Verse 1 says this: Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many falso prophets have gone out into the world." And this is why there are so many "beliefs" out there!  Just stop and pause- think of how many "religions" or "belief systems" there are in the world including things like karma, universalism, yoga... etc.  These have all formed from false prophets, or as this chapter also calls them- antichrists.  Verse 2 and 3 say this: By this you know the Spirit of God; every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already." Some of you, who do not call Jesus your Lord, are thinking this is crazy talk.  BUT IT IS THE TRUTH.  Continuing on in verse 4: "Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them." I am going to paraphrase this for ya!  You, brothers and sisters in Jesus, you are a son/daughter of the Living God, and because of who HE is and who we are IN HIM, we know the truth and can see the error and deceit in the teaching of the world.  You, unbelieving friends, do not belong to God, therefore you are vulnerable to what the world teaches: whatever that may be.  The deceitful doctrines you listen to are made up from men/women who are just as lost in the world as you are.  PEOPLE OF GOD, may we pray for those in the world, who belong to it- that they would hear the TRUTH OF GOD'S WORD and BELIEVE IT becoming adopted into God's family, being freed from all of life's shackles and allowing God to use their testimony to bring more UNBELIEVING to repentance and eternal life!  PEOPLE OF THE WORLD, may you SEE that God is Light, and only He can satisfy.  You were made BY Him and FOR Him.  NO OTHER teaching of the world is truth.  I know that sounds naive, but it's only reality.  STOP listening to the world- and all of it's heresy and LISTEN to this.  Jesus wants to be your Savior.  HE ALONE CAN SATISFY.  Stop chasing things and gods that will never complete you.  LET JESUS SHOW YOU the reason you exist.  Let Him complete you. (RECEIVING CHRIST)

        Is there someone you have enmity towards?  God wants His people to have unity.  By not loving your brother, you are sinning against God.  Sin against God results in separation from Him.  I don't know what grudge you have against the person.  I don't know what they did.  Maybe they cheated on you.  Maybe they lied to you.  Maybe they rejected you.  Maybe they left you.  Maybe they raped you. WHATEVER the maybe, you need to forgive them.  Loving someone doesn't mean liking them.  Heck- I know there are many people that don't like me.  So be it.  But God says that whoever loves Him must also love his brother. If the person you hate is not a believer, I still exhort you to forgive them.  What they did to you might be unexcusable- it might be painful.  But we are called to forgive because we are.  Whatever that person did against you, also did against God, and He will bring justice.  Forgiveness does not show that you are a weak person, but rather showing humility by forgiving the one you dislike strengthens you, and your relationship with the Father.  Forgiveness doesn't do as much for the forgiven as it does for the forgiver.  You become released from the bondage of bitterness/hatred/envy.  If you are in a broken relationship with another believer, I encourage you to be reconciled in unity with your brother and/or sister in Christ.  If there is not unity within the body, the body is broken and will not be able to work as well as the body.  Just as if one of your own bones are broken, your body cannot function as it should, so also- if the body of Christ is broken in relationship, it cannot function as it should.   Therefore, "If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us." 

      Who do you need to forgive in order to love?  This love isn't the type that fancies someone, but rather imitates the love of Jesus for the glory of Him.  Matthew 6:14-15 says this:"For if you forgive others their trespasses (sins), your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." 

• Leanne

On 1 John Chapter 4