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2 Thessalonians 3:3 - God is Faithful! - Are You?

2Th.3:3: God is Faithful! - Are You?

2 Th 3:3 (KJV)  But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish 
you, and keep you from evil. 

2 Th 3:3 (NIV)  But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen 
and protect you from the evil one. 

Stablish. "to confirm," "to establish," "to strengthen." [SDA 
Commentary] 

Keep you from evil. Literally, "guard you from the evil," or 
"guard you from the evil [one]." The reference may be to evil in 
general, or to Satan, the evil one. [SDA Commentary] 

Beneath the surface of the routine of daily life, a fierce 
struggle among invisible spiritual powers is being waged. Our main 
defense is prayer that God will protect us from the evil one and that he 
will strengthen us. (See also comments on Ephes. 6:10-19 concerning 
our armor for spiritual warfare.) The following guidelines can help 
you prepare for and survive satanic attacks: (1) take the threat of 
spiritual attack seriously; (2) pray for strength and help from God; (3) 
study the Bible to recognize Satan's style and tactics; (4) memorize 
Scripture so it will be a source of help no matter where you are; (5) 
associate with those who speak the truth; and (6) practice what you are 
taught by spiritual leaders. [Life Application SB] 

To fight spiritual battles we need God's armor. The enemy is 
unseen, but the battle is real. In the Christian life we battle against 
"the spiritual forces of evil (the evil forces of fallen angels 
headed by Satan who is a vicious fighter, see 1 Peter 5:8). To 
withstand their attacks, we must depend on God's strength and use every 
piece of his armor. Paul is not only giving this counsel to the church 
as a whole, but to each individual within the church. The entire 
body of Christ needs to be armed. As you do battle against "the 
powers of this dark world," fight in the strength of the church, whose 
power comes from the Holy Spirit.[Life Application SB re Eph.6:10-17; 
Spiritual Armor] 

We have no enemies but the enemies of God.  Our fights are not 
against men but against spiritual wickednesses.  We war with the devil 
and the blasphemy and error and despair which he brings into the 
field of battle.  We fight with all the armies of sin - impurity, 
drunkenness, oppression, infidelity, and ungodliness.  With these we contend 
earnestly, but not with sword or spear; the weapons of our warfare are not 
carnal. 
Jehovah, our God, abhors everything which is evil, and, 
therefore, He goeth with us to fight for us in this crusade.  He will save 
us, and He will give us grace to war a good warfare and win the 
victory.  We may depend upon it that if we are on God's side God is on 
our side.  With such an august ally the conflict is never in the 
least degree doubtful.  It is not that truth is mighty and must 
prevail but that might lies with the Father who is almighty, with Jesus 
who has all power in heaven and in earth, and with the Holy Spirit 
who worketh His will among men. 
Soldiers of Christ, gird on your armor.  Strike home in the name 
of the God of holiness, and by faith grasp His salvation.  Let not 
this day pass without striking a blow for Jesus and holiness.  
[Charles Spurgeon; Time with God devotional SB re Eph.6:10-17; Spiritual 
Armor] 

The prayer of Psalms 19:14 - Let the words of my mouth, and the 
meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, 
and my redeemer. - ought to be on our lips and in our hearts all day 
long. The meditation of the heart controls the words of the mouth 
(Mark 7:14-23). The word "meditation" here has the image of a musician 
plucking the strings of a harp. Who controls the music of your heart, God 
or Satan? Meditation is to the heart what digestion is to the body; 
it is the taking in of the Word of God and making it a part of the 
inner being. As the heart and mind think on the Word all day long, the 
Spirit guides the life. This is what it means to walk in the Spirit 
(Gal. 5:16) and to have the spiritual mind (Rom. 8:1-8).... ask God to 
enable you to love the Word, live in it, and obey it--and He will bless 
you. [Wiersbe Expository Outlines re Psa. 19:14] 

The danger on the battlefield is that we do not take the enemy 
seriously and therefore fail to put on all of the armor. By faith, you put 
on the armor through prayer, which must be done at the beginning of 
every day. Never underestimate the strategy and strength of the devil. 
[Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren Wiersbe re Eph.6:10-17; 
Spiritual Armor] 

Our evil nature, like an ill-tempered horse, is apt to run away. 
May the grace of God put the bridle upon it, and hold it in, that it 
rush not into mischief. What might not the best of us do if it were 
not for the checks which the Lord sets upon us both in providence 
and in grace! The psalmist's prayer is directed against the worst 
form of sin--that which is done with deliberation and wilfulness. Even 
the holiest need to be "kept back" from the vilest transgressions. 
It is a solemn thing to find the apostle Paul warning saints 
against the most loathsome sins. "Mortify therefore your members which 
are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, 
evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry." What! do 
saints want warning against such sins as these? Yes, they do. The 
whitest robes, unless their purity be preserved by divine grace, will be 
defiled by the blackest spots. Experienced Christian, boast not in your 
experience; you will trip yet if you look away from him who is able to keep 
you from falling. Ye whose love is fervent, whose faith is constant, 
whose hopes are bright, say not, "We shall never sin," but rather cry, 
"Lead us not into temptation." There is enough tinder in the heart of 
the best of men to light a fire that shall burn to the lowest hell, 
unless God shall quench the sparks as they fall. Who would have dreamed 
that righteous Lot could be found drunken, and committing 
uncleanness? Hazael said, "Is thy servant a dog, that he should do this 
thing?" and we are very apt to use the same self-righteous question. May 
infinite wisdom cure us of the madness of self-confidence. Charles H. 
Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, re Psa. 19:13 

Temptation is enticement to sin, and this does not proceed from 
God, but from Satan and from the evil of our own hearts...  He (God) 
permits us to encounter obstacles, persecution, and hardships, not as a 
curse, but as the greatest blessing of our lives.  Every temptation 
resisted, every trial bravely borne, gives us a new experience and 
advances us in the work of character building.  The soul that through 
divine power resists temptation reveals to the world and to the 
heavenly universe the efficiency of the grace of Christ...  We should 
pray that God will not permit us to be brought where we shall be 
drawn away by the desires of our own evil hearts.  In offering the 
prayer that Christ has given, we surrender ourselves to the guidance of 
God, asking Him to lead us in safe paths.  We cannot offer this 
prayer in sincerity, and yet decide to walk in any way of our own 
choosing.  [MB116-118 re Mat.6:13] 

As Jesus was entering into the last days of his life on earth, 
he prayed for his disciples and for all disciples to come.  His 
petitions were for union with the Father, joy, protection, and usefulness. 
 The sequence of those petitions is significant (Joh.17:11-17) 
Friendship with Christ is the first priority and is basic for 
the qualities that follow.  Out of that intimate, love relationship, 
joy is a logical consequence.  Jesus knew, as he prayed for his 
disciples, that if they did indeed come into fellowship with him and 
exhibit the kind of full-fledged joy that he gives, there would be 
opposition from the world, and so he prayed not that his disciples would be 
protected from the world or taken out of it into a kind of insulated, holy 
huddle, but that they would be protected form anything that would 
destroy that union and joy.  Then, out of that dynamic partnership, 
usefulness would naturally flow. 
The more I know Him, the more I experience that deep inner well 
of joy that is not dependent on external circumstances.  This joy 
is present even in the midst of suffering and sorrow; it is a 
motivating power even in discouragement and dismay.  [Jeanie Miley; Time 
with God devotional SB re Joh.17:11-17] 

God's faithfulness to us is the basis for our faithfulness to 
Him. If we love Him, we will keep His Word, and we will be patient in 
times of trial. [Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren 
Wiersbe]