Sin prick

2 Timothy 4:3-4  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

Isaiah had been called to a tough ministry by God. He was pointing out the sin to all of Israel; repeatedly to the religious leaders and those who thought of themselves highly. He had became discouraged, so God reached out in a vision to build him up again. God did confirm this ministry to him, and even showed Isaiah how only a small portion of those hearing God’s word through Isaiah would be saved. The majority would have hardened hearts and be lost for eternity. But God told him to keep on preaching the truth. The Apostle Paul was charging Timothy to do the same in the scriptures above. Timothy must remain prepared, focused, and dedicated to only the truths found in God’s Word.

We all have our battles, the things that drag us down in this walk of life. These things may drag our attention away from God; they may drag us down paths to sin to cope with the troubles. They get our eyes off the eternal peace that is promised; John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Satan loves how these distractions take our eyes off eternity and places our focus on the time at hand. We began to live short-sighted; we begin to look for something that makes us feel good for the moment. We begin to look for temporal encouragement; we begin to avoid the power of the Holy Spirit’s conviction of sin through sound teaching and God’s Word. Our flesh runs from the prick of the sin that the Spirit reveals to us. Why would we want to know our coping mechanism is of Satan?

When you go to church on Sunday, does the sermon make you squirm? Do you feel God’s power through your pastor teaching the truth found in God’s Word? Have you left that church and that pastor because of feeling the pain of that truth; of that sin that is your own? Have you found a pastor online, or on TV that has come to tell you all the feel good things of God, yet never the reason God sent His Son to save you from the sin you are guilty of? A feel good pastor is only picking apart God’s Word to elevate themselves, and falsely elevate you. 2 Timothy 3:1-9 speaks directly to what we see much of today. 1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: There is no Good News without the understanding of the bad news. The bad news is that you will die and pay for your sin eternally in hell without a humble, repentant heart. A humble repentant heart lets the conviction of the sin do its work. A humble heart does not run from that conviction to escape, only to be caught in eternities grasp.