Be Steadfast

Steadfast can be defined by Webster's dictionary as "firmly fixed in place" or "not subject to change." What exactly does that mean when it comes to Christianity? Well God tells us in 2 Peter 3:17, "You, therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked." You see in the previous Chapters of 2 Peter, it talks about destructive doctrines and false prophets and warns about falling into the deception of those who preach anything that is contrary to the real teaching of Jesus. Jesus is warning us that we need to be steadfast when this happens. He is telling us we need to stand firm in our beliefs because we know the one and only truth and that is that Jesus died on the cross for our sins so that we can have eternal salvation with Him in Heaven. We must confess with our mouths our sin, ask for forgiveness for that sin, confess that He is Lord, accept Him into our hearts, and live a life that is honoring to Him. The world will tell you many things. The world will say that it is okay to have sex before marriage. The world will tell you that it is okay to curse the name of the Lord. The world will tell you that it is okay to dishonor your parents. The world will tell you that it is okay to steal. The world will tell you it is okay to lie. The world will tell you it is okay to place things and people above God. The world will tell you that there is no God and he's a fictional character. The world will tell you that you are ugly, worthless, and no one cares if you kill yourself. The world will tell you that you don't deserve to be loved. The world will beat you down over and over again with false statements. Sometimes after being told something so many times or seeing something so many times, it's easy to start believing it, when you don't know the real truth. I am here to tell you that if you don't know the truth, I have the answers for you. Jesus is the truth. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. The Bible is the truth. The commandments are the truth. The truth is the world doesn't define you. The truth is Jesus tells us we should honor our parents. The truth is Jesus tells us that it is not okay to lie or steal. Jesus tells us that we should not have sex before marriage. Jesus tells us the truth and He provides the truth for us in the Bible; something you have easy access to. It truly is the handbook to life. It is the truth that will set you free. We need to stand steadfast on that truth. When the wickedness of the world tries to beat us down and tell us anything different than that truth, we need to stand firm on the Word of God. Stand firm on His promises. Stand firm on His commandments. Stand firm on who He is. Stand firm on our Faith. As soon as we don't stand firm and allow ourselves to sway, that is when the devil makes his attack. The devil will do anything he can to draw you further from God AND HE WILL USE WHOEVER HE CAN TO HELP HIM DO SO. I am here to tell you that the person he is using could be your best friend. It can be your significant other. It can be your teacher. It can be a family member. It can be someone you trust, love, and care about. That's the hard reality of it. Sometimes the people who are closest to you are not the best people for you. If people are encouraging you to sin against God and live a life that is not pleasing to God, then those people do not truly have your best interest at heart. If those people are causing you to not stand steadfast but to sway and fall, those people do not truly have your best interest at heart. Surround yourself with a group of people who are willing to stand steadfast beside you, not pull you down from your firm position to where they are standing. This was hard for me. This is something I still struggle with. It is something I still have to pray to God about, because there are people I love and care about that aren't standing steadfast with me, but trying to get me to come down from where I am. I don't want you to think with the way I am wording this that I believe that Christians are above those who aren't saved. That is not true at all. We are all equal in the eyes of the Lord. We are ALL God's children. But when I think of standing steadfast, I imagine someone standing on a totem pole or a step stool or something like a statue, firm in place. Anyways, in that same Chapter of 2 Peter 3, verse 18 says this, "but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen." Do you know what happens when you have a plant and you provide it with sunshine and adequate amounts of water and tend to it? It grows. Think of your relationship with God as that plant. Allow yourself to grow in your relationship with God. Care for the relationship. Invest your time and resources into the relationship. Feed yourself with the Word of God in order to grow the relationship. Allow God's light to shine upon you and through you, so you can grow in your relationship. Do you know what happens to a plant that you neglect and don't water or provide sunshine for it? It dies. You see, it is all about the choice to make. You can choose to grow closer to God or let your relationship with God dwindle and die. You can choose to stand steadfast or choose to sway. You have all the resources you need readily available to help you to be steadfast in your relationship with God, will you choose to utilize them? I pray you do. I pray you allow God to help you grow into the best possible version of yourself so that when you're standing steadfast, nothing and no one can bring you down. I pray the same for myself. I pray we continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of God so that when wicked people try to lead us away with error, we turn to God and not those who try to bring us down. I pray we all grow closer to our Father in Heaven, Jesus Christ.