Can a Christian really live above the pull of the world? In this Sunday message from June 2024, Pastor Linda Reese taught that we overcome the world through our relationship with God, and warned about the quiet trap of trusting our own good record instead.

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.

2 Peter 1:3 (KJV)

The trap of a good record

Church attendance, prayer, Bible study, general good works: all of it matters. But Pastor Linda was blunt that a false sense of security can grow if we start treating those habits as the thing that wins the victory. They are not the engine. They need the empowering presence of God’s Spirit behind them to do anything at all.

Three honest questions

Are you attending church the way you should? Are you praying daily, and not only once a day, but whenever the need comes up, even walking along and thanking Him out of the blue? Are you studying the Word, so that when the enemy comes at you, you can answer him with it?

She was realistic about why we do not. We get too busy, or too tired, and decide we will read tomorrow. The answer is not guilt. It is discipline: deciding in advance, and keeping the appointment.

What we have already been given

Peter writes to people whose faith is “like precious” as his own, and says God’s divine power has already given us everything we need for life and godliness, with great and precious promises attached (2 Peter 1:1–4). The letter was written into a church with internal trouble, including false teachers pulling people away from the faith. The answer then is the answer now: know Him, and know what He actually said.

Something to do this week

Pick one fixed time this week to read and pray, and keep it even on the tired day. For more on this, read The Hall of Faith (Hebrews 11) or Living Right in a Wrong World (Psalm 119).

If something here speaks to you, send a prayer request (name and email are optional) or get in touch. You can browse every message, or plan a visit and join us on a Sunday at 10:00 AM.