Be instant in season and out of season.
2 Tim 4:2-3 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.
We have used this scripture so many times to ask people to be ready whenever and wherever they are. Be ready when you are in the supermarket or at the gas station. Be ready when you are on your way to class or when you are on the beach. Just be ready. I believe that this was done with the right motive but there is something else I see in this passage that I would like to share.
The word “instant” in this scripture literally means to stand or be present. The thing that Paul addresses here is the season and what we look like in our season. I also see that we have seasons that we are in and seasons that we are out if I can use his words. What do we do with the seasons in our lives when everything looks like it is out of focus, out of God’s plan or out of our ability to overcome? In Ephesians Paul reminds us that after we have done all to stand, stand some more.
Eph 6:13-14 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand, stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness
There is no compromise between stand and stand. We are present in each season and we stand or make a stand in each season that will confound the enemy. I want to say a bit more about the seasons. When we look at the life of Joseph we see something. We can also look at the life of Moses, John the Baptist, David and many more to see this principle of seasons. Joseph had a dream. He was going to the palace to rule and reign. After he shared his dreams with his brother it took him to the pit. This looked nothing like the palace he was seeing in his dreams. There he was sold into slavery and he laded up in Potiphar’s house in Egypt. This was not the palace either. Then he ended up in prison and it looked like it was going from bad to worse. Each one of these experiences was a season in Joseph’s life where he had to learn to stand. He had to learn to be present and keep on believing. He had to be instant in this season of his life that looked more like it was his out of season time. The prison didn’t look like his palace or his dream. Then one day it finally came. He got promoted to the palace. His in season had finally arrived.
What I find fascinating about Joseph is that during all his out of season times he never complained. He didn’t rebel and started getting people around him to plead for his cause. He stood his ground and was present when it didn’t look like his promise. He was instant in season and out of season. The great thing is that once you are proven in your out of season you get to move into you in season and you are prepared and ready to rule in the destiny God had called you too.
Moses was the same. In Egypt he didn’t discern the season and thought it was time to deliver the nation. He killed one Egyptian and had to flee. He knew the calling of God on his life but it wasn’t the time. He was still in his out of season time. Because he didn’t know how to be present in his Egypt God had to send him to the desert for forty years to go and learn to be present in his out of season. Once he got to the place where he would make every excuse to not be the deliverer of Israel God knew he was ready for his in season time. Again we never see him complain while he was in the desert-watching sheep. He was making a stand even though it looked like the opposite thing was happening. Remember that he was eighty years old when God finally had him come back to Egypt to deliver Israel from bondage.
What about David? He had to watch sheep while his brothers was in the army of Saul. What about Joshua that got no recognition until Moses was dead? What about the millions of believers that are not on big stages and on television with a worldwide ministry? What about the mothers that are serving God while they endure daily abuse from their unsaved husbands? What about the ones that are deadly sick and still they are holding on to the promises of God because it looks like an out of season time for them? What about the ones that never complain and yet daily they suffer humiliation and persecution but they refuse to deny the name of Jesus? What about all these people that are making a stand right now when everything looks like it is contrary to everything they have believed for years? They are instant out of season right now.
The time comes when we do get back into our season of blessing and abundance. What we don’t want to do is what Paul is writing here. People give up and to ease the pain and numb the reality that serving God will cost you everything they find someone that will scratch their itching ears. They preach a walk without pain and great reward. They spread a message that makes the people feel good about themselves and requires no responsibility. Sin is not a problem and grace is cheap. Avoid the pain and most of all it is okay to live while hiding behind a mask. Don’t let anyone know you are out of season because they might leave your church. People don’t like to hang around people that look like losers. Let’s just do another conference where we can tell you how wonderful you are while we ignore the pain that you will need to help you grow up in this season.
Be ready! What season are you experiencing right now. Does it look like your in or your out season. Be instant in whatever season you are experiencing. God rewards those that stay present instead of complaining. The reward comes after the test. God bless!
