The divine nature of God is something believers are meant to live in now, not just hope for in heaven. In this second message on living in God’s divine nature, the speaker returns to 2 Peter 1:1–11 and adds a warning from 1 Corinthians 15:33: evil company corrupts good habits. He teaches that we have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness, but we take on God’s nature only as we add diligence to our faith, guard our hearts and spend real time with Him. It continues from Living in God’s Divine Nature #1 — Add to Your Faith Virtue.
Below you will find the full video, a structured summary of the sermon, the Scripture behind each point (linked to the New King James Version on Bible Gateway), a timestamped outline, and practical steps you can take this week.
Sermon at a Glance
This message was preached at NTC Ministries and posted in January 2023, two weeks after the first part. The speaker, who also teaches students at the church’s school, says he is continuing the same topic and gives his title as living in God’s divine nature, but evil company corrupts good habits. He calls it his part two.
His aim, he says, is to teach and train rather than just tickle ears, so that believers go beyond a prayer they once prayed and truly live as sons and daughters of the King. He closes by leading the church in a prayer of repentance and a request to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Speaker | A minister and teacher at NTC Ministries (not named in the recording) |
| Series | Living in God’s Divine Nature, part 2 |
| Main text | 2 Peter 1:1–11, with Proverbs 4:20–27 and 1 Corinthians 15:33 |
| Key theme | Taking on God’s nature through diligence, guarding your heart and how you spend your time |
| Length | About 53 minutes |
Called for Such a Time as This
The speaker opens by reminding the church that believers live in this world but are not of it. They are set apart for what God wants, as opposed to the sinful nature of the world. He sees the end times in how openly good is called evil and evil is called good (Isaiah 5:20).
The answer is not to stick our heads in the sand. God has called us here for such a time as this (Esther 4:14). We have been divinely appointed for right now, to run and not grow weary and to walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31), and to do the wonderful works He has promised.
He describes NTC as a faith-filled, Holy Spirit-empowered church, and says that since God is alive inside us, we should be alive, feel alive and act alive. In God’s presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11), and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17). God’s nature is joy, love, peace and strength.
Yet many believers feel defeated or overcome. God has made us kings and priests (Revelation 1:6), the speaker says, and we do not live by feelings but by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7) and by what God has called us to be. That is why it matters to do more than come to church once in a while or treat a prayer you prayed as a ticket to heaven.
Partakers of the Divine Nature
He then reads 2 Peter 1:1–11. Peter writes to those who have obtained like precious faith, which includes us. God’s divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him, and by exceedingly great and precious promises we may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Do we lack anything, the speaker asks? Absolutely not. But it comes through the knowledge of Him, so it is important to build a relationship with Jesus. He shares that he talks to God all through the day. Even if you do not often hear a response, he says, just keep thanking God for who He is, for the strength to endure, and for being the Prince of Peace when trouble comes.
In Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28), and we enter His gates with thanksgiving (Psalm 100:4). The speaker says he wants to partake of the divine nature right here in this life, not one day in heaven. God called him to this earth to bring heaven to earth through Jesus, who lives in every believer.
There are thousands upon thousands of promises in Scripture, and they are not divided up between believers. All the promises of God in Him are yes and amen (2 Corinthians 1:20), and God shows no partiality (Acts 10:34). Take them, use them and walk in His nature, he says.
Without Christ there is no hope, no real joy and no true peace, only happiness on occasion. Receiving Jesus is not just a prayer you prayed, he says; “it’s a life I chose to live.” Jesus said that in the world we will have tribulation, but to be of good cheer, because He has overcome the world (John 16:33). That is how we partake of the divine nature: by choosing to live in it, and by gathering together all the more as we see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:25).
Add Diligence to Your Faith
Peter tells us to give all diligence and add to our faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. The speaker reminds the church that Jesus did everything with excellence, passion, commitment and dedication, not only to please His Father but because He loves us. In Christ, he says, “I can’t wait to see what he’s going to do through me in the day.”
Jesus was the master teacher, and He called all kinds of personalities: a tax collector, business people, the down and out, even those He knew would betray Him or curse Him. All He said was “Follow Me,” and they chose to learn from Him. Scripture shows how they changed, from constantly questioning Jesus to building faith in who He is. He sent them out two by two, and, nervous as they were, they added to their faith through diligence.
The speaker says he puts in the time to study and show himself approved (2 Timothy 2:15), rather than just coming up with something that morning. He connects this with the church’s teaching on worship. We enter with thanksgiving and praise, but then comes the intimate time of worship, one on one with the Father, where you get to speak and to listen. In that still, quiet place His presence comes in like a flood and engrosses you.
