ON THE VANGUARD

SHIPWRECKED NO MORE
“Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to the faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked the faith.”
I Timothy 1:18-19

I must admit, this word I want to share with you today is fresh and alive, and I pray that it comes out in the way I have just received it last night from God, Himself. To give you a little background, I was taking some time last night to study the Bible in addition to reading a new book I got concerning the spirit realm. As I was reading, the author began giving a little background on the life of Timothy. Paul had prophesied over Timothy, who was still young at the time, concerning his future and the mark he would make for God. This then led Timothy into being the pastor of the church of Ephesus which it is estimated had a membership of about 100,000 people. While Timothy did his best to bring the people into a deeper relationship with the Father, people began to look down on him and criticized his age, his speech, his purity, and his life overall (I Tim 4:12). Remember, Ephesus was where the goddess Artemis, the daughter of Jupiter and sister of Apollo in Roman mythology, was worshipped (Acts 19). As Timothy continued to work to bring people into relationship with God, the people continued to react to his ways and to him. But Paul sent Timothy an encouraging letter.
It was Paul who instructed Timothy to remember the prophecies he had once received, prophecies that even Paul himself had spoken over him as instructed and led by the Lord. It was Paul who encouraged Timothy with these words. “Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to the faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked the faith” (I Tim 1:18-19). In essence what Paul was saying was that these prophecies concerning Timothy carried more weight than the words the people were saying about him. These words spoken over Timothy came from God, whereas the words spoken to Timothy were spoken by the people. Notice the difference, spoken over verses spoken to.
For the last few days I have shared with you the words spoken over the sons of Jacob. As I have given more thought to this truth, I have also considered the account of the twelve Hebrew spies. In this account, God had already spoken over Abraham that not only would he be the father of many nations, or that his descendants would go to a land not theirs, but also that the people would return. So taking this, Moses and all of Israel had a promise to bank on. Why is it then, that of the twelve spies that went out, only two returned with a confident word? Only two stood on the promise. The others shipwrecked their faith. The others saw the people in the land and gave up. And as such, they never got to see the Promise Land. Why?
The answer to this hit me straight between the eyes. The reason Paul gave Timothy the words of I Timothy 1:18-19, and the reason God gave Israel the promise, was so that they would remember the prophecies and not allow the enemy to steal the assignment God had given them. Did you catch that? The enemy’s main job is to steal, kill, and destroy (Jn 10:10). He wants to steal us away from God, kill our faith, and destroy any calling God has given us. The enemy works in his crafty way to get us away from our true callings and destinies, causing us to become shipwrecked. He shipwrecked the older generation of Israel through fear and doubt. And he tried to shipwreck Timothy through lack of self esteem.
Well I have had enough of it! I know that God has called me to be a pastor, but with open eyes I see where even I have allowed the shipwreck mentality to come and rest. First the enemy used porn to shipwreck me away from God’s plan. Then I believe the enemy used false relationships to get me off course. And in some ways I feel like the enemy has also used rejection and loneliness to sway me. But as I am seeing these assignments now that were set to shipwreck me, I am indignant. It is time to listen to what God has spoken over me. His calling will not be revoked (Rom 11:29) and His word will come to pass in my life. I will fight the enemy with the Word of God, and the words God has spoken over me. And I pray I am not alone. I pray that the same zeal that has arisen in me last night will arise in you also right now. It is time we listen to a true voice, God’s voice, and allow ourselves to be shipwrecked no more! Are you with me?