Category: Christian Thoughts

With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter.

2 Thessalonians 2:15 (NLT)

Paul had been reminding the church that the Lord is coming back to right the wrong. Judgment is coming on the earth against those who reject God and His Word. It is going to happen and Paul reminds them here to stand firm and hang on tight to the Lord and His ways. There are times in which it means we desperately hang on. Doubts, discouragements, defeats, disillusionments, and despair are all part of life. We must never stop hanging on, no matter what comes our way. Eternity is at stake.

We live in a very unstable and unsteady world. People are lost and are staggering around trying to find some semblance of meaning and purpose for their lives. People are grasping for whatever their depraved minds tell them will bring them a sense of pleasure and enjoyment in their desperate lives. People everywhere are without hope and are seeking whatever reason they can find to keep on living.

Stand firm on the solid foundation of God’s Word. Trust in what God says. Live diligently by its precepts. It is the only truth there is in the world. Don’t listen to the opinions of men or trust what they say. Listen to God and what He says.

Keep a strong grip on everything you have been taught from God. Don’t let go of what you know is from God. He will never lead you astray. He will always tell you what you need to know. His only desire for you is that which is good for your soul. We live in a very perilous time and it is imperative that we cling tightly to the Lord.

Stay focused on Christ. It is when we lose our focus that we lose our grip, stumble, and fall. Don’t let anything in life distract you. Eternal life with Christ awaits those who stand firm and don’t lose their grip.

• Jim Hughes
  https://cthroughmarriage.blogspot.com

Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good.

1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 (NLT)

Prophecies are not limited to just the end times. They include anything God reveals about the future. Many predictions are made in the name of God about life. Unless they are clearly verified by God’s Word, accept them with extreme caution. God only speaks from the context of His Word. He never says anything that contradicts or conflicts with His Word. Never. Therefore, be discerning about what you believe about the future. Test what you hear in light of God’s Word. If His Word is in agreement, then you have reason to believe it is true. So many of us are way too quick to accept and believe what we hear simply because someone who is supposed to know what he is talking about says it. Examine everything you hear in light of what God has already said.

One of the sure ways of knowing that the Bible is true is the way history has unfolded in light of the prophecies of the prophets of old. We read often of what they said was going to happen and it did. The Bible is historically accurate on all it proclaims. It can be trusted to be accurate on all the prophecies not yet fulfilled.

Everything that God has proclaimed is both true and good. Do not let Satan confuse you about it. Don’t doubt God’s Word, no matter how convincing someone’s words may be. All Scripture comes directly from the mind and heart of God. It is absolutely true in everything it says from beginning to end. Unless you stand on that truth, you will be led astray. It is very important that we understand this, especially in these days, because we live amongst so many smooth talkers and people who have personality plus. If we are not careful, we get caught up by the messenger instead of the message.

Prophecies are anything that speaks of what God is going to do. Pay attention to them, but always put what man says about them to the test of God’s Word. Be wary of anyone who adds to or takes away from what God has already said.

God never contradicts himself. If there seems to be a problem with what has been said, the problem is with man’s understanding, not with what God has said. God is absolutely trustworthy in everything He declares. If He said it happened, it happened. If He says something is going to happen, it will.

Hold on to that which is true and good. Let it guide your living.

Jim Hughes
https://cthroughmarriage.blogspot.com