be saved. So, how could He also want them to be deceived. Remember, Scripture does not contradict Scripture.

What is happening here is free choice. “For this reason” means since they refused the love of the truth (salvation), God will allow this “deluding influence” to come, which they welcome. God will not force us to believe. We have to decide on our own that He is God and that His Son Jesus died for us. If we want to believe falsehood, He will let us. He has to let us choose.

APPLICATION

This is a hard application to make in our families, especially with our children. We cannot make them believe in God. We cannot make them love Jesus. We have to provide the environment for that to happen, but we can’t force feed faith. Every person who is born, including our own children, has to come to a personal point of faith.

So, how do you influence your child toward faith? By modeling it daily to them. There is no better way to lead your children to Jesus than by being Jesus to them. When they see you trusting and loving, they are drawn to that. When they see you studying and hungry for His Word, they will want that. You can’t force it, but you sure can impact it.

Is there someone in your life to whom you need to spend more time influencing for Christ? Be Jesus to them. Let your attitude and words exemplify the Holy One. Let them see you and see Him. Point them to Jesus every time you are with them.

I want to be the kind of person, Lord, who influences others for Jesus. I want to see my family and friends ALL come to Christ. Place me in the right place at the right time to see Your Will done.

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THE PURPOSE OF EASTER

2 THESSALONIANS 2:10

“and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.” 

Resurrection Sunday! Easter! Shouldn’t we celebrate the resurrection of Christ every day? I think so. His death atoned for all our sins, but His resurrection gave us victory over the grave and death. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

Today’s verse fits nicely with the Easter message. Satan is constantly trying to deceive mankind. His wicked ways will lead us straight down the road to destruction. We will perish without receiving the love of God, the love of truth. We must receive it to be saved. That word “receive” is written in the middle voice, which means it is our decision to receive. No one can make us.

APPLICATION

Okay – here are some clear commands to follow to lead your children to Christ. 1) Satan will try to deceive them. 2) His ways are wicked. 3) His ways lead to destruction. 4) They must receive Jesus on their own. 5) God will save them if they do.

It’s really that simple. Any child can understand the simple truth of the Gospel. Don’t complicate it. Teach them to share this with their friend. You don’t have to have 100 verses memorized to be saved (not that memorization isn’t important). Your little Susie must come to the realization that her sins are wickedness and are only pleasing Satan. Then she must confess them, receive the love of the truth (Jesus) and God will save her.

Who can you share that with today? You see, you have people all around you who are dying spiritually right now. They will certainly perish without receiving the Lord. You are essentially watching them rot and decay before your eyes in their wickedness. Stop the decay! Share today’s truth with them and lead them to receive a resurrected life in Christ. Amen?

Lord, today give me someone I can share truth with. Let me be the one to introduce them to a way of escape. I will give You all the glory!

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BUSY BEE

2 THESSALONIANS 2:9

“that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,” 

Busy! Busy! Busy! Have you ever been so busy you lose track of time? That happens to me sometimes. I run from meeting to meeting and before I know it, it’s bedtime. Being busy isn’t a bad thing unless you are busy doing things that don’t really have an eternal purpose. That’s the point of today’s devotional.

The word “activity” in today’s verse is used eight times in the New Testament, all by Paul. But the interesting thing about today’s verse is that this is the ONLY time it is used when it doesn’t refer to God’s energy or activity. Here it’s talking about Satan’s activity. You have to remember, though, that Satan can only do what God allows him. So, this lawless man Paul is referring to in this chapter is on the same leash with Satan.

APPLICATION

Are your kids busy? Does your little Johnny wake up fully charged for the day and not stop until he drops? My fourteen-month-old granddaughter is that way. She will play and run until she literally passes out. Busy, busy, busy!  One of our goals as parents (or grandparents) is to teach our children to be busy about God’s things. There is so much stuff in the world that can distract us. Before we know it, we don’t have time for God.

Give your children some activities to do that will cause them to think about God. Hey, even chores can be done for His glory. Make sure that their daily schedules include some time to learn about and live out the Word. Don’t let the activity of Satan get a grip in your home through busyness.

Look at your calendar today and see how busy you are. Do you have 25 minutes to spend alone with the Lord? Find the time. You need it. You need to spend alone time with the Creator of the universe. Slow down. Get rid of some distractions. Take a deep breath.

Lord, I like staying busy. But help me point all my activities towards You. Don’t let me get sidetracked by the enemy and get engaged in his activities unknowingly.

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BAD BREATH

2 THESSALONIANS 2:8

“Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;” 

Excuse my thought process, lol. But I just could not resist when I read this verse. I am NOT insinuating that the Lord will have bad breath. But, unlike His first appearance on earth, He will be one “bad” dude when He returns. He won’t come as baby. He will come as Ruler and Judge. And this lawless one will pay the price simply by the breath of His mouth.

