I’ve been going to church since I was born. I went to a Christian grade school, high school, and college. Plus, for much of my adult life, I’ve written thoughts about God for thousands of people to read. And yet . . . sometimes I skim over parts of the Bible that are hard. There are so many stories and lessons that don’t make sense.

It’s easy to get confused about some of God’s words and then worry about knowing (or understanding!) it all. 

Fortunately, a part of the Bible that’s incredibly clear reassures us. First John 3 says we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. God’s command is to believe in the name of Jesus Christ and to love one another.

So when you’re confused about faith, get back to the basics: 

One: Believe in Jesus. 

Two: Love others as he commanded. 

Three: Pray confidently.

This reminder isn’t only for us when faith seems to get confusing; it’s also a humbling reminder when we’re tempted to get arrogant because we think we have it all together. This simple list gets us back to basics when we get discouraged by how often we fail. 

Please don’t think I’m encouraging you never to tackle the hard parts of the Bible. We should mature in our faith by growing in knowledge and understanding. Even as we do that though, we keep it simple: Believe in Jesus. Love others. Pray confidently.