There is such a strong message in 1 Peter 3:13-18. Lately, these verses have been standing out to me a lot, so I thought we could dive into it together.
"If with heart and soul you're doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you're still better off. Don't give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you're living the way you are and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They'll end up realizing that they're the ones who need a bath. It's better to suffer for doing good, if that's what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That's what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others' sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all -- was put to death and then made alive -- to bring us to God" MSG
It is crucial to focus on the condition of your heart and soul. Your actions flow from these two things. Your thoughts are altered by both as well. The only way to live a bold, demonstrative, spirit-filled life is to constantly redirect your attention to the Father. He shows us that His ways are better than ours. He shows us how to treat others and how to be light. When He is the center of every area of our lives, we live strongly. Souls are strengthened and hearts are filled. Following God does not guarantee an invincible path. We are not invincible, but He is.
When He gifted us with the Holy Spirit, He gave us supernatural strength to handle situations. He gave us understanding. We are human, but we are also conquerors. We will still face downfalls and heartaches, but if our hearts and souls are seeking Him, we will always rise. With constant reassurance of how great He is, why would we want to do our own thing? Our hearts and souls need to be fed in order to prosper. Without affirmation of faith through communication with Him, it is impossible to be unselfish.
We recognize our source of life, but we can not continue to develop without exercising it every day. We must search for better understanding and know why we believe what we believe. We should be ready to tell anyone about how good God is to us. We must stand firm when people have questions and doubts. They should not be able to distract us from the truth we have received. We should be able to give explanations with friendliness rather than aggravation. There will always be people who bash and disagree, but let them. Jesus was mocked and tortured, but the glory of God overcame it all. Bad days will always come, but I would rather have bad days with a great God by my side than good ones without Him. The joy of the Lord is a lifestyle that can not be described. It is well worth any sacrifice... After all, He did give the ultimate sacrifice. And because of this, I am forever His.
