Secure in the Storm: April 12, 2024

[00:00:00] You are listening to MY Devotional, the Daily Devotional from Dr. Michael Youssef and Leading The Way.

[00:00:07] Secure in the Storm by Dr. Michael Youssef When we go through tough situations, Satan takes

[00:00:17] the opportunity to throw his fiery darts. He tempts us to entertain our worst fears and anxieties

[00:00:23] so that we risk becoming unglued if we do not guard our hearts with God's word of truth.

[00:00:31] Things were no different for the Thessalonian Christians, Satan was using false teachers

[00:00:35] to sow seeds of doubt and despair as they suffered persecution to undermine their faith in Christ.

[00:00:42] As we read 2nd Thessalonians 2 1 through 17, we learned that because of the circumstances

[00:00:48] in Thessalonica in the first century were so dire for believers when they received news

[00:00:54] from false teachers that Jesus had already returned, they believed the report and were

[00:01:00] devastated. They had rightly placed their hope in Jesus knowing that he would one day set

[00:01:05] right everything that had gone wrong but then doubt began to grow in their hearts.

[00:01:12] So in 2nd Thessalonians Paul exhorted these believers not to become easily unsettled or

[00:01:18] alarmed by the false teaching attributed to him. He assured them as they suffered affliction

[00:01:24] for their faith that Jesus had not forgotten them. At the same time he also warned them

[00:01:29] that before Jesus returns things will get much worse. He wrote,

[00:01:34] �Don't let anyone deceive you in any way for that day will not come until the rebellion

[00:01:40] occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.�

[00:01:48] For the last 2,000 years Satan has been trying to thwart God�s work in the world. He

[00:01:53] aims to frustrate God�s plans by unleashing his hatred toward the Church to keep us from

[00:01:58] the joy of redemption in Christ and from worshipping God in the Spirit and in truth.

[00:02:04] In his final, desperate push will be through the man of lawlessness, the Antichrist.

[00:02:12] You would think that Paul�s message to expect even more desperate circumstances at the end

[00:02:16] times would have caused the Thessalonians even greater despair. But Paul was assuring them and us

[00:02:22] that all who belong to Jesus will be able to stand firm, even during that difficult hour.

[00:02:28] For Christ promised us in John 10, 27-28, �My sheep listen to my voice, I know them and they

[00:02:37] follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. No one will snatch them out

[00:02:43] of my hand.� Let�s pray together, Father, thank you for your amazing promises that carry

[00:02:49] us through every trial. Thank you that no one can snatch us from your hand. May we find

[00:02:55] strength in you and bring glory to your name. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

[00:03:04] What awaits the believer after this life? And how does our eternal future impact our lives

[00:03:09] today? In his new book, Heaven awaits. Dr. Michael Yusuf dispels misconceptions about the

[00:03:17] believer�s eternal home and articulates heaven�s blessings, majesty, and the reality

[00:03:22] of heaven shared in Scripture. As you dig into God�s promises and understand your eternal

[00:03:28] future in Christ, you�ll be empowered to persevere whatever you face today.

[00:03:33] Preorder your copy today at ltw.org for your gift of any amount. Heaven awaits.

[00:03:41] If today�s devotional encouraged you, we�d love to hear about it. Leave a review and share

[00:03:47] this episode with a friend who needs to hear it. My devotional is a ministry of leading the

[00:03:53] way with Dr. Michael Yusuf. To learn more, visit ltw.org today.