I'm VERIFIED (Pt. 2) | Pastor Kevin G. Swann // Ivy Baptist Church

I’M VERIFIED | Part 2: True Believers Have Staying Power | Pastor Kevin G. Swann 1 John 2:18-20 (NIV) How do you know if your faith is authentic? In Part 2 of I’M VERIFIED, Pastor Kevin G. Swann shares the second spiritual indicator of a believer who has been verified by God: true believers have staying power. Using 1 John 2:18–20, Pastor Swann challenges us to understand that looking the part, knowing church language, serving in ministry, or simply acknowledging Christ does not necessarily reveal what is in the heart. Time and testing reveal authenticity. Life will bring trials. Faith will be tested. There will be moments of fear, doubt, disappointment, and pressure. But trials do not always mean God is punishing you. Sometimes, God is using the pressure to develop something in you that you could not gain any other way. True believers develop perseverance, the ability to keep pressing forward, and endurance, the capacity to remain firm under pressure. And we don't stay by our own strength. Through the Holy Spirit, God gives us the power to hold on when everything in us wants to walk away. Key Scriptures: • 1 John 2:18–20 • James 1:2–4 • Matthew 24:13 • John 16:33 • Hebrews 12 Key Takeaways: • True believers have staying power. • Looking like a believer externally does not necessarily reveal what is happening in the heart. • Time and testing reveal the authenticity of our faith. • Experiencing doubt, fear, or difficulty is not the same as abandoning your faith. • Trials can have a purpose in the life of a believer. • Perseverance helps us continue pressing forward. • Endurance gives us the capacity to remain firm under pressure. • The Holy Spirit gives us the strength to stay when we want to walk away. You may get knocked down. You may be under pressure. You may wonder how long the trial will last. But true believers stay. Indicator #1: Choose obedience to Christ over habitual sin. Indicator #2: True believers have staying power. Join us as the I’M VERIFIED series continues and we discover the biblical indicators of an authentic walk with Christ. New here? We’d love to meet you this week. https://www.ivybaptistchurch.org/im-n... Prayed the prayer of salvation today or ready to follow Jesus? We’re celebrating with you! Reach out so our team can walk with you. https://www.ivybaptistchurch.org/im-n... Need prayer? Drop a request and our ministers will cover you. https://www.ivybaptistchurch.org/cont... To support the ministry of Ivy Baptist Church and help us continue sharing the gospel, visit https://ivybaptistchurch.org/give/ #verified #baptistchurch #sundayservice #ivybaptistchurch #newportnews