Answers

Being ready to give an answer is a skill that must be mastered by the consecrated Christian. Peter tells us to be always ready to answer every man with reasons for the hope that is in us. In fact, being ready--and able--to do so in a spirit of meekness and reverence is the evidence that Christ has been set apart as the Lord of our hearts.

How then does one get ready?

The first step is to be a student of the Word. To cry out with the psalmist, "Teach me, Lord, the way of Thy statues." Being a student--learning--requires diligence, thoroughness, and time. The key is to seek the approval of God, not men or denominations. The Holy spirit is the One who guides us into all truth. He is the final authority.
The second thing to do is to meditate on the Word. As Paul told the Colossians, "Let the Word of God dwell in you richly in all wisdom." In other words, let the Word of Christ come to live in your heart and life. Let it be as essential to you as the air you breathe. Only the Word of God can change a man like Paul from "breathing out threatenings and slaughter" to proclaiming the inspired--God-breathed--Word of truth. It is no coincidence that the characteristics of someone filled with the Spirit are also the characteristics of someone in whom the Word of Christ dwells richly.
A third thing we must do is "season" our answer with grace and salt. With grace because without the grace of God acting on our lives, we would have no answer to give. With salt because only a true picture of God's holiness, righteousness, and justice will bring a man to true repentance and confession of sin. A man's understanding of his own sinfulness is dependent on his understanding of God's holiness. The way to Christ is simple, but it is not easy. It demands an abhorrence of our own sin and an amazement at the price God was willing to pay that we might have eternal life--saved by grace alone.
Study. Meditate. Season. This is the "recipe" for being ready always to give an answer. You can't cram for a spiritual examination, and someone's understanding of God rests on how well you answer.

Ready?