The people you hang out with are going to have an undeniable impact on who you become and what you value, so be wise about who you choose to spend your time with. It really is that simple.

There are power in words. So it makes sense that confessing something with words would carry weight. In this case John tells us that if we confess that Jesus is the Son of God that God will abide in us and we in him. This is a huge concept.

‘If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” That’s like a verbal punch straight to the gut and yet, how many of us consistently worry about pleasing other people?

Fearing God is the beginning of wisdom because it means that we have begun to understand the impossible gap that exists between us. We cannot cross it on our own. This was the point of the Law as I pointed out in yesterday’s post. This is why God sent Jesus to earth to live, die, and rise from the dead. So that he could build a way for us to cross that gap. Yet another incredible reason to live in awe of his power, grace, mercy, love, and splendor.

Assurance means ‘*a positive declaration intended to give confidence or certainty’ or ‘a promise*’. So we could read this verse as “*now faith is the confident declaration of things hoped for, the certainty of things not seen.*” When we have faith, when we say we believe in something, we are exercising our ability to hold on to the promises that God has made to us through the Bible.