John 8:34 says, “…Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave to sin.” Verse 36 says, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

Romans 6:1-2 says, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”

Verse 4 says at salvation, “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also shall walk in newness of life.”

Verse 7 restates it saying, “For he who has died has been freed from sin.” Verse 16 gives us a choice. It says, “…to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey…”

The context of 2 Peter is about false teachers and destructive doctrines.. 2 Peter 2:19 says, “…for whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.” Warning: do not return to what you were freed from. 

Proverbs 9:10 says, “…knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” A. W. Tozier’s book, “Knowledge Of The Holy” explains some of the Lord’s attributes. You might read if you haven’t yet. One that really grabbed my attention is His Self-Existence.

Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.”

2 Timothy 3:5 says, “Having a form of godliness but denying its power…” Our power comes from obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise we are only operating from our own strength ~ denial of Who God is, and His resurrection power within us.

True knowledge is taking God’s word into our hearts through personal applications. It then becomes a governor for our thoughts, actions, attitudes, and habits so they reflect Him in every aspect of our being.

Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” Isaiah 5:13 says, “Therefore my people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge…”

2 Peter 1:3 says, “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him…” In verse 5 Peter instructed his reader to add to their faith.

One of the inner graces to add is knowledge.  Then verse 8 says that if these inner graces, “…are yours and abound in you, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

What is your level of knowledge of the Lord? Do you have areas of spiritual barrenness? Are you lacking in self-control, or the power to overcome the work of the enemy against you? 

Verse 9-10 says, “For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble.”

Peter was reminding us that harboring hidden sin creates blindspots ~ areas we do not acknowledge are there. 1 John 1:9 says to confess our sins.

Romans 4:3 says, “…Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Verse 18 says, “Who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken…” Genesis 15:5.

Verse 19 says, “And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.” Consider means to ponder, to think about, and to weigh options. Abraham did not do any of that. He simply trusted God to fulfill His promise.

Verse 20 in the Amplified says that he did not waver in unbelief, “…but grew strong and was empowered by faith AS he gave praise and glory to God.” There is a foundational key for us. Psalm 22:3 says that God inhabits the praises of His people.

Praising the Lord for Who He is at all times, keeps us on the path of His righteousness. It squeezes out our flesh. It keeps out hearts open to another foundational truth. The Holy Spirit dwells within us.

2 Timothy 2:19 says, “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: The Lord knows those who are His, and Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

Hebrews 4:13 Amplified says, “And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, naked and defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do.”

Only the Lord knows hearts. We only know what another is thinking if they tell us. We often fall into error when we assume something. Assumptions are based on what we think we know. When we react in our flesh ~ that is iniquity. 

Our flesh wants to figure things out. Waiting patiently for the Lord’s way to be revealed is a spiritual life skill. It is based on moment by moment hope in His divine orchestration and impeccable timing.

Sarah’s devised plan not only failed, but continues to bear the fruit of those consequences. In spite of this, God had His way. Romans 4 recorded Abraham’s faith, not his giving in to Sarah’s fleshly driven scheme.

We can hope for things in our lives. However, if our focus isn’t on the Lord, we will have broken expectations. Let Psalm 62:5 be an anchoring verse for you. It says, “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.”

Abraham and Sarah didn’t wait for God to fulfill His promise in His set time. They took matters into their own hands. Ishmael was the fruit. Yet the Lord had His way. His promise was fulfilled through Isaac.

Romans 4:17 says, “…God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.” When the Lord gives a promise, it may sound like it is a present happening. Yet as He had a set time for Sarah to conceive, so He has a set time in our lives.

Isaiah 64:4 says, “…who acts for the one who waits for Him.” Isaiah 30:18 says, “Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you…blessed are all those who wait for Him.” Hope must be in God alone ~ not circumstances.

Romans 5:4 follows after the progressive fruit of our trials. Paul wrote that our trials produce perseverance, which produces character, which produces hope. It says, “Now hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

1 Peter 1:21 says, “Who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” In 1 Corinthians 13:13 we read that our hope is one of the virtues that will abide while we are on this earth.

It says, “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” We need faith and hope to persevere throughout trials. However God’s love is eternal. It will be with us forever.

Hope anchors our soul, as our trials are conforming us to His image. Romans 8:24 says, “For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?”

Our progressive sanctification is a charted path that will bring us into continual circumstances that He will use to conform us to His image. Verse 29 says, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…”

Conformed. The word always makes me think of a wheel potter. The hard clay has to be mixed with water to soften it. Then the potter has to center the piece on the wheel before it can be shaped. Our trials are divinely orchestrated to center us on the Lord.

He is our Potter. Jeremiah 18:2 says, “Arise and go down to the potter’s house…” Verse 4 says, “And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter…” Jesus understands marring. 

Isaiah 52:14 says, “…so His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.” Jesus bore our sins so that we could live with Him forever. Our trials that stop us in our tracks may mar us, but they will never destroy us. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9.

Hebrews 10:12 says, “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.” Verse 14 says, “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.”

Verse 23 says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” I love 2 Timothy 2:13. It says, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”

Romans 8:1 says that there is no condemnation to those who walk according to the Spirit. Verse 2 says, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”

The law could not fulfill the requirement for eternal salvation. That is why the priests had to continually offer up sacrifices. Romans 8:3-4 says, “…He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Galatians 5:16 is a command.

Thank you to the Veteran’s today who fought for our country’s freedom.

Titus 1:2 says, “In hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.” I want to go back to Hebrews 6:19, picking up the words, “…Presence behind the veil.” When Jesus was forsaken by His Father, Luke 23:44 says, “…there was darkness over all the earth…” for three hours.

Verse 45 says, “Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.” Exodus 26:33 says, “…The veil shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the Most Holy.”

Leviticus 16:2 says that Aaron was not, “…to come at just any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat…” Hebrews 9:7 says that the high priest went in once a year alone, “…not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins…”

Verse 13 says, “The Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing.” Ephesians 1:20 recorded Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father.