"DENYING ITS POWER!"

2 Timothy 3:1-7                         (ESV)

"1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.

2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,

4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

5 having the appearance of godliness, but "DENYING ITS POWER". Avoid such people.

6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions,

7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth."

There are those, and we all may be to some degree, who don't FULLY grasp WHO GOD is and what HE is capable of.  Most people understand that GOD is somewhat powerful and majestic, but we don't really understand what JESUS said in Matthew 19:26 when HE spoke "With man this is impossible, but with GOD 'all things' are possible."  The term "all things" removes all limits of what GOD can accomplish......IF we believe!!

The Apostle Paul was converted following his Damascus Road experience in Acts 9.  He had a grasp of just what GOD could do "IF" we would only believe.  Paul had been where only GOD could receive glory for what transpired in his life, so his understanding of GOD's power was unlike most.  There is no trying to explain the phenomenon, you just have to TRUST me!  It is a whole lot easier to be one "DENYING ITS POWER" when you haven't experienced a Damascus Road moment.

Paul wrote in today's text that "in the last days" people would become more concerned with their own surroundings than the things of GOD.  If we fully understood GOD and HIS majesty I believe we would "stand amazed in the presence of JESUS the Nazarene"!  Maybe we don't explore more of WHO GOD is because in the end we would be so inferior to HIM and HIS greatness we wouldn't be as important?  Could that be one reason some prefer to speak of the faults of others surrounding them rather than glorify the KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS?  

It becomes easier and easier to get caught up in "DENYING ITS POWER" when we only have an "appearance" of godliness and don't take the time to honor and worship HIM!  Scripture says in Hebrews 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please HIM, for whoever would "draw near" to GOD must believe that HE exists and that HE rewards those who seek HIM."  James 4:8 says "Draw near to GOD, and HE will draw near to you"!  It is difficult "DENYING ITS POWER" when you are "drawing near" to HIM!