Blog Layout
Guard Your Truth
Andrea Lende • March 29, 2021
II Timothy 1:14
Guard Your Truth
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Guard-Your-Truth-etqrgm
II Timothy 1:14
“Guard and keep [with the greatest care] the precious and excellently adapted [Truth] which has been entrusted [to you], by the [help of the] Holy Spirit Who makes His home in us.”
This passage spoke volumes to my heart today.
Paul told Timothy to guard and protect his faith – his Truth.
Not just guard it but he told him to keep watch over it “with the greatest care”
for it was precious.
Our passage spoke to me because I need to guard the Lord’s messages to me with more care.
If I don’t, I can miss His best for me.
When I tell others what the Lord has told me before all things are ready, I am impacted by their negative opinions.
It can lead to uncertainty.
Uncertainty leads to doubt.
Doubt turns into fear.
And fear stops me right in my tracks.
Again, Paul told Timothy to guard his Truth.
The Truth the Lord had put into his heart.
I am reminded to guard the things the Lord shows me about my life.
For these are precious things.
They are Kingdom things.
They were not meant for anyone but me.
They were given to me as I sat in God’s presence, the holy of holies.
I miss the mark when I share these things with people before the appointed time.
God did not intend for us to confer with one another about the times we spend with Him in our prayer closet.
The times when He speaks a Word over our lives.
There are certainly situations when we need the support and prayers of others.
And we call upon people during those times.
However, our calling is not up for debate.
Our time of preparation is not up for debate either.
Those are Kingdom things.
Today I choose to hold the Lord’s plan for my life close to my heart and ponder the beautiful things He has shown me.
May you find God’s plan for you is beautiful as you hold His vision close to your heart.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for reminding me to guard my heart. Thank You for reminding me to cling to and hold close to the things You show me about my life. Thank You, Father, for the beautiful life You have planned for me. Help me continue to believe You are making all things come to pass in due season. Give me patience to wait upon You and not get ahead of You. Teach me and show me more of You and Your ways as I wait for Your perfect timing. Continue to pour Your Wisdom into my heart as I seek You. Your miracles are wonderful and many as I move through each day. Thank You for Your provision and for Your careful watch over me and the family You have given me. Help us follow You in every way. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I have a plan for you My child, and I AM preparing you to serve Me.
Response: Ready me for Your service, Lord, and help me be obedient to You in every way.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.