Keys

By Collin Lynch

The 9 keys to never falling

In second Peter chapter one, we see Simon Peter addressing believers and letting them know about the exceeding great and precious promises that have been given to us through God’s divine power. He goes on to talk about the things we need to do to increase and maintain our knowledge of Jesus the Christ.

Lets break each one down in detail.

Key 1 – Be Diligent

  • Diligence is the first and most key element in never falling short. Proverbs 4:23,  Proverbs says “keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”  If you are not diligent about what you are doing you will not have consistency. Diligence causes you to be consistent with the task set before you which create habits. Habits are a good thing if we create good ones. Just as bad habits can cause sickness and lack, good habits can cause health and prosperity. Start creating some good habits in your life.

         Some good Habits:

    1. Study the word daily
    2. Pray daily
    3. Daily confession of the Word.  Speak what the Word say about you.
    4. Watch what you say.  Make sue you are not saying words that contradict the Word of God (the bible).
    5. Speak good words into someone’s life

Key 2 – Build your Faith

  • Add to your faith.  He start off by saying add to your faith, why? because faith is required of every believer. There are different levels of faith.  The bible talks about many levels of faith, I will mention just a view here with a brief description of each one.   No faith, first faith, week faith, little faith, strong faith.
    1. No faith.  How do you know you have no faith.
      • You are fearful  (Mark 4:40).
      • You are perverse and evil  (2nd Thess. 3:2).
      • You are perishing by not accepting the truth (1st Thess 2:10).
      • You believe what is false
      • Take pleasure in unrighteousness
      • Self righteous (Philippians 3:9).
      • Whatever is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23).
    2. First faith
      • When you first came to Christ, your first love.  See that you don’t cast off your first faith as its says in 2nd Timothy 5:11-13
    3. Weak faith
      • Weak faith consider the circumstances.  If you are trying to figure out how you are going to make it happen then you are walking by sight and not by faith (Romans 4:19, 14:1).  Its not your job to figure it out, its your job to believe.  Let God take care of the rest.
    4. Strong faith
      • Strong faith is the opposite of week faith.  “And being not weak in faith, he consider not is own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God” (Romans 4:19-20).  For we walk by faith not by sight (2nd Cor. 5:7).

Key 3 – Be Virtuous (have moral excellence)

  • Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!  Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.  The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Key 4 – Increase your knowledge of the Word

  • As you increase your knowledge of the Word you will start  to know more about your authority as a believer.  A wise man is strong, And a man of knowledge increases power (Proverbs 24:5 NASB). The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. (Proverbs 18:15).  Knowledge is something that you can ask God for.  In Ephesians chapter one, Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus. He prayed “do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers;  that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe ….  Take some time and read Ephesians chapter one and chapter three and make these prayers personal.

Key 5 – Temperance (self control)

  •  Show self control in all areas of your life. Let your moderation (self control) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand (coming soon).  Be careful for nothing (don’t be anxious for anything); but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth (surpasses) all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:5-7)

Key 6 – Be Patient

  • THEREFORE, SINCE we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).  Through Him also we have [our] access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God’s favor) in which we [firmly and safely] stand. And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God.  Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance.  And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us (Romans 5:3-4 Amp).

Key 7 – Godliness (holiness)

  • For bodily exercise profit little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come  (1st Timothy 4:8).  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue (1st Peter 1:3).  But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness (1st Timothy 4:7).  We are encourage to pray so that we may live a godly life.  “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; (1st Timothy 2:1-3).  For God has not called us to impurity but to consecration [to dedicate ourselves to the most thorough purity] (1st Thess 4:7).

Key 8 – Brotherly kindness (love of the brethren)

  • Brotherly kindness is the Greek word Philadelphia which means fraternal affection, brotherly love.  Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another (Romans 12:10).  But concerning brotherly love [for all other Christians], you have no need to have anyone write you, for you yourselves have been [personally] taught by God to love one another. And indeed you already are [extending and displaying your love] to all the brethren throughout Macedonia. But we beseech and earnestly exhort you, brethren, that you excel [in this matter] more and more,

Key 9 – Love

  • Love is the last thing on the list for a reason. You can’t know the God kind of love until you have spent some time in the the Word and exerciser some of the things mentioned above.

2nd Peter 1:5-10