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Conquering the Season

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My second son has an application that he uses to storyboard animation. He designs it frame by frame, and then it plays. Last week, during spring break, he was showing me one of his stories. I pointed out that one of his characters was flying around like a fish in water—was this set in water? He then shared a comment one of his friends had made in response to such a question: “It’s just cartoon logic.” So we both started laughing. Cartoon logic doesn’t have to make sense in the real world. It operates by its own rules—and everyone in that world follows them. That got me thinking: following God can feel like that sometimes. Especially when we trust God’s word over what we see or understand.

Over the past two weeks, we’ve been studying seasons and transitions. And right at the heart of those conversations was the story of Noah. We talked about how long it took him to build the ark—what felt like an entire lifetime. Years and years passed. Noah worked, and no one else believed. Not one convert. Not even one person who seemed to take him seriously. Week after week, month after month, year after year—still nothing. Imagine being in Noah’s shoes. Imagine people watching you build something huge in your front yard based on a warning of something no one had ever seen before. Decades of ridicule. People thinking you’re a fool. That kind of faith looks ridiculous. It looks like cartoon logic. But Noah stuck with it.

Jesus even referenced this in the New Testament. He said that in Noah’s time, people were eating, drinking, carrying on with life—right up until the flood came. Can you picture their faces as the rain started? When they finally realized Noah wasn’t crazy after all? But by then, it was too late. The door had been shut by God Himself. Even if Noah wanted to open it, he couldn’t.

It’s wild to think that with all that time to repent, no one else did. Maybe we assume Noah wasn’t a great communicator. Maybe he didn’t know how to convince people. But that’s not what Scripture focuses on. It wasn’t about persuasive arguments—it was about righteousness. Noah embraced God’s word not at the intellectual level, but at the level of righteousness. He didn’t believe because it made sense. He believed because it was God who said it. That’s what set him apart.

The three characters in every season

  1. Noah – the one who received the word directly from God. His righteousness allowed him to recognize and act on God’s voice. If others had been righteous, they too could have heard and responded. Righteousness isn’t just about moral behavior—it’s about orientation. It’s about being so in pursuit of God that when He speaks, your heart is already ready to move.

  2. Noah’s family – they didn’t hear from God directly, but they heard from Noah. And what gave Noah credibility wasn’t just his words, but his life. His actions and words aligned. His integrity made belief possible for them. Even though they didn’t hear God’s voice themselves, they trusted the one who did. And they obeyed. Their faith was secondhand, but it still produced obedience.

  3. Everyone else – they had the same evidence Noah’s family had. They heard Noah. They saw the ark coming together. They watched as it was being built and as the animals were gathered. Maybe they were even impressed by it. Maybe they thought Noah was just eccentric or visionary. But in the end, admiration wasn’t enough. They didn’t follow him into the ark—and that’s what made all the difference.

Each of these characters reflects a posture we can take in any given season. Noah shows us what it means to walk by faith, even when obedience looks like foolishness. His family reveals that secondhand faith—when coupled with trust and action—still leads to safety. And the onlookers remind us that admiration without alignment changes nothing. In every season—whether you’re building, following, or deciding—God is extending an invitation: into the ark, into obedience, into trust.

The keys to victory

The second book of Timothy is full of moments where Paul challenges Timothy—who is like the second character—to hold on to what he had received and seen: first from his grandmother and then through the laying on of hands (2 Timothy 1:5–6), and also from what he heard from Paul (2 Timothy 1:13). This is echoed in 2 Timothy 2:2, 2:14, and 3:10. Paul challenges him again and again: don’t just inherit this faith—own it. Cultivate it. Upgrade from secondhand belief to firsthand conviction. You’ve been introduced to the Word—now study it, work hard, intentionally seek it out until you connect with the source. Don’t be like the third character who had enough evidence to explore further but didn’t. Paul explains why in 2 Timothy 3:1–7. He describes people who always learn and absorb but never obey—always hearing, but never stepping out in obedience. Twice in 2 Timothy, Paul warns about this (2 Timothy 2:14, 16), calling it “irreverent babble”—talk with no intention to act.

So how do we become like the first character?

  1. Study the Word: 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV): “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Study. Be diligent. Be intentional. Present yourself as one comfortable with the Word—unashamed and sure. Embrace it like a deer panting after water—nothing else matters.

  2. Let the Word shape you: Second, 2 Timothy 3:16–17 (ESV): “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” We all have the opportunity to be like Noah—receiving directly from God through Scripture. Paul teaches us that Scripture is God-breathed. Read it as if you’re hearing directly from God. Take it seriously. Ask Him to open your eyes and lead you to apply it in your life.

  3. Proclaim it: 2 Timothy 4:1–2 (ESV): “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead… preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” After laying the foundation, Paul commands Timothy to preach the Word. Proclaim it. That’s not just for pastors or preachers—it’s for anyone who claims the name of Jesus. Once you’ve embraced the Word and obeyed it, the next step is to share it. Proclaim it. Declare it over your life, your circumstances, your doubts. Speak the truth—not just to others, but to your own heart. Because here’s the thing: you can’t preach what you’re not living. You can’t call others into the ark if you’re not in it yourself.

Victory is only possible in how we receive and align with His Word. There is no true victory that bypasses the Word—because God doesn’t just speak truth, He is truth. Every breakthrough, every transformation, every moment of endurance in a difficult season flows from how we receive His Word and walk it out in practice. Hearing it is the starting point. Living it is the turning point. The Word prepares us, shapes us, and sustains us. So if we want to conquer the seasons, we must go through the Word—fully, faithfully, and personally.

Final Word

This is how we conquer the seasons—by declaring God’s Word over our lives, our circumstances, and our challenges. Yes, preach the Word to your problems and watch them bow to the authority of God.

Bible Readings:
Monday- Luke 17: 20-34
Tuesday- 2 Timothy 1
Wednesday- 2 Timothy 2: 1-13
Thursday- 2 Timothy 3: 1-9
Friday- 2 Timothy 3: 10-17
Saturday- 2 Timothy 4