Now, that word “breath” is the Greek word pneuma, which can also be translated as spirit. In fact, it is the same word used in the title of “Holy Spirit.” I don’t think that is a coincidence, do you? The very breath of God, the very Spirit of God will slay the lawless one. No weapon is needed.

APPLICATION

Here is the great part of that verse. That same “breath” of the Lord is living in us as believers. We have that power coursing through us every day, if we just tap into it. Now, we aren’t going to slay someone with our breath (unless we have been eating a lot of garlic). But the Lord stands ready to defeat any enemy we face. All we have to do is mention His name, and the enemy flees.

We need to teach our children the importance on relying on the Lord to fight their battles. Surrender to Him first, allow Him to work in their lives, and He will stand ready to defend us. He will protect His children, just you do all you can to protect them as their earthly parent. The difference is you can’t be with them all the time. He can and will.

Are you in need of the “breath” of God today? Are you facing unknown forces that are trying to tear you down and destroy you? Allow Him to reign in and through you. Then step back and watch Him work. He is ready. Are you?

Your breath is sweet to me but harsh to the unbeliever. Help me share your breath with others. I want them to also experience its sweetness. 

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I KNOW IT’S THERE

2 THESSALONIANS 2:7

“For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.” 

I have mentioned before that I like to hunt. A lot of the time I get into the woods well before the sun rises to position myself for the day. There have been many of those mornings I had the distinct feeling that something was watching me. Sometimes you just know something is out there, but you can’t see it. Maybe it was a deer watching me. Perhaps it was a coyote. Whatever it was, it can make you feel kind of weird.

Paul was warning the Thessalonians that, although the man of lawlessness had not been revealed, the works he was going to try to do were already happening. He was laying the groundwork. That is still true today. The enemy has been preparing his battle plan for centuries. He is waiting for the right moment to spring into action. He just doesn’t realize that his best made plans fall short of victory.

APPLICATION

One of the greatest truths we can teach our children is the reliability of evil. Now, that may sound strange, but hear me out. The world will do all it can to disguise evil. It will attempt to shield the presence of evil until it is too late. We need to make sure our children understand that the devil is real and that he only has one motive – to tear us down. 

I am NOT one to see a demon behind every post, but I do believe we are in a spiritual war that is real and potentially destructive. That is the very reason we must equip our children with the Word. We must take them to Ephesians 6 every day to show them how to clothe themselves with God’s armor. I don’t mean to do a devotion every day on that passage. But I do mean to remind them to rely on God daily for protection and defense.

Are you prepared for the battle today? Are you clothed in righteousness? The enemy is watching for your weak spots. Don’t give him any. Show him that you are under the protection of a holy God who loves you. That is the battle plan. Let God fight for you.

I am prepared, Lord. Lead me into battle today. I will face the enemy head on knowing You are there.

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POP GOES THE WEASEL

2 THESSALONIANS 2:6

“And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed.” 

Did you ever own a “Jack in the Box”? I vividly remember having one as a child. It was a little metal box with a spring-loaded lid. There was a handle on the side that you turned which caused a song to play called “Pop Goes the Weasel.” That lid would open suddenly at a certain point and out popped “Jack.” No matter how many times I played with that, “Jack” would always catch me by surprise.

This man of lawlessness is the destructive “Jack in the box.” We hear the music playing. The world is at the brink of him “popping” out. We know he’s coming (or maybe already be here). We know he wants to scare us. We see things happening that are turning the handle to reveal him. But we have no reason to fear as believers. No amount of anticipation should give us concern. We know it is God who is restraining him and who will also put him back in the box.

APPLICATION

Find a “Jack in the Box” (you can find all sorts of characters) and read this verse to your children. Illustrate this for them. After you show them how to turn the handle, let them play with it several times. But I want you to focus on the part where you shove “Jack” back in the box. Talk about what I just described above. And as you are shoving “Jack” back in the box, explain how it is the Lord who is keeping the man of lawlessness down. 

One day this man will be revealed, but even then, just like “Jack”, he will only be allowed to go so far. “Jack” can’t jump out of the box. He is tethered to the box. God keeps this enemy of believers under control and will allow him to show himself only when He is ready. Not very scary, huh?

Are you prepared to recognize God’s control over what comes next? He is way ahead of you. He knows the challenges that will come your way. He allows them to prepare you. He will see you through. No matter the challenge, God has it under restraint and will only allow what He knows you can handle. Believe that.

Father, I do not fear this man of lawlessness. Even though I do not know when he will appear, I know You do. You have him on a short leash. Thank You.

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I TOLD YOU SO

2 THESSALONIANS 2:5

“Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?” 

