Defending the Faith

 1 Peter 3:13-16

Knowing God's Word and understanding what we believe are essential for growth in Christ and protection from deception. However, these alone aren't the final goal. We are not left on earth merely to know for ourselves what God has said but rather to share His good news with others. In other words, we're to be "ready to make a defense to everyone who asks [us] to give an account for the hope that is in [us]" (1 Peter 3:15).

The word "defense" means an answer one gives for himself. Believers are to be ready and able to give an account or explanation of their motives and reasons for holding onto their hope in Christ. Because of busy lifestyles, many Christians have never taken the time to really think through their views and beliefs. When someone challenges them, they feel a sense of panic because they're totally unprepared.

Giving an account for our faith must be accompanied by a gentle and respectful delivery. Aggressively dumping a load of truth on a questioning person rarely leads him to the Lord, but a gentle answer opens hearts as well as ears.

And remember, all that we profess must be backed up with a life of integrity. If we're living a hypocritical lifestyle, not only will our testimony be worthless, but "Christ will be put to shame" (v. 16).

These verses were not written to scholars; they were intended for ordinary people with jobs and families. The task isn't impossible, yet it requires time spent reading and studying God's Word. As you set Christ apart as the Lord of your heart, time with Him will become a joy and not a sacrifice.

James 2:23-26

Arguing that faith without works is dead, the Book of James so incensed Martin Luther that the reformer called it ‘a veritable straw epistle that should be thrown into the Rhine River’. Yet James proves that faith without works is dead by pointing to the example of Abraham. It’s not that Abraham was saved by taking Isaac up the mountain to sacrifice him in obedience to God. No, James says the work which saved Abraham took place years before that when he simply believed in God (verse 23).

When was Abraham declared to be righteous? As James quotes Genesis 15:6, we understand that Abraham was declared to be righteous when he simply believed God would do what He said He would do when He told Abraham He would make his descendants more numerable than the sand on the seashore. Interestingly, Paul would also point to Abraham as proof that man is justified by faith apart from works (Romans 4:3).

James and Paul are in full agreement because they both maintain that the moment Abraham simply believed God was the moment God imputed righteousness unto him.

It is not faith and works which saves a man. It is not faith or works. It is faith that works. All Abraham was doing on Mt. Mariah was showing the reality of what had taken place in his life years earlier when he simply believed God.

If your faith is real, it will show itself. How? By obeying the Word of God and following the leading of the Lord even though you may not understand where it will lead. At the time, Abraham could not have understood the significance of what he had done on Mt. Mariah. But this side of Calvary, we see it was a perfect picture of what God the Father would do in sending His Son to that same mountain to die for the sins of the world.

You know you’re truly born again when you find yourself obeying God. We’re not saved by obedience. But our obedience proves we’re saved, for true faith works.

This Daily Devotional is an excerpt from the book "A Days Journey" by Pastor Jon. "A Days Journey" is a collection of 365 short devotions from the New Testament.

2 Corinthians 5:7

For we live by believing and not by seeing.

Know What You Believe

2 TIMOTHY 1:12-14

All people have a belief system, whether they realize it or not. Even those who claim there is no God have faith that He does not exist. What we believe affects every area of our lives and shapes every decision we make, yet few of us take the time to really think about what we accept as true.

All belief systems have a foundation. Some people base their convictions on what fits their lifestyle, reasoning, and desires. However, Jesus calls His followers to adapt life to their faith in Him and the authority of His Word.

Anytime we add other philosophies or ideas to Scripture or pick and choose which parts of the Bible to believe, we create our own version of faith based on personal reasoning. God’s Word is the only true and reliable foundation for belief, because it contains the recorded thoughts of an eternal, all-knowing God. All other concepts must be measured against it to determine their validity.

Knowing what the Bible says is essential for developing a sound system of beliefs founded on the truth and wisdom of God. This world will offer you a variety of philosophies which sound good but are laced with lies. A faith anchored in the Scriptures is your protection against deception.

Each time you face a problem or decision, search for the answer in Scripture. Begin your day by reading the Word and asking God to help you understand what He is saying. He loves communicating with you, and as you spend time with Him, He’ll open your mind to know His thoughts.

2 Peter 1:5

"In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God's promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge." 2 Peter 1:5




"Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you."
2 Timothy 1:13-14 

Problem Solved!

 1 Peter 1:1-25

Mankind was created to have a loving relationship with God. However, this relationship was broken when Adam and Eve listened to the Devil and disobeyed the Lord. Sin entered their very natures and has been passed down to all their descendants.

Now we all have a big problem: alienation from God. But our all-knowing Lord had a plan of salvation in place even before He created anything (1 Peter 1:18-20). When the time was right, the Son of God paid our penalty for sin with His substitutionary death, and in so doing, He opened the door for forgiveness and reconciliation.

In His grace, God saves us on the basis of faith in His Son, and calls us to a “ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:18-21). Together, believers make up the body of Christ—or “the church”— through whom He achieves His work on earth.

The Lord gives us new natures empowered by the Holy Spirit, who comes to live within each Christian. He transforms our characters into the image of Christ and enables us to live godly, obedient lives.

One day we will all stand before the Judge, and He will pronounce our eternal destiny—either heaven or the lake of fire. Those who have been reconciled with God through Christ will be welcomed into their heavenly inheritance.

We need these truths firmly planted in our minds. Then we will grasp not only our desperate situation but also the goodness and love of God, as revealed in His amazing rescue plan. He has proven His care for us in our most urgent need. Will He not, then, provide for every other need in our lives?

