Cling to the Father
“But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”
A while back I was having a conversation with someone who was explaining how quite a few years ago they experienced a relapse in their struggle with substance addiction. As a result of this relapse, they ended up attending a rehabilitation program. While they were attending that program, in an effort to help them understand their own failure, they made it a point to talk to others within that program who also experienced a relapse in their addictions. In the quest for answers this person quickly discovered the answer they were receiving was consistently the same. Each person they spoke with who was in that rehabilitation program confessed that their relapse was the result of them consciously deciding to discontinue the guidance and fellowship of a recovery program of some sort.
These people decided that after spending some time in a recovery program and recognizing a consistent pattern of sobriety, they proudly determined they were no longer in need of the help their rehabilitation program offered. So, they dropped out of the rehabilitation classes and separated themselves from the fellowship of others who shared similar struggles. They concluded in their own minds that they had their issues under control and no longer needed the help of classes, meetings, or the encouraging fellowship of other people. They believed that under their own power they would sustain sobriety. However, after stepping away from these programs, in time, they found themselves once again controlled by their addictions and quickly spiraling out of control. The person I spoke with found they personally had the same experience as those being interviewed. Through that revelation they recognized their need for regular, ongoing fellowship, and accountability to help them conquer their struggles once and for all.
After hearing this and as my mind was processing the details and discovery of this person’s experience, I came to the realization this is exactly what can happen to any believer in their faith walk with Jesus. As believers we are called to be like Christ, to turn from the world (Romans 12:2, Titus 2:12), to be different than the world (James 1:27, 4:4, 1 John 2:15-17, 1 John 3:17, 1 John 4:5), and to function opposite of our sinful human nature by pursuing righteousness (Proverbs 11:19, 15:9, 21:21; 1 Timothy 6:11, 2 Timothy 2:22). We are to put off the old self and put on the new (Ephesians 4).
The best way to pursue the character of Christ, to emulate His righteousness, is to study God’s Word regularly (Ephesians 6:17, Colossians 3:16, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Hebrews 4:12), to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and to be invested in the church body (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12), walking in fellowship with other like-minded believers, while lovingly serving those around us.
Similar to the story shared by the person with whom I spoke, if we get to the point in our faith where we feel like we have it together and we feel like things are going good, we can start to feel as if we do not need the help of others because we have things under control, then we in that false sense of security and confidence, will begin to slip away from the influence and truth of God and His Word. We will start to falter in our walk of prayer and start distancing ourselves from fellowship, and just like someone suffering from an addiction, we will relapse into our old habits of sin. We must be wary of feelings of confidence.
If you ever watch a documentary on animals in the wild, we see the treacherous life many young animals live when they enter the world. In many cases only a small percentage survive, especially when they are of a species that is typically low on the food chain. But in situations where the adult animals of prey are large enough to protect themselves, we see the young clinging close to their parents for protection and safety. And when a predator comes, what does that predator do? It strategically tries to separate the young from their parents and once they are successful in doing so, they are able to strike and drag the young animal away to make them their meal.
So it is with Satan and his forces too. When believers are weak and/or overconfident (yes, you can be both) they will begin to separate themselves from the protection of the Father and there Satan lies in the shadows ready to strike. When he does, he drags them away to tempt them in their sin and in weakness they relapse into old habits of sin.
How do believers avoid this?
1 Peter 5:8 says “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
James 4:7 says “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
Ephesians 4:27 says “and do not give the devil an opportunity.”
Ephesians 6:10-11 says “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” (see Ephesians 6:10-18)
We must always be on guard against the sinful desires of our heart, which are triggered by the pull of worldly things, our pride, our pursuit of self-dependency or self-sufficiency. This requires a relentless conscious effort to self-evaluate and to watch for things that seek to pull you away from the Father. Our sinful desires can also be triggered by weakness such insecurity, doubts, fears, guilt, shame, and a full range of other debilitating emotions. All these things point back to the selfish desires of the human heart.
James 1:13 says “Let no one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not temp anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.”
Because of these things we must always cling to our heavenly Father. We are helpless without Him. In addition to that, we are wired by God for fellowship. We require healthy relationships that help build us up, encourage us, and ultimately hold us accountable. We must be involved and invested in our local church body.
So, coming back to the main verse of 2 Thessalonians 3:3, we should always remember that God our Father will strengthen and protect us from the evil one. May we always be in pursuit of Him, clinging to God always, in every season and in every circumstance, so the evil one never has the opportunity to strike and succeed in separating us from God. Being always conscious of these things will enable us to avoid a relapse into our old habit of sin.
