but they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men. [2 timothy 3:9]

2 timothy 3:5-9 warns us that the enemy (satan) is seeking to deceive and demoralize God’s people through false teachers who pervert the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. the impact of this false teaching is deep and wide. look around at how many people call themselves Christ followers but believe perversions of the gospel. the reality of this attack is often overlooked by many of us. but millions are being deceived and millions more are losing hope as their minds and hearts are attacked by lies of the enemy. (if you have not yet seen the documentary american gospel, i highly recommend it. it will open your eyes to one false teaching that is leading millions astray.)

even in the midst of this spiritual war, there is much to be thankful for right from this very passage. today, let’s engage in this war with one of the greater weapons God has given us: thanksgiving.

what do we have to be thankful for in the midst of this war? glad you asked!

    1. “they will not get very far” – every false teacher is eventually outed by the sovereign hand of our King. many false teachers have won battles against God’s people. but, rejoice and give thanks, their time to deceive is limited. God always outs all false teachers!
    2. “their folly will be plain” – the “folly” or foolishness of false teachers is they actually believe God is not passionate about the perversion of his name. he is. God is passionate about his truth because his truth: is embodied in Jesus (john 1:14), brings us to God through Jesus (john 14:6), sets us free in Jesus (john 8:32), and is how we must worship Jesus (john 4:24). rejoice and give thanks, God is passionate about his truth!
    3. “those two men” – jannes and jambres, or the magicians of pharaoh were laid up in bed by the 5th plague, boils. (exodus 9:11) they had mimicked three of God’s miracles through tricks or satanic powers. but, they had no power against the boils that landed on their body. they were outed as weak and impotent against the true power of God. rejoice and give thanks, God is greater than any dark and false teaching or teacher that comes against our heart and mind! in Jesus words, “in this world you will have tribulation. but take heart, i have overcome the world.”

even as many false teachers and teachings abound, we have much to give thanks for! today, put your focus on the Truth, on Jesus. spend this time rejoicing and giving thanks for Jesus. if you sit for just a moment, wait on the Spirit to guide you, i am sure you can come up with 20 reasons to rejoice and give thanks concerning Jesus – for who he is, what he has done, and what he has promised he will do. let’s go to war together letting our praise, our thanksgiving be our weapon!

rejoice in the LORD always, and again i will say, rejoice! [phil 4:4]

~ john ryan