For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will accumulate teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new. - 2 Timothy 4:3
Have you ever been infected by poison ivy, oak, or sumac? My wife is so sensitive to it that I think all she has to do is pass within 100 yards and she will break out in a rash! She has even, on occasion, required medical attention to combat its effects.
Everyone agrees that one of the worst things you can do when you have come in contact with these plants (and it begins to bear "fruit") is to scratch it. Of course, that is the thing that probably feels the best. There are various treatments available, but none are quite so satisfying as a good scratch.
These days it seems that many are being poisoned by the lies of this world and more than anything else, they want to be "scratched" or affirmed. They are comfortable in their personal theological "box" or cultural bias and do not care to receive the "medicine" of God's Word. In fact, woe to the preacher who seeks to apply it!
Listen, it is never a good idea to scratch the itch of your desires. Resist the urge to do so and the healing (and correcting) Word of God will combat this world's poison and bring the desperate relief that is needed.
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