Read 2 Timothy 3:14–15

But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught.
You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you.
You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood,
and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation
that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.
(2 Timothy 3:14–15)

I need to talk straight with you. Not everyone who wears a collar and uses a Bible is to be trusted. Just because someone quotes verses doesn’t mean his or her message is reliable. (Remember, even Satan quoted Scripture to Jesus.) Not every church that has a huge following is blessed by God. And please, don’t equate glitzy entertainment with truth. (Even Satan appears as an angel of light.) There are impostors on the loose—some are preying on churches—some are actually leading them! Watch out. Stay realistic. Pay attention. Apply discernment. Don’t be duped by them any more than you are by a little red creature some would call the devil.

Entertaining churches with a shallow, superficial, feel-good message can never prepare you for the doctor’s report that reveals cancer. Or the call from the policeman who says your son was in a head-on collision. Or the day your spouse abruptly walks out on your marriage. Suddenly, all of the Christian cliches, clever sermonettes, dazzling performances, and twisted Scriptures offer no help. Why? None of those are realistic. They lack depth. They are papier-mâché facades that crumble under stress.

You need deep truth to cling to. You need a solid foundation to fall back on. You need spiritual muscle to keep going in difficult times. Your soul needs the nourishment of biblical doctrine. That’s what Paul wants for Timothy. That’s also the kind of strength God wants for you...and for every believer in the church. A proper reaction to our times begins with a realistic appraisal. But it doesn’t end there.

How should the church react to such warnings? How do we stay realistic in these difficult days? Paul transitions from describing our treacherous times to instructing us how to react to them:

You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:14–15 NASB)

Taken from The Church Awakening by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2010 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Faith Words, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc.