As we continue from our last post, Notice in 1 Peter 3:16 that those who persecute believers will be put to shame by our good conduct and clear conscience.
My friend, when Christ is Lord of our lives and we fear only God, we need not fear the threats, opinions, or actions of our enemies. Psalms 118:6 "The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" Peter does make it clear however that conscience alone is not the test of what is right or wrong. Conscience is a safe guide only when the Word of God is the teacher; Everything is filtered through the Word of God. There is always going to be those who oppose and persecute us and we may not be able to keep them from slandering us, but we can at least stop supplying them with ammunition. As long as we do what is right, their accusations will be empty and will only embarrass them. Living Godly lives; walking the talk is how you combat them.
Verse seventeen goes on to say "For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.". Now it is common sense that it is better to suffer for doing good rather than doing evil. God wants us to live righteous pure lives, and He wants us witnessing for Him even if we face persecution for it. This is the will of God. If you suffer for Christ's sake, you can rejoice in that; but if you are suffering because you have gotten into trouble and into sin, then that is a different story altogether.
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