His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 2 Peter 1:3 NIV

Scripture tells us that we have everything we need for a godly life. So why is it that I have such a hard time obeying God at all times? My words snap along with my patience. Difficulties arise and I find that instead of relying on God like I know I should, I rely on myself. When it does not work, I must confess to God that I tried doing it on my own power instead of His. My self-control wavers. I get busy and ignore people instead of giving of my time to sit and listen and show Christ’s love for them. Can you relate?

I can relate to the Apostle Peter. When the Holy Spirit led him to pen his epistles, did Peter recall his own failures? His own power was not enough to keep him following Jesus when the circumstances became dangerous. He quickly went from saying that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God” to rebuking the Lord when Jesus told the disciples that He would be killed and raise on the third day (Matthew 16:13–23). At Jesus’ trial Peter denied he even knew Jesus (Matthew 26:69–75).

After the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, Peter had the divine power of God inside of him, helping him become a strong leader of the early Church.

That same Holy Spirit lives within us when we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and receive God’s forgiveness of our sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus. We have the strong power of God within us. It’s time to tap into Him!

May we be quick to yield to God and rely on Him and His power instead of on ourselves! Let’s remember that we have escaped the domination of our sin nature through the saving work of Jesus as promised. When temptation comes, we can ask God for help. The Helper, the Holy Spirit, will help us to resist the things that will draw us away from faithfully following the Lord.

Second Peter tells us we have everything we need through our knowledge of God.

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption of the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:3–4 NIV

How can we know God, the One who made us? The demons know who God is, and they tremble (James 2:19). The devil comes before God accusing the believers—but he will be cast down (Revelation 12:10)! It is not enough to merely know who He is.

We grow in our knowledge of God through a personal relationship with His Son. That is the starting point to living a godly life. Jesus is the only way to the Father (John 14:6). Have you asked Him for forgiveness from your sins? Is He the boss of your life? I call Him Lord, and every day I find I need to give more of myself to His control for Him to truly be the One in charge instead of myself.

We grow in our relationship with Christ through studying and applying the Holy Word to our lives. The Bible is God’s words to us. It is full of His promises to us as well as instructions for living. As we obey God, we grow closer to Him.

Prayer is another vital part to living lives that please God. He wants us to come to Him with praise, with our confession of our failures and seeking forgiveness, with our thanksgiving, and with all of our needs. He loves us. He desires for us to love Him.

Let’s commit to getting to know God better this season than we have before. Commit to Bible reading and prayer. Make a schedule, with a plan of what to study. Let’s claim God’s promises, assured that He keeps them. Post a promise of God you want to remember this week.

Dear Lord God, it overwhelms me to think that I really do have everything I need in You. Please help me to live like I believe it. In Jesus’ powerful name. Amen.

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Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV): Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™. Used by permission of Zondervan

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