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Simon Says
By Sean Goldburn
Simon Peter a servant of God expressed in II Peter 1:5-8 a series of measures which will assist in attaining a reputable and Christian character. Most will agree Simon Peter’s suggestions were based on good intensions, but are these measures, which were recorded years ago, still applicable today in the 21st century?
In today’s world we are all encouraged to “work smarter and not harder” when aspiring to reach a goal. Would it be a smart thing to play the game of Simon says? And to try to attain Faith accompanied by Virtue and Temperance guided by Patience and Godliness and Brotherly kindness tied in together with Love?
This Article will examine these tools individually and show the practicality of them and how they can be implemented in our daily lives.
Faith Accompanied by Virtue and Knowledge
2 Peter 1:5 states, “And besides this giving all diligence added to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledge.”
I encourage you to read this verse once again before moving on. Now that you have done so, we will start our critique of the verse. One of the world’s leading psychologists in the field of Positive thinking, Norman Vincent Peale, has spent a lot time observing human behavior, and has come to the conclusion that faith is an important attitude to have. Medical physicians also support Peale’s thesis. Some have even gone as far as to say the attitude of faith has been a critical factor that contributed to the successes of some of the most complicated operations. These non-believers have only reconfirmed our belief in God and the credibility of the Holy Bible. Hebrews 11:5-6 exposes what it is about faith that Peale stumbled upon. Peale has also recorded eight practical and Biblical grounded steps to follow in order to attain faith.
- Start by reprogramming our thinking, shifting from negative thoughts; to positive thoughts. This is no new concept as the apostle Paul also urged us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind.
- Utilize the learning method of repetition, by copy and pasting all scriptures about faith from your Bible to places you are likely to see on a daily basis. For example, posters on your car dashboard, and desk at work.
- We must change our perception of problems; see them as things to make us stronger; instead of visualizing the worst imagine the best.
- Learn the secret of guidance, which is to believe God directs your life and leads you down the right path. Romans 8:28-30
- Think, act and talk faith in God.
- Recite to yourself, “I believe.” Then, write down exactly what you believe.
- Last but not least, believe God loves you and wants the best for you.
Simon prescribed faith accompanied by virtue. Now keep in mind that Virtue is short for good works. We all would prefer to do good rather than bad, but before we can determine how we will adopt Virtue, it is important we make a decision. We must decide to make the necessary changes in our lives that are conducive to Virtue.
The Bible says two cannot walk together unless they agree. It is impossible to strive for virtue when your friends and associates who you spend most of your time with do not see the importance of virtue and are content with acting on emotions. It’s what the psychologist refers to as the law of association. Who you associate with is who you become. Ephesians 4:17 supports this theory.
Another obstacle to over come in order to attain this virtue is our intake of negative messages. We must be careful of what we read, watch and listen to via the various mediums. Dr. Denise E. Waltley, another leading psychologist once said, ”What we think is determined by what we experience, and what we experience is determined by what we expose our self to.” Don’t expose yourself to negative ungodly things.
A complete understanding of II Peter1: 5 will allow us to come to the realization that faith and virtue would be useless without knowledge .The knowledge that Simon Peter urges us to get is the knowledge of Jesus Christ. But we must be aware of the knowledge that puffs up which is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 8:1. It brings pride and arrogance. So let us pray without ceasing asking God to bless us with the Faith backed up by virtue and knowledge.
Temperance Guided by Patience and Godliness
Simon Peter mentions temperance, which is also known as moderation in verse six of II Peter 1. This is really a nice suggestion. Developing some self-control and self-denial would help us to develop good Christian character. But how do we incorporate temperance in our daily lives. How do we ensure that our actions and speech is done in moderation every day? Each person needs to examine himself and know his weakness (II Corinthians 13:5). If your weakness is alcohol, try not to find yourself in a bar. Don’t associate with friends who have a drinking problem as well.
Most people do not even remember they possess one of the most deadly weapons around, the tongue. They treat it so casually, James 3:6 speaks of it. We must all pray like David in Psalm 34:13, that God might “keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.” Now with prayer we must take curtain actions.
- We must think before we speak. What am I going to say? Is it acceptable to God?
- Retreat from certain conversations. Here the law of association comes up again. Do not associate with persons who have a reputation of speaking words of perversion.
Simon Peter again gives a follow up dosage in the way of patience, which happens to be a virtue. As stated in James 1:3, without patience it is impossible to have faith in God and we saw how important faith is. How do we develop patience in our daily lives? By putting our faith and trust in God, and never failing to pray and study God’s Word, the Bible. i
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