I am sure you have NEVER said that someone – “I told you so.” Sure, you haven’t. If you haven’t, I guarantee you have wanted to at least once. We warn people and warn people. We try to give them ample notice. But they go ahead and do something we all know is not smart. Then when it goes wrong, just as we told them it would, we want to say, “I told you so.”

Paul is telling the Thessalonians that. He is saying, “I told you so! I told you people were going to try to fool you. I told you, when I was there, to be careful who you listen to about things of God. I told you to check things out before you believe it.” I am sure Paul was more disturbed by those who were trying to mislead the church there. He knew the Thessalonians were young in their faith and wanted to do the right thing. But those who were trying to deceive them knew EXACTLY what they were doing.

APPLICATION

Children are prone to believe anything someone in authority tells them. Adults can mislead our little ones so easily. That is why it is so important for us to have them grounded in His Word. When they know the REAL truth, no amount of deception can lead them astray. But if they don’t know it, they can believe anything or anyone.

How do you ground them in the Word? I’m glad you asked. Read them the Word. Use the Word to answer their questions. Get them a good devotional, when they can read on their own, that is on their level. Help them memorize verses for AWANA or for Sunday School. Get them a very, good study Bible by the time they get into Middle School. Support them in their efforts to attend Christian events where the Word will be taught.

You, of course, have to model all this yourself. Simply telling them to do these things only goes so far. They are going to watch you and how you desire the Word. Make the Word your beginning and ending point of the day. When is the last time you have memorized a verse? I challenge you today to begin that.

You are the Word, Lord. You are the truth. Help me teach my children and others that the only true shield we have against those who would deceive us is to know You and Your Word.

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GOD COMPLEX

2 THESSALONIANS 2:4

“who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.” 

Some people think they are above everyone, including God. They have what I call a God complex. Everyone should bow to them. Everyone is beneath them. What they think and say is the ONLY thing that matters. Well, this is nothing new. Paul even says that this “man of lawlessness” will be this way. 

The problem with these sorts of people is you really can’t talk to them. There is no reasoning with them. They look at you from upturned noses. They seem to resent that you are even talking to them. But guess what? God sent His Son to die for them just like He did for you. Every soul is precious to God. He wants everyone created in His image to come home to Him. 

APPLICATION

As parents, we have the responsibility to teach our children how NOT to be that way. Now, I am not suggesting that your little Elrod is the “man of lawlessness.” But he can sure act like it if you don’t discipline and correct him. Our little Susie can be hard to live with if we don’t teach her respect for others. The sin nature is strong and will not be tamed on its own.

Teaching respect for others is such an important thing for a parent to do. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect. Our children will be tempted to see themselves as better than others at times. But humility is a much stronger trait than pride. Focus on that. Model that to them.

Do you know someone who places themselves on that pedestal? You may have a boss who comes across that way. Just be Jesus to them. Submission is hard for most, if not all, people. But if we allow the Spirit of God to live through us, we will have the attitude necessary to yield. Pray for that person. Ask the Lord to humble them as only He can. That’s not your job. Trust Him.

Father, guard my heart from self-glorification. Keep me focused on my humility before You. I know all I am is only because of You.

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OUTLAWS

2 THESSALONIANS 2:3

“Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,” 

Who is this “man of lawlessness” or this “son of destruction”? Well, you could read a dozen commentaries and probably get two dozen opinions. Some believe it referred to one of the Caesars. Others think it was the Pope. Others believe it represented a group of men through history. We won’t know Paul’s exacts thoughts through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit until we see him in glory.

Paul is telling the Thessalonians that certain things must take place before Christ returned. The same still holds true today. We shall always have lawless and destructive men around us. Some men have no other desire than to try to destroy anything holy. That is what Paul is talking about. They are outlaws of the faith. They want nothing to do with it.

APPLICATION

Warning our children of these men’s deception is critical. These types of “outlaws” don’t necessarily wear black hats. They come disguised so as to deceive and lead away unsuspecting people. Our children need to be prepared to recognize and detect these individuals. Leaving them defenseless is not smart and could cost them their very eternity.

“Wow, Carl, you are getting pretty heavy.” You think? Well, that’s the beauty of going verse by verse in the Bible. This is NOT my soapbox. It’s God’s. I didn’t write this. He did. And He still wants to warn us to be watchful and prepared. Parents for generations have taught their children the truth to protect them from evil men. We must do the same.

Let me ask you a question. Can you recognize these evil men? Are you grounded in the Word enough that you can discern when one of these “outlaws” tries to lead you astray? I pray you are. One good way to know is ask yourself if what you are being asked to do will glorify Jesus. If it won’t, then don’t go down that road. We should always be pointing others to Him.

Thank You, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit can tell me when I am wrong. Help me listen more closely to His voice. Give me the wisdom and discernment to spot evil and wicked people who desire to lead me astray.

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