Jude 20-21

But you, beloved, build yourselves up on (the foundation of) your most holy faith (continually progress, rise like and edifice higher and higher), pray in the Holy Spirit, and keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously and looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ (which will bring you) to eternal life. 

We can grow in faith and persevere. It takes some commitment and time, but the more we read, listen, and study the faith, the more we will see and hear from God. The closer we draw toward Him, the closer He will come to us. Eternal life isn’t a fairy tale but brought to us through salvation.  

Jude 17-19

But as for you, beloved, remember the (prophetic) words spoken by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They used to say to you, “In the last days there will be scoffers, following after their own ungodly passions.” These are the ones who are (agitators) causing divisions-worldly minded (secular, unspiritual, carnal, merely sensual-unsaved) devoid of the Spirit.

Sin will blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the scoffers of Christianity. They do not discern the flesh from the spirit and control the carnal nature of the flesh. They see no division or future of the spirit and live a life minimalized to what the earth has to offer. Sin blinds them to salvation and any release from perpetual unsatisfaction. 

Psalm 39:5-6
Behold, You have made my days as (short as) hand widths, and my lifetime is nothing in Your sight. Surely every man at his best is a mere breath (a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes)! Surely every man walks around like a shadow (in a charade); surely they make an uproar for nothing; each one builds up riches, not knowing who will receive them.

Our time is an investment in what is meaningful or meaningless. We can invest in money, jobs, creativity, and friends, but do we take the time to invest in our spirits and souls? We will focus our time on being successful outwardly and neglect what matters the most: our relationship with God and our spirits. We should make the most of our time and let Jesus lead us to the fulfillment of our lives.

Psalm 37:7
Be still before the Lord; wait patiently for Him and entrust yourself to Him; do not fret (whine, agonize) because of him who prospers in his way, because the man who carries out wicked schemes.

Our faith in a situation depends on what we focus on. When we focus on God and His promises and believe in them, it is easier to be patient. If we focus on the sinner and their actions, we will judge them, look for justice, and lose our patience. We will no longer be in faith but worry, leading to evil.

Luke 5:20
When Jesus saw their (active) faith (springing from confidence in Him), He said, “Man, your sins are forgiven.”

If we don’t believe that Jesus can do what the Bible says, we are not in faith. Our faith must be alive and actively working in our hearts and minds daily. Faith takes confidence in Jesus to work. Faith grows like a mustard seed, starting out small, and the more we nourish ourselves with the Word, the larger our tree will grow.

Luke 4:18
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me (the Messiah), because He has anointed Me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent Me to announce release (pardon, forgiveness) to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed (downtrodden, bruised, crushed by tragedy).

Jesus came to set us free from the chokehold that sin has over the people. He opens the gates and redeems the people through salvation and forgiveness of sins. Jesus bridges the gap in our lives even after we are saved. There is no other way to God and eternity except through the Son Jesus.

Mark 13:13
You will be hated by everyone because of (your association with) My name, but the one who (patiently perseveres empowered by the Holy Spirit and) endures to the end, he will be saved.

Are we prepared to be hated because we are Christians? The oppression of Christians has been low in this country, but how well will we stick by our faith if we are jailed or excluded? When we understand that the Bible speaks of persecution and that God stands by those who are faithful to Him. We must set our minds that we will patiently preserver.

Matthew 8:8-9
But the centurion replied to Him, Lord, I am not worthy to have You under my roof, but only say the Word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man subject to authority (of a higher rank), with soldiers subject to me; and I say to one: “Go!” and he goes, and another, “Come!” and he comes, and to my slave, “Do this!” and he does it.

Our lives will thrive when we understand the authority that Jesus gave us over our circumstances on earth when He died on the cross. Faith is our servant, and we need to put it to work in our lives. We cannot doubt that the Word of God is true. When we waffle between faith and doubt, we stop our answer from coming. Build up faith, practice small things, and start taking it higher.

Matthew 7:24-25
So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, will be like a wise man (a far-sighted, practical, and sensible man) who built his house on a rock. And the rain fell, and the floods and torrents came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

Deception likes to take what is mostly true to promote a lie and misquote the Bible. There needs to be enough truth to slip the falsehood past our minds without us questioning what is being said. We must examine what is presented and not believe everything we hear. We must have a strong Bible foundation to see when something is against the Word of God. We must question what is before us and be our own faith advocates.

Matthew 7:15-16
Beware of the false prophets, (teachers) who come to you dressed as sheep (appearing gentle and innocent), but inwardly are ravenous wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them (that is, by their contrived doctrine and self-focus) Do people pick grapes from the thorn bushes or figs from the thistles?

We are to be wise in uncertain times and strong in word knowledge of the Bible. The Bible guides us to discern what is true and Godly; we must know God’s standard. A Godly person will never leave Jesus out of the equation when promoting something. If Jesus is not part of the standard, then who or what is being promoted is not from God.