Hebrews 13:15

‘I don’t feel like praising the Lord,’ some say. ‘The traffic bugs me,’ or, ‘The dishes are getting to me.’ Gang, those are the best times to praise Him —because then it’s a sacrifice of praise as you worship the Lord in spite of your own fleshly inclinations.

You see, here’s the deal: In my Christian walk, I find myself going through seasons ...

There’s springtime — when, with new understandings and fresh growth, I sense the Lord’s presence in my heart. Springtime leads to summertime — those warm, wonderful days when the new growth bears fruit from which people glean. Summertime leads to fall — when the winds blow and shake the leaves off my tree. Fall leads to winter — when the fall winds give way to a cold, wintry silence. And I used to freak out in wintertime. Then I learned that if I am going to be a man who walks by faith and not by sight, I must not constantly monitor my feelings because feelings are fickle. The Lord allows you and me to go through regular seasons of wintertime, asking us, ‘Are you going to walk by the state of your emotions — or by the promises of My Word?’

This has afforded me the privilege of being a minister of the Gospel regardless of any tragedy or heartache in my own life. Truly, if I hadn’t learned the lessons of the winter season, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now. But the good news is this: winter doesn’t last forever. It gives way to spring.

Tonight during worship, some of you were elated, caught up in an overwhelming sense of the Lord’s presence. And that’s good. Others of you said, ‘I’m here tonight. But I don’t feel anything. However, I’m still going to lift my hands and my voice in a sacrifice of praise to the One who has done so much for me in the past, to the One whose touch I know I will feel again in the future.’

This Daily Devotional is an excerpt from the book "A Days Journey" by Pastor Jon. "A Days Journey" is a collection of 365 short devotions from the New Testament.

2 Peter 1:12-21

Throughout the world, and even within the church, one can find a wide variety of beliefs about God. To avoid confusion and deception, we need to know a few essential truths about the Lord.

The inerrancy of the Bible. Unless a person has a firm belief in this doctrine, all of his ideas about the Lord will be subjective. Scripture is God's thoughts written without error by men who were governed by the Holy Spirit. Fulfilled prophecy is proof that this book is never wrong (Isa. 48:3).

An accurate understanding of God. The Lord is one divine Being expressed in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are equal in every way, but their jobs differ. Think of the Father as the initiator, the Son as the implementer, and the Spirit as the energizer. All three were involved in creation as well as the plan of salvation.

The Son, who existed in eternity past, came to earth by being born of a virgin. He is the God-man, having added humanity to His deity. He lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial death for our sins, rose bodily from the grave, and ascended to the Father in heaven.

The Holy Spirit is our power source. He indwells every believer in Christ, transforming character, revealing truth, and enabling obedience to God.

Our Creator wants us to know Him. Isn't that amazing? He shares His thoughts with us and invites us to enjoy an intimate relationship with Him. Every day we have the privilege of opening His Word and having a heart-to-heart conversation with our loving God. He's waiting for you. Join Him today.

Hebrews 12:25-27

‘In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord,’ wrote Isaiah (6:1). Under the reign of Uzziah — one of the greatest kings in the history of Judah — wealth flowed throughout the Jewish empire, and the borders of the nation were not only protected, but expanded. So powerful was he, it is said his name was on the lips of everyone from Babylon in the north to Egypt in the south. But when did Isaiah see the Lord? In the year Uzziah died.

So too, in each of our lives there are Uzziahs: good things, wonderful things — but things in which we trust and upon which we depend instead of trusting in and depending on God. And because He loves us and wants the best for us, our Father says, ‘As good as Uzziah might be, he’s not Me. As secure as you might feel because of his weaponry, it’s not nearly as secure as you would be if you were looking to and leaning on Me.’

Because we are so prone to put our trust in things which cannot be proven trustworthy, God shakes our world as surely as He shook Mt. Sinai in order to knock away anything we are trusting in and living for. Gang, He loves you enough to say, ‘If year after year, I let you trust in that, lean on him, or live for her, you will be a spiritual midget. I don’t want that for you. You don’t want that either. So, I’ve got to shake it to remove it, that you might again lean on Me, look to Me, and walk with Me — for then you’ll be blessed, strengthened, and prepared for eternity.’

This Daily Devotional is an excerpt from the book "A Days Journey" by Pastor Jon. "A Days Journey" is a collection of 365 short devotions from the New Testament.

Hebrews 11:6

"And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him."

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

Hebrews 12:1

We are in a race, folks, observed and cheered on by a cloud of witnesses. Who are these spectators? They are the ones spoken of in Hebrews 11, the heroes of faith ...

Shortly before He was to die outside Jerusalem on a hill called Calvary, Elijah and Moses appeared with Jesus on Mt. Hermon (Matthew 17). They had come, if you would, to cheer Him on.

So too, it is my firm conviction that right now, you and I are being cheered on by those in heaven. Furthermore, I believe the clouds spoken of in I Thessalonians 4:17, in which we will be caught up during the Rapture, are not of the cumulus or nimbus variety. Rather, they’re clouds of those who have gone before us.

Next time you feel you’re being ‘wailed on’, think of Jonah. He’s up there cheering you on.

Next time you feel like you’re in a fiery trial, look for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the stands.

Next time you feel like you’re up against a giant of a problem, remember David, the giant-slayer, and take heart.

This Daily Devotional is an excerpt from the book "A Days Journey" by Pastor Jon. "A Days Journey" is a collection of 365 short devotions from the New Testament.