God looks for opportunities to show Himself strong in the lives of His saints. This is true both historically and in the lives of His people living today.
Perceived strength can be one’s own worst enemy. After all, it leads people to think that they are more powerful and capable than they really are.
God knows everything, but this does not eliminate man’s responsibility to confess his sins. Failure to do so forfeits God’s practical forgiveness.
Most people view sin as a private or earthy matter. Yet, every sin is against the Lord. In truth, men can sin against the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
This world, though it consistently fails to recognize and know the Lord, should consistently recognize Christ's conversation through the life of the believer. Our conversation should always match, or become, the gospel of Christ and the new life that we have in Him. Our conversation should be holy because the Lord is holy (1 Peter 1:15). In 2 Peter 3:11, we learn that the dissolving of this world ought to cause us to walk “in all holy conversation and godliness.” In other words, our practical Christian life should resemble the change inside of us that took place at salvation. Others should see the Lord Jesus Christ in our actions and in our way of life.
God is as equally concerned with what we do as to how we do it. It is not only important that we have the right kind of conversation, but that our conversation be based on “simplicity and godly sincerity.” In other words, our conversation should be genuine and never extravagant. People behave for different reasons. Sometimes those reasons are godly, yet at other times they reflect ungodliness. Anyone can feign a good conversation for a short period; however, only with the Lord's help can one's motives consistently match his actions. Paul not only sought to have his conversation right before the Lord, but also desired a genuine change of heart to bring forth the proper conversation.
