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Entangled Affairs
2 Timothy 2:4
"No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."
We are often reminded in the Scriptures that we are in a war. In 1 Timothy 1:18, we are commanded to "war a good warfare." In Ephesians 6:11, we are commanded to "Put on the whole armour of God..." so that we can properly fight the Devil and avoid his tricks. Until a Christian fully realizes that they are in a war, then they will never be victorious in the Christian life.
However, in the verse above, we are commanded not to entangle ourselves "...with the affairs of this life:..." God said that you will not be a good soldier when your life is entangled in this life's affairs. According to Webster's 1828 dictionary, the word "entangle" means, "To twist or interweave in such a manner as not to be easily separated." In other words, we are to be careful that we don't allow the world's affairs to become so interwoven in our lives that it takes our focus off of what God has left us here to do. God knows that a Christian must stay focused on the spiritual war if they are going to win. To keep from being entangled in worldly affairs, there are some things you will need to do.
First, understand what God's will is for your life. You must realize that God has a will for your life and that is what He left you here to do. If you don't get a grasp of God's will for your life, then you will have a hard time not becoming entangled with worldly affairs.
Second, keep your priorities straight. Your first priority as a Christian is to serve the LORD. Whenever priorities conflict in life, you must determine which priorities are more important. Remember that God commands in Matthew 6:33 to seek Him first. Therefore, when a worldly affair takes you away from doing God's will for your life, then you must follow God's will and forsake the worldly affair. It is easy to allow worldly affairs to become intertwined in our lives because we must live in this world. However, you must always keep your priorities straight by remembering that God ALWAYS comes first.
Third, strive for spiritual rewards and not worldly awards and recognition. In verses 20-21, God reminds us that we are to purge ourselves from the things of this world so that we become a vessel of honor. In other words, to keep from becoming entangled in worldly affairs, you must seek spiritual rewards. Don't do things to get recognized by this world, but only do things to please God. If you always have to get recognition from people to feel satisfied, then you will certainly become entangled in worldly affairs. If you keep your priorities straight, then you will also keep your focus right concerning spiritual rewards.
Last, study the Word of God. In verse 15, God commands us to study the Scriptures. When you daily study the Scriptures, you will understand your orders and what it is that you are to do. The Scriptures are the Christians orders for this war. Daily studying the Scriptures will help to keep your focus on serving God. Those who struggle to daily read the Word of God are those who struggle with being entangled with worldly affairs.
Though you must live in this world, you must be careful about intertwining the world with serving God. Don't tie yourself into too many worldly functions. Only do what you have to do in the world to make it through life. Anchor yourself and your energies in serving God and you will be successful in not becoming entangled in worldly affairs.