Under instruction:
“Timothy, my son, I am giving you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the good fight, having faith and a good conscience.” – 1 Timothy 1:18,19, CSB
The prophecies made about you…
Timothy was under instruction: remain in the city of Ephesus; bring correction to false doctrine (1:39) as well as to both sinful license and sinful legalism in the church. His goal was to bring true gospel teaching that produces love from cleansed hearts, clear consciences, and sincere faith (1:5). Bringing healthy correction to the church would be no small undertaking, and Timothy needed encouragement. How did Paul encourage Timothy? By reminding him of the prophecies made about him.
Promise + Faith = Freedom
We all need reminding at times of the things God has spoken over our lives. There is great confidence released when we center on what God has said, what He has commissioned, and what He has promised to do through us! When we act in faith that is rooted in God’s prophetic promise there is an ease about the way we lead, teach, and engage with people. There’s just no need to manipulate people or situations, no need to respond to legalism with more legalism. We’re less prone to respond to sinful behaviors or agendas with overbearing heavy-handedness, and we aren’t mired in constant second-guessing of our own motives.
Free to focus on the right things
When we are focused on fulfilling what we know God has commissioned through trusted allies (or at least weighed, tested, and confirmed by them) we are free to serve Christ and leave the results with Him. We are more able to stay focused on fighting the right battles and seeing the right things through, less distracted by the side-skirmishes that so can easily consume those without prophetic clarity.
Think:
What kind of prophetic promises do we have according to Scripture? Can you think of two or three? Write them down.
Do you have any more specific prophetic promises or instructions that God has spoken over your life? How do you know? To be valid and trustworthy, these would be: in agreement with the gospel / not contradictory to Scripture; weighed and tested by others; rooted in love and faith rather than fear or manipulation. What are they? Today is a good reminder to write them down if you haven’t yet.
How do the promises you wrote down help you to “fight the good fight, having faith and a clear conscience?”
Do you have someone in your life who you would trust if they said to you, “I am giving you this instruction…,” not in a controlling way, but out of common purpose, mission, sense of prophetic direction, and relationship? How can you redirect others to the gospel in a similar way?
Prayer:
“Father, keep reminding me of Your word declared over my life. I pray that my own way of leading will be according to what You have spoken, instructed, and promised. Whatever side-skirmishes may arise and whatever corrections need to happen, help me stay focused on the right battle: the battle to live - and to help others live - with sincere faith in Christ and with a clear conscience that is rooted in the gospel. Make me effective in this!”