To encourage others and help us grow in our faith and understanding please be sure to read and/or share comments about today’s passage below.
Today’s Scripture: 1 John 4:1-6 (S.O.A.P 1 John 4:4-5)
1Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. 2This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a propheta acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. 3But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.
4But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 5Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. 6But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.
It is both comfort and strength to me to know that the Spirit who is in me is greater than the spirit who is in the world! I have nothing to fear because the Spirit of God lives in me and He not only helps me know and remember what is good and right (John 14:26) He helps me do what is good and right (Phil 2:13). In other words, He equips and empowers me to know the TRUTH from the lies, the real from the false, and to live and love like Jesus, who – though He lived in this sin-cursed messed up world – was in every way faithfully obedient to the Father. – Father, thank You for Your Spirit who lives in me! Thank You for Christ’s work on the cross and for His victory over the grave! Thank You that Satan was defeated and I have nothing to fear – no false prophet, antichrist, or other spirit can harm me! For GREATER is Your Spirit in me than the spirit who is in the world! Amen and Amen!
Remember the adage “ don’t believe everything you hear”. John is basically saying this in these verses. We must take everything and line it up with scripture to make sure it is God’s truth. As a believer we have the VICTORY – the presence of the indwelling Jesus. This gives us great confidence and spiritual power.
We have a rich divine heritage and we should live in the light of that truth.
“We are of God little children “. Somehow this soothes my soul. In a world where Our next step is unsure ~ we are of God !