Revealing False Spirits 1 John 4:1 - Equipped for Battle

Our teacher John the apostle has been sharing with us in the first three chapters of his little book about how God desires fellowship with us. God has made a way for us to have a relationship with Him by removing the barrier of sin that separates us from Him, and lately John has been sharing that we must simply believe in Jesus Christ's sacrifice for us and love one another to enjoy having fellowship with God. John now directs our attention to opposition to the Spirit of God who provides the true and only way for us to have fellowship with God. He wrote in First John chapter four and verse one:

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Once again John addresses his readers as “beloved”. Remember that John truly loves people. He's called the apostle of love, and he desires to keep us on the right track with relating to God. He warns us, “believe not every spirit”. The very idea of John warning us about these spirits gives us reason to expect that there are spirits that should not be believed. There is opposition to God and God's way. Even Jesus faced opposition to God's way when He was on the Earth. The book of Luke reports how Jesus Himself was tempted by a false spirit in chapter four verses one through thirteen:

1And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. 3And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. 4And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. 5And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 8And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 9And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: 10For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: 11And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 12And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 13And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.

Since Jesus was tempted by the false spirit, the devil himself, why would we think that we would not be tempted by false spirits? There are false spirits in the world. John says so, and Jesus' experience with the devil let's us know that it is possible. John says, “many false prophets are gone out into the world”. Therefore we are to “try the spirits”. In other words, examine them. Discover whether they are speaking the truth or not. Our guide is the Holy Scriptures, and if anyone, anywhere, including this writer says anything about God and relating to Him, we must compare scripture with scripture to be sure whether someone is sharing truth with us or a lie. John has given us warning, and Jesus has given us an example, and it only behooves us to be aware that not everything or everyone is declaring the truth about relating to God in this world.

Next time we will look at one of the determining factors about false spirits, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

Look for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore

Living with God 1 John 3:24 - Equipped for Battle

There is much talk today about whether God lives within a person or not. The common phrasing goes like this, “God lives in everyone, and there needs to become a God consciousness.” Although God created everyone, it does not necessarily mean that He lives within them. According to John the apostle there is a requirement before God indwells us. He shares that requirement with us today in First John chapter three and verse twenty-four where he wrote:

And he that keeps his commandments dwells in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

Yesterday John reminded us of the commandment that is required:

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.

In order for us to obey God and be pleasing to Him, we must follow this command. Then, after we comply with obedience to God, we receive the Holy Spirit of God. When we ask Jesus to forgive our sins and invite Him to live within our lives, He does so. We begin our new life that is directed by the Spirit of the living God. We dwell in God, and He dwells within us. This becomes the proof that He lives in us. God gives us His Spirit when we turn our lives over to Him, forsake our sinful ways, and ask Him to be the director of our lives.

When Jesus knew that He was about to leave His disciples on the Earth, He promised that He would not leave His disciples alone. He promised His disciples a “Comforter”. John wrote about this in the gospel of John chapter fourteen and verses fifteen through eighteen:

If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray to the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows him: but ye know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Jesus desires to live within us, have fellowship with us, and dwell within us, however there is a requirement: “keep my commandments”. If we are to have fellowship with this Almighty and loving God, He must be the priority in our lives, and we must submit to Him by believing in His Son Jesus Christ and loving one another. When we submit our lives to Jesus' commands, His Spirit comes to live within us, and He continually reminds us and helps us to keep the commands that He has given.

According to Jesus in the gospel of John above, if we have not received Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the Spirit of God dwells “with” us, but is not living “in” us. The difference between the two states of the Spirit of God is as close as the confession of our sins, and our asking Him to come and live within us.

Next time we shall begin a new chapter, chapter four, where we will begin to read John the apostle's warnings about false prophets that are in the world, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

Look for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore

Two Commandments for Life 1 John 3:23 - Equipped for Battle

What if there was a way to take all the commandments of God and sum them up in two short commands? If we could manage to put all the rules into two simple ways to be obedient to God, what would those rules be? According to John the apostle we have been learning that we can receive whatever we ask for whenever we simply follow God's commands and do what is pleasing to Him. Now our question becomes, “What are God's commands, and what is pleasing to Him?” Our verse of study today in First John chapter three and verse twenty-three answers those questions. John wrote:

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.

