One of the most stressful things I’ve ever done is defend my dissertation. I had spent years reading, researching, and writing it. It was my intellectual child. But once I got in the room with my committee and they peppered with questions, I was prepared, ready, and willing to defend my arguments, research, and conclusions. I knew it backwards and forwards. I was confident in my work. So, I defended it and for two hours I answered question after question about it. Once my committee was satisfied with my ability to defend what I had done and the conclusions I had reach, I passed. So, while it was stressful – ultimately I knew my work so well I was the expert on it so I was confident and capable of defending it.
The Apostle Peter tells us we need to be able to make a defense of the hope within us found in Jesus. I read that this morning and thought about my defense day and the parallels.
We need to spend time reading and learning God’s word – so much time that we are confident in our ability to talk about it and defend why we believe it. We need to prepare our minds and do the work ahead of time so when the questions come we are ready.
We need to confident and ready to defend our hope in Christ. It’s one thing to personally believe it and to be convinced of it but it’s whole another thing to be confident and ready to defend it. We must develop the mindset that we are ready to answer questions. We are confident in what God’s word says. Paul wrote to Timothy, “God has not given us a spirt of fear, but of POWER, love, and self control (2 Timothy 1:7).” We do not need to be afraid. Instead, we need to be ready and confident.
Finally, we must be willing to defend it. I could have chosen to not defend my work but I would never had earned my PhD. I would not have passed the “last test.” We must be willing to make this defense. It’s a requirement of God’s followers. If we are unwilling to defend our hope in Jesus then when the time comes we too will fail our final test.
We are called to defend the gospel. We must be prepared and ready to give a reason for why we believe God’s world. We must be willing to make that defense whenever the situation arises – no matter the circumstances.
If you are unwilling to defend your hope in Jesus, do you truly believe in the hope you say you have? If you are unwilling to defend Jesus here on earth, do you honestly believe Jesus will stand with you on judgment today as you face God in judgment?
Our life’s purposes to give a defense to anyone who asks for the reason why we believe and hope in Jesus. So, be prepared. Be ready. Be willing. Defend the Lord. #APurposeDrivenLife #CreatedForMore
Adonai's Appeal 