The more time we spend with God, he says, the more drive, determination, passion and excellence we have in following Him. That also includes coming together. The building is not the church; we are. It is hard to get through a day missing your right hand, and in the same way every member is needed, whether ushering, greeting, serving in the nursery or teaching children.
Diligence looks like an usher arriving early to salt the walks, or a greeter prayed up and sensitive to who needs prayer. Children’s workers bring the Word to the children’s level so they grow up knowing God as Father and knowing who they are: joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).
Guard Your Heart: Wisdom From Proverbs 4
The speaker then turns to Proverbs 4:20–27, which he reads in the NIV and which is the current memory passage for the church’s school students. Pay attention to God’s words, turn your ear to them, keep them in sight and keep them in your heart. In the ear means we hear them; in sight means we see His wisdom at work as we apply it.
We need to keep His words in our hearts because we live in a fallen world that will tell us things that contradict the Word of God. Let God be true and every man a liar (Romans 3:4). Could the disciples have taken on Jesus’ nature if they had shown up only once a week?
God’s words are life to those who find them and health to all their flesh. The speaker says that when we live in Him, no plague can come near our dwelling (Psalm 91:10). Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble (Psalm 119:165). Offense, he says, has no place in that nature; people who are easily offended do not yet understand the Word.
Above all else, guard your heart. Watch it like a hawk, he says, because Satan is real, as real as heaven, hell and angels. The devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8), and the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10) the nature God has given us.
When a doubtful “yeah, but what if” thought comes, the speaker asks why he would question God’s Word when His Spirit bears witness with ours (Romans 8:16). He resists sickness and quarreling in the home in Jesus’ name and declares, with Joshua, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). Keep your mouth free of corrupt talk, fix your eyes straight ahead, give careful thought to the paths of your feet, and do not turn to the right or the left.
No Dabbling: The Wages of Sin
The speaker says he cannot understand how Christians with the divine nature of God think they can dabble in sin and come up with excuses contrary to the Word. We are human and the thoughts will come, so we must cast down imaginations (2 Corinthians 10:5). A little leaven leavens the whole lump (Galatians 5:9).
Thinking “just this one time” sows seeds to weakness and sin, he says, and then we come to church expecting a bright future. “This isn’t religion, I’m not your priest.” Every believer answers to Jesus directly. Just as children cannot live on their parents’ faith forever, each believer must step into their own faith.
He has the church read Romans 6:23 aloud twice: the wages of sin is death. Not a bad day, not a bad time, but death. God is not mocked; whatever a man sows, that he will also reap (Galatians 6:7). He says he would not be doing his job if he only gave a feel-good message without telling the consequences of the other way. Whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord (Colossians 3:23).
Give no place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27), not even a little. Satan is a skilled deceiver, liar and manipulator, and he is not after a bad day for you but after your very soul. People who live outside God’s presence simply take on that nature, which is why believers must show them the way, following Paul’s example of imitating Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).
The good news is that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away and all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). God casts our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19), so when Satan brings up your past, remind him you have been redeemed. Accepting Jesus does not make us perfect, and we will still make mistakes, but we say “God, forgive me” and move on.
God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power at work in us (Ephesians 3:20–21). So present your bodies as a living sacrifice and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:1–2). That surrendered life, he says, is the divine nature: empowered, strong and full of joy.
Evil Company Corrupts Good Habits
The speaker then asks what we are giving our time to. There are 168 hours in a week. Using averages he says he found online, he walks through where those hours go. He stresses that your own week may differ.
| Activity | His weekly estimate | Hours left of 168 |
|---|---|---|
| Work (8–12 hours a day, 4–6 days) | About 50 hours | 118 |
| Sleep (6–9 hours a night) | About 50 hours | 68 |
| Television (about 2.5 hours a day) | About 17.5 hours | About 50 |
| Time online (almost 7 hours a day) | About 48.5 hours | About 2 |
That leaves about two hours a week, less than twenty minutes a day, before eating, phone calls, chores, driving or hobbies. “How am I supposed to take on the nature of my heavenly Father when I’m too busy doing everything else?” he asks. People should know we are disciples of Jesus not from a billboard but from our nature, our words, how we treat others and the presence of God they sense on us.
Talking to God on the way to work is wonderful, he says, but have you ever stopped everything and given Him time alone? He wants God’s divine nature to show not only when he preaches but in his classroom, with parents and in the community: the joy of the Lord as his strength (Nehemiah 8:10) and great peace in a chaotic world. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added (Matthew 6:33).
Then comes his key text, read together: “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits'” (1 Corinthians 15:33). What we give our time to will influence our lives. You can see it when a coworker starts spending time with someone new and begins to talk and act like them. There is nothing wrong with jobs or social events where you let your light shine, he says, but if you are not influencing people, they are influencing you.
Jesus promised that we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on us and be His witnesses (Acts 1:8). Even a shy believer can witness through the divine nature God gives. He says his goal is not to make anyone feel bad but to encourage: we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). We are not an average church; we are the head and not the tail (Deuteronomy 28:13), the righteousness of God in Christ.
Living It Out: Choosing the Divine Nature
The speaker closed by asking the church not to feel condemned but to be awake to their decisions. He led a prayer asking God to forgive sins, to open eyes and ears, to help guard the heart, and to forgive any outside influence that had led to deception, then to fill each person with the Holy Spirit and power. Here are the practical steps drawn from this message on the divine nature:
- Audit your 168 hours. Write down where your week actually goes, and decide what adjustments you need to make.
- Stop everything for God daily. Beyond talking to Him on the go, set aside time to sit quietly in His presence, speak and listen.
- Memorize Proverbs 4:20–27. Like the school students, keep God’s words in your ear, your sight and your heart.
- Refuse to dabble. When “just this once” comes to mind, cast it down and give no place to the devil.
- Check your company. Ask honestly whether you are influencing the people around you or they are influencing you.
- Serve with excellence. Pick one place to serve in the church and do it diligently, as unto the Lord.
Timestamped Outline
- 0:00 Part two: living in God’s divine nature
- 0:56 Called for such a time as this
- 2:50 Sons and daughters of the King
- 4:48 Reading 2 Peter 1:1–11
- 6:57 Getting to know Him every day
- 8:47 Thousands of promises, all yes and amen
- 12:08 Add diligence to your faith
- 13:31 How Jesus changed His disciples
- 16:38 Intimate worship in the quiet place
- 18:42 We all need one another
- 21:21 Proverbs 4:20–27
- 24:16 Great peace and no offense
- 25:22 Guard your heart: the enemy is real
- 26:23 Why dabbling in sin does not work
- 31:11 Romans 6:23: the wages of sin
- 33:41 Give no place to the devil
- 35:03 A new creation in Christ
- 37:20 Romans 12: a living sacrifice
- 39:41 Where do your 168 hours go?
- 42:56 Known as a disciple by your nature
- 46:37 Evil company corrupts good habits
- 49:59 Not an average church
- 52:04 Closing prayer
Living in God’s Divine Nature Series
This is the second of two messages on this theme at NTC Ministries. Go back to the first message here:
- Previous: Living in God’s Divine Nature #1 — Add to Your Faith Virtue
- You are here: Living in God’s Divine Nature #2 — Evil Company Corrupts Good Habits
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this message say Christians have to be perfect?
No. The speaker says plainly that accepting Jesus does not make us perfect and that we will still make mistakes. The point is not perfection but direction. When you fail, say “God, forgive me” and move on, because you are a new creation and God has forgotten your past. What he warns against is choosing to dabble in sin and making excuses for it.
Should Christians avoid unbelievers at work or in social settings?
No. He says there is nothing wrong with having those jobs or being at those social events and letting your light shine. The question is direction of influence. If the people around you are not starting to talk and act more like you, they are influencing you instead. Coming out and being separate, he explains, means not taking on the world’s nature, not cutting yourself off.
What if I only have time to pray in the car?
The speaker encourages talking to God all through the day, including on the drive to work, and says that is wonderful. But he also challenges believers to sometimes stop everything else and give God undivided time, simply asking Him to remind you how much He loves you. That intimate time, he teaches, is where His presence comes in like a flood.
Scripture References
All passages open in the New King James Version on Bible Gateway:
- 2 Peter 1:1–11 — partakers of the divine nature
- 1 Corinthians 15:33 — evil company corrupts good habits
- Proverbs 4:20–27 — guard your heart
- Romans 6:23 — the wages of sin
- Ephesians 4:27 — give no place to the devil
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 — a new creation
- Romans 12:1–2 — a living sacrifice
- Isaiah 5:20 — good called evil
- Matthew 6:33 — seek first the kingdom
How this summary was made: written with AI assistance from the sermon’s own transcript and checked against the Scriptures listed above.
Watch More Messages
If this message helped you think about where your time and heart are going, there are hundreds more teachings from NTC Ministries waiting for you. Browse the full sermon archive and keep growing in the nature God has given you.
