My youngest daughter, Addison, is getting ready to head off to FSU this fall. The night before we recorded this, she asked me to sit next to her on the couch. We'd had these talks before, but this time she caught me off guard. "Dad," she said, "you haven't brought up any Scripture." She was testing me — and she was right to.
So I gave her one: 1 Peter 3:15. And it's the same passage we're covering here, because it's exactly what I told her that night.
"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." — 1 Peter 3:15
Peter wrote this to believers in Asia Minor who were being slandered and persecuted — he was encouraging them in the middle of a hard season. We're focusing on the second half of the verse: the call to always be ready to give an answer for the hope we carry.
Always Be Prepared
Notice the wording — always be prepared. That means there's work to do today for a moment that might come tomorrow. You have to put some thought into it. You have to know what you're going to say before you're asked.
I work in sales and marketing, and we teach our reps the same principle: learn the script. There's a reason we say what we say, when we say it, how we say it. I'd argue we get that discipline straight from this verse — always be prepared to give an answer.
That word "answer" in the Greek is apologia — where we get the word apologetics. It's a defense. If you were in a courtroom, the attorney would ask, "What's your answer? What's your defense?" That's the posture Peter is calling us to.
And it doesn't need to be long. If someone asks why you have the hope you have, they're not looking for a 30-minute sermon. They want something short — something that grabs their attention. Sitting someone down for 45 minutes to explain why you love Christ would actually be doing them a disservice. Keep it short. Keep it sweet. It's your testimony, and no one can argue with how God changed your life.
The Question Only Comes After the Witness
Here's something easy to miss: Peter isn't telling us to go out looking for an argument. He's saying be prepared for when someone asks. But for someone to ask, they first have to notice something different about you. There has to be a way you're walking that shows them your life isn't like theirs.
Maybe their life is falling apart and yours isn't. They might ask why. What are you doing that lets you not fall apart like everyone else? That's when it gets personal — and that's exactly what happened with Addison.
Addison's Story
When Addison was 13 or 14, she struggled with depression. I don't know exactly where it came from — my wife and I tried to provide a loving home. We had our own turmoil, but it wasn't directed at her; it was outside forces dad and mom were working through. Still, it didn't change where she was.
When I asked her recently what her answer was — her testimony — she said she honestly wasn't sure she even believed in God or Jesus at that point, even though we'd been in church the whole time. What changed was this: she started watching other kids her age, noticed how differently they carried themselves, and asked them why.
I didn't heal her. But God put other kids in her path who were prepared with an answer. Because of that, she was healed — no more medication. Today she's a healthy, happy college student, about to start the next chapter of her life. Why? Because someone else's life looked different than hers, and they were ready to say why.
Gentleness and Respect
Peter closes the verse with something just as important as the answer itself: do this with gentleness and respect.
Gentleness isn't weakness — it's strength under control. You don't win anyone over by beating them over the head with why you love Christ. At the same time, you shouldn't be so soft that you have no real answer at all. "I'm just happy" isn't a testimony. Be ready to actually say why you show up — why you're at a 9:15 devotional Monday through Thursday, what draws you to church. Keep it short, keep it sweet, and keep it honest. It's unrefutable. No one can argue with how God changed your life.
And do it with respect. You can be technically right and still lose someone by how you say it. Sometimes you can win the argument and lose the soul — and that's not who we're called to be. Once you've shared it with gentleness and respect, the rest is off your plate. It's on God from there.
"You can be right in an argument and win the argument, but lose their understanding — because you're beating them over the head. You've got to do it in a way that gets them to understand you, not just win the argument."
That's the heart of it. Take some time today — maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow — and write out a sentence or two. Something honest, something short, something that tells your own testimony in a way someone could actually understand. Be prepared. Lives depend on it. I've seen it firsthand in my own daughter's life.
You can catch this devotional and every weekday message live on carltondewaynedunko.com, Monday through Thursday at 9:15 AM Eastern. Carlton also co-hosts the original 9:15 Devotional, where you'll find the full video archive and more ways to connect.