“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

               -1 Peter 3:15

I’m someone who enjoys debate. Not that I enjoy disagreeing with another person over trivial issues, but, especially when it comes to God and the Bible, I always welcome the opportunity to defend what I believe. An ability to defend the Faith is one of the most important skills a Christian should have, not only because it deepens his personal understanding of spiritual things, but because it enables him to be used by God in revealing these things to others.

Of course no person, however knowledgeable of the Scriptures, is able to impart saving faith to another (Rom. 2:4). We can preach night and day of justification and propitiation, and yet there will always be those who disagree with us regardless of how plainly the truth is presented (1 Cor. 2:14). I’ve met professed-Christians through the blogosphere who hate what I have to say about salvation, yet will contradict me without the use of even a single Scripture and  insist that everybody goes to heaven. It’s during these times that discernment must be exercised so we are able to avoid fruitless conversations with a person who simply refuses to see the light (Matt. 7:6). Certainly God may lay it upon our hearts to continue reasoning with them for a time, but at some point we must redirect our energy toward reaching those truly hungry for truth.

The key, as Peter wrote, to being a successful defender of the Faith is not a huge reservoir of head knowledge. Yes, knowledge undoubtedly helps, but it doesn’t save people. Before all else, we must “sanctify the Lord God in our heart’s”, knowing that our efforts to evangelize are vain if we have not first presented ourselves as living sacrifices before the only One Who can reveal the Father in all His fullness (Matt. 11:27; Col. 2:9). Once we have Him working in us and through us, the task of reaching people for the Kingdom suddenly gets a lot easier.

Perhaps there’s someone you’d love to reach for Christ, but your words just don’t seem to be getting through. This might be because you’re too close to them, like the father who shares Christ with his rebellious son every time they meet but to no avail, or because you are trying to sell them a faith that you yourself have neglected. Pray about what your next step should be and be prepared to respond to God’s direction. Whether it’s to continue defending your faith to that person or simply cultivate it through prayer and fasting, God knows how to make us most effective in His service.