BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

B V O V : 1 9 He wanted to leave Timothy, the young pastor he'd trained in ministry, a letter full of instructions to help keep alive in his heart the things God had imparted to him. He wanted to make sure Timothy would continue to grow and fulfi ll the will of God long after he was gone. Today, Paul's letter in 2 Timothy belongs to us. So, here are six vital instructions drawn from its wisdom-fi lled pages—secrets that will help us follow in Paul's footsteps and fi nish our spiritual race. No. 1: "Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 2:1 If you've been saved more than a few months, most likely you've already discovered the Christian life can be tough. It not only includes the blessings of God, it also includes persecutions, di cult circumstances and pressures from the devil. To overcome such challenges, you must rely on God's favor and power. You must "be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." What does it mean to be strong in grace? Titus 2:11-13 tells us: "The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." Grace teaches us how to live godly. That's why the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Grace. He corrects us, instructs us and tells us what changes we need to make in our thoughts and actions to triumph in every situation. To be strong in grace you must cooperate with Him! Don't resist the Holy Spirit when He tells you to change something in your life that's not pleasing to God. Instead, be quick to respond. Repent and change. Say, "Yes, Lord! I'll do it!" Be strong in grace. No. 2: "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." 2 Timothy 2:3 Soldiers don't cave in and faint when things get hard. They don't throw down their weapons and stop doing what they were trained to do just because they fi nd themselves facing an enemy. As good soldiers of Jesus Christ, we don't either. We don't stop believing and doing what the Word of God says when we're under pressure, or when persecution and a iction come. We know those things are from the devil. Instead of giving up on our faith when we encounter them, we double up on our Word time and our prayer time. We double up on the confessions of our mouth and speak what God says about our situation. As James 1:4 says, we "let patience have her perfect work." Patience is a force that does not yield to circumstances or succumb to defeat. It's a fruit of the spirit. It's part of God's own nature we received when we were born again. Because it's inside us, we can put patience to work in our lives whenever we choose. As a believer, you are part of God's spiritual army and the purpose of an army is to fi ght. The good news is, we're fi ghting an enemy who's already been defeated. Our victory is a done deal if we'll only endure! No. 3: "No man that warreth entangleth himself with the a airs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier." 2 Timothy 2:4 Many years ago, I discovered what can happen when you overlook this third word of advice from Paul. I let myself get so preoccupied Grace teaches us how to live godly. THE PEOPLE WE CHOOSE TO FELLOWSHIP WITH CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE OUTCOME OF OUR LIVES.

• Cover