When the Apostle Paul penned the words above, he knew he was getting ready to die. The Romans had him in chains and his death was imminent. During these last few moments of his life in his prison cell, Paul wrote one of his most insightful and penetrating letters to his son in the faith, Timothy. Near the close of the letter, Paul strongly admonishes Timothy with the above words.

Paul foresaw that the time would come when many in the church would not "endure" the important foundational teachings of the Bible. The sound doctrine that Paul feared would be denied by future "churchgoers" were the basic and fundamental teachings found in the Scriptures. There is little doubt that it requires endurance to comprehend and digest the teachings of the Bible. The words of Jesus, Paul, John, and others demand a verdict. The majority of the New Testament leaves little open to one's own interpretations. The Greek word that Paul uses for "endure" is anechomai. The literal meaning of this intense Greek word is "to hold oneself up against, i.e. (figuratively) to put up with:--bear with, endure, forbear, suffer." How different this is from the "self" centered sermons that encourage one to live for today that we see spewed from televised pulpits across our land. Our nation subsists upon a steady diet of self-help teachings that are utterly void of any doctrinal value. Paul's recipe for spiritual strength is for us to be rooted and grounded in the Word of God. There is so much to learn about God and His glorious eternal Kingdom and it is ALL found in His Word!

Did God say that His people are destroyed for a lack of prayer? No.
For a lack of worship? No.
For a lack of church attendance? For a lack of speaking in tongues? No, and no again.

God says: "My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge." (Hosea 4:6) Satan desires to deceive you. He will use any means and methods to accomplish his goals. Even if he has to use a Bible and a pulpit.

The only way to avoid deception in these last days is by intimately knowing God's Word and God's Voice. Therefore, commit yourself to learning and joyfully "enduring" sound doctrine. For it is one of greatest defenses you can have in these deceptive days.