But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense
to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and
fear.
—1 Peter 3:15
To recognize opportunity is the difference between success and failure. When
opportunity knocks, we have to get up and answer the door. And we never know
when it will knock.
If we as Christians are going to obey the Lord's command to go into all the world
and preach the gospel, then we must know what we believe and how to present
it. The Bible tells us, "Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks
you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear" (1 Peter 3:15).
Sadly, many Christians are unable to do just that. They have little to no
understanding of why or what they believe. The Bible warns that "we should no
longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of
doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting"
(Ephesians 4:14). When we don't know what we believe, we are vulnerable. And
because of this spiritual deficiency, we are ineffective witnesses for the Lord.
The Bible tells us that Stephen certainly was not such a man. He was prepared for
a significant moment in his life, a defining moment in both his life and the church.
We see from Acts 7 that when he was brought before the Sanhedrin, Stephen
was ready for the opportunity God dropped in his lap. He seized the moment and
made a difference.
You can do the same. Because you never know when those golden opportunities
will come your way. As they would say in the 19th century, "Trust in God and
keep your powder dry." Be ready for that opportunity, because you never know
when the Lord will drop it in your lap.
to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and
fear.
—1 Peter 3:15
To recognize opportunity is the difference between success and failure. When
opportunity knocks, we have to get up and answer the door. And we never know
when it will knock.
If we as Christians are going to obey the Lord's command to go into all the world
and preach the gospel, then we must know what we believe and how to present
it. The Bible tells us, "Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks
you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear" (1 Peter 3:15).
Sadly, many Christians are unable to do just that. They have little to no
understanding of why or what they believe. The Bible warns that "we should no
longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of
doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting"
(Ephesians 4:14). When we don't know what we believe, we are vulnerable. And
because of this spiritual deficiency, we are ineffective witnesses for the Lord.
The Bible tells us that Stephen certainly was not such a man. He was prepared for
a significant moment in his life, a defining moment in both his life and the church.
We see from Acts 7 that when he was brought before the Sanhedrin, Stephen
was ready for the opportunity God dropped in his lap. He seized the moment and
made a difference.
You can do the same. Because you never know when those golden opportunities
will come your way. As they would say in the 19th century, "Trust in God and
keep your powder dry." Be ready for that opportunity, because you never know
when the Lord will drop it in your lap.
| 1 Peter 3:15 |
| C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside , CA 92514 |