Peter switches gears on us this morning turning from submission to suffering. Many people have the opinion that if I am saved and serving the Lord, I am exempt from all types of sufferings, but this is just not the case at all. Even believers face the same types of difficulties as everyone else, plus suffering caused by others becasue we are Christians. We find this in statements like:
1. Don’t say that around them because they are Christians.
2. Don ask them to come, they will not, becuase they are Christians.
3. They are too good to hand out with us now, they are a Christian.
4. This new faith will not last long, they are just pretending.
5. They are just acting like this to get ahead in life.
6. When these don’t work, people begin to attack our character through deceits and lies.

So how are we supposed to respond? I know our natural response is get even, but listen to what Peter says.

1. We are to sanctify the Lord God in our hearts. We must make Jesus the center of our lives.
2. Having a good conscience. This is where we knwo that we are in a right relationship with our Lord, and others.
3. Always be ready to give a defense. This does not mean to fight back, but rather to share your story.

I mentioned this last week, but we need each other in order to stand against these trials. We need encouragement, and to give encouragement. We are not in competition against each other, but rather we are all in this together.

But in order to stand, we must first have surrendered our heart to Jesus. It is simple: We must first admit our need, believing that Jesus can meet this need, and then commit our lives to following Him.