1 John 4:6  [6] “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.” Who you listen to determines a lot about the decisions you will make in life. Influence is a very powerful tool in today’s society. There are many who have been led astray because they have listened to the wrong individual. It is sobering to think that even the Bible, in the wrong hands of the one teaching, can lead people astray. Though they may have …

1 John 4:5 [5] “They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.” I remember as a child, an old soap opera that came on television entitled “As the World Turns.” I had no interest in the show because of my age, and because of the nature of the show itself. What I do remember about it though, was that it was full of filth and drama. There was nothing decent, wholesome or godly about the series. It was a daily show filled with lies, cheating and deceit. As bad as the television …

1 John 4:4 [4] “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” Whenever I read this verse, I cannot help but break it down phrase by phrase. I notice first of all our standing when John said, “Ye are of God”. This is enough to make us stop and rejoice. The fact that we are of God and not the devil anymore! What a blessed position. Calvary did more than save our soul from hell. Calvary gave us a new standing with God.  …

1 John 4:3 [3] “And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.” I want us to see four fundamental facts in this verse. What you and I will notice about these facts is that they are practical, proven and relevant for the days we are living in. John is talking in this chapter  about what is true, and what is false. What is right, and what …

1 John 4:2 [2] “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:” One of the things I love most about the Bible, is that it gives us clear instruction on how to make the right choices. The first verse of this chapter warned us about spiritual error. The second verse teaches us how to know if what we are seeing and hearing is God, or not. I’m thankful we do not have to be deceived, but we learn from God’s Word was is true, and what …

1 John 4:1 [1] “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” John opens this chapter with such compassion. He does this by using the word “beloved”. This word reveals his love for those he is speaking to. I’m sure you have heard the saying, “No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care”. John first shows us he cares. We also see John’s caution, as he begins to point out his purpose for writing this text. He wants …

1 John 3:24 [24] And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. This would seem to be a strange title to a lost soul, but not to those who have been redeemed. As the song writer said, “Never alone, no never alone, he promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone”. What a great promise to the child of God! When we accept Christ as our Savior, John tells us that his Spirit abides in us.  …

1 John 3:23 [23] And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. God publicly announced his approval of his Son at his baptism, and again on the mount of transfiguration. These two incidents are not the only times that we see God’s approval on his Son, but they would have been enough to convince anyone that Jesus was the Son of God.  Faith in Jesus Christ is essential for man to have a right relationship with God. You cannot know God without knowing …

1 John 3:22 [22] And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. I remember hearing an old black preacher say, “You’ve got to pray and work, and work and pray. When work won’t get it, prayer will, and when prayer won’t get it, work will. And when neither prayer nor work won’t get it, you forget it, because you didn’t need it anyhow”. The preacher’s statement best describes our verse for today. We are encouraged to pray and perform.  If you are praying to be a …

1 John 3:21 [21] Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. We have come to the third devotional emphasizing the heart. The first devotional showed us the confirmation of the heart, in verse nineteen. The second devotional dealt with the condemnation of the heart, in verse twenty. Our devotional here, in verse twenty-one, shows the confidence within the heart. Together these three verses prove that God works in the secret chambers of man’s heart.  The truths of God’s Word take root in man’s heart, producing faith-giving assurance. God is greater than the heart of man, …