Beloved,
What does it mean to be entangled in your own life?
2 Timothy 2:4
“No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.”
What does this mean to you?
Entangled: to ensnare/perplex/distract/confuse
In the Greek this word is “EMPLEKO” (en= in + pleko= to weave), therefore, “weave in.” Empleko means “intertwine” therefore, you have no mobility.
That word Affairs: to be occupied in practical affairs of business
Lets be honest- what are the things you trip over: being an entertainer of gossipers, boys, girls, men, women, co-workers, appearance, bitterness, jealousy, pride, ego, etc., and the list goes on.
Galaians 5:17
“For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.”
Going through boot camp training in order to evolve into a soldier, I had to give up my own pride of what I think I know, my self-will and even my own independence. I even had to disconnect from my family for a period of time, my home and place of comfort. And though I have a civilian job, I am also still a solider at the end of day, so the way I act, the way I present myself can cause a disgraceful reputation for the U.S. Army.
As a faithful solider we must not do anything that will entangle us and cause us to be less effective as a soldier regardless if we are in or out of uniform.
Why, if I am already in warfare would I want to or even allow myself to get entangled with other affairs
That is the same thing I believe Timothy is telling us here. Once we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, we accepted the calling on our lives as soldiers in the army of the Lord. You see a part from him we were in the midst of the war on the wrong side, but now that we live for Christ we are on the winning side, but you must be careful not to get entangled with the affairs of life.
What this means is that we must be careful who we are around, we must be careful what we entertain, what we listen to, what we watch, what we say for in doing so “we may please him who enlisted us as a solider.” Just like joining a sport, having a job, you have rules that must be followed, we must follow and obey:
Joshua 1:8
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
The credentials for being a good soldier:
We must live as being set apart-Psalm 4:3 “But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly…” therefore, each of us have been handpicked. Wow! God saw fit that before we were He had already picked us!
Being in the army of the Lord we are called to obey the Lord: 1 John 5:2-4 “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. “
Do not let everything and anyone taint or infiltrate the calling on your life or your thoughts. I heard it in
1 Corinthians 6:20
“…you were brought with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”
There are several scriptures that tell us
“And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.” (ref: Mark 12:30-31, Matt 22:37, Luke 10:27, Deut 6:5).
This goes back to what I previously said- how are you in warfare with already fighting your way through distractions, through this and that while trying to maintain a heart fixed, mind fixed on the Lord but you get caught up in the affairs of life?
Scripture says Galatians 5:7
“You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?“
Some ways of being entangled:
Mental: If you are not careful the devil will sprinkle in truth with lies from the word of God. Also, cause you to condemn yourself. Romans 7:25 “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law…”
Physical: Look at the children of Israel who went in circles because of their mumbling and grumbling – don’t allow a journey of a day or a week take 40 years because you have a complaining attitude. Joshua 5:6 “The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the LORD.”
Moral: 2 Peter 2:20 tells us “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.” Therefore, you should hold fast to God’s truth and no longer entangle yourself for if you go backwards it will be worse than before.
Spiritual: Spiritually we are no longer bound to sin but Christ has made us free- Galatians 5:1 “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.”
What ways are you being entangled in? How can you got out such entanglements on your own if your fighting a spiritual warfare?
James 3:13-18 “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
Author Thomas Guthrie wrote: “If you find yourself loving any pleasure better than your prayers, any book better than the Bible, any house better than the house of God, any table better than the Lord’s table, any person better than Christ, any indulgence better than the hope of heaven—take alarm!”
Ephesians 4 “But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
This scripture talks putting off the old, just as you would with clothes and putting on the new conduct that we ought to have in Christ Jesus. Just a prisoner who has been set free wears the same clothes as if he is in prison, this is what we do, but we are told to put off the old and put on the new.
Just as that free person we must remind him you are no longer a prisoner but you are free so get in the shower and change your clothes.
John 15
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
You see in 1 John 5 he tells us “And His commandments are not burdensome” what God is telling us is for our benefit, for our benefit in a fulfilling life. God’s commandments, the Word of God is our handibook for like. I thank God that accepted and receiving Christ invitation that we are also given new hearts that desire to please God and not our flesh.
Remember as a good soldier you must not be entangled with the affairs of life in order to be an effective soldier for Christ. We must not get entangled in practical business matters that would cause division of our attention and distract us from our duty, our assignment to the Lord.
“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Romans 8: 6
Father I pray that you would give each of us an UNDIVIDED HEART to fear Your Name, Guide us and Teach us good judgment and knowledge, give us understanding that we may learn Your commandments and teach us Your statues, help us to keep Your precepts with our whole heart for your word is a lamp to our feet and light unto our path may it be according to your servant. May we recognize when we become entangled and run back to you. For your word tells us to keep our minds on things that are true, right, honorable and pure, lovely and to keep our eyes on those who cause dissensions, create obstacles or introduce temptations for us to commit sin, acting in ways contrary to the doctrine which we learned and to turn away. For those people do not serve you Lord but their own appetites and base desires. And in the words of John Owen “if we do not abide in prayer, we will abide in temptation. Let this be one aspect of our daily intercession: ‘God, preserve my soul, and keep my heart and all its ways so that I will not be entangled.’ When this is true in our lives, a passing temptation will not overcome us. We will remain free while others lie in bondage.” – Thank you now for hearing us In Jesus name Amen.
The Truth will make you Free! 