Herein lies the commandment: “Believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another”. Most everyone desires to have things just the way they want them. We would love to have every desire, every passion and every event in life to go our way. We know that isn't practical, however, it doesn't prevent us from anger, resentment, discouragement or even despair when an event or person doesn't comply with our wishes. We somehow believe that the whole world should comply with our demands, and even though we have some understanding that it doesn't work that way, we still act as though it should.

John says we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ. This is more that just His title, but rather the character of Jesus. His name is above every other name, and His character is flawless. Jesus never fails. Jesus would never lead us into a place of difficulty without being with us through the hard times. Jesus went through great trial Himself, and He is acquainted with overwelming grief. He knows us, and He knows what we are going through. He promised before He left the Earth that He “would be with us always, even to the end of the age.”

John also reminds us that we should love one another. John the apostle is known as the apostle of love which is remarkable since there was one time he and his brother James were ready to “call down fire” upon Samaria because they would not let Jesus and the disciples pass through their city. John now says, “love one another”. This often becomes our challenge, and this is the place where we sometimes need the greatest help from our Heavenly Father above.

If we truly desire to receive whatever we ask for, all we must do is keep these two simple commands. They are clear, and there should be no doubt whatsoever as to what God desires of us. The decision is up to us, and the results of the choices we make will be upon us. The best we can do is to examine ourselves to decide whether we are in compliance with these commands, and remember, Jesus was the one who gave us these rules long before John the apostle wrote them.

Next time we shall take a look at the result of keeping these two commands, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

Look for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore

Getting Whatever We Ask For? 1 John 3:22 - Equipped for Battle

What if there was a way to get whatever we wanted whenever we wanted it and however we wanted it? Burger King advertises “Have it your way” when it comes to their food, but what if everything was just the way we wanted it? John the apostle says this is possible. We can have whatever we want anytime we want it, but there is just one stipulation and he addresses it in First John chapter three and verse twenty-two where he wrote:

And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

Well, there we have it. John wrote “whatsoever we ask, we receive of him”. Anything we ask for we will receive from God. He loves us, right? He cares for us, right? And He desires fellowship with us as we have learned in our previous verses, right? Now John says we can receive anything, whatever we ask for from Him, right? That's right. John wrote “whatsoever”, however did you like me notice that there was a condition to our asking? Look once again at the latter part of this verse:

“because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight”

Oh, do you see it like me? “keep his commandments”. Like “Thou shall not covet” or “Love your neighbor as you love yourself” or “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength”? In other words, the way that we receive whatever we desire is when our desires line up with God's desires. When we are pleasing to Him in “those things that are pleasing in his sight”, then we receive whatever we ask.

Now, instead of fulfilling all the earthly desires that we could ask for over and over again, we align ourselves with the desires of God. When we have this position, we will never ask for anything that would not be directly opposed to what God Himself wants. This is having true fellowship and relationship with God, and rather than treating God like some kind of genie in a bottle who obeys our every command or a Santa Claus who gives us everything on our wish list, He is the sovereign Almighty God who knows exactly what we need and what we don't.

Paul the apostle wrote it this way in the book of Philippians chapter four and verse nineteen:

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

God is ready and willing to supply whatever it is that we need, and He knows exactly what that is. When we relate to Him in such a way that we desire to keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing to Him, we yield ourselves to His Divine will, and realize that whatever He desires for us is the best that we can have. So, go ahead, obey, and then ask away.

Next time we shall take a look at the two main commandments that God has for us to obey, so read ahead, and we will share together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

Look for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore

Confidence Towards God 1 John 3:21 - Equipped for Battle

Is there really any way to be confident about our relationship with God? Is there any amount of effort or striving that will satisfy the requirements either realized or unrealized that God has designed? Is there any security that can be found that will remove all of this doubt? So many questions, and yet, the answer is a resounding “yes”. John the apostle has been sharing with us about the love God has for us, and the fellowship He desires to have with us. John has given us instruction about loving God and loving others, and lately his topic has been the condition of our hearts. He wrote in yesterday's study, “If our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart”. Today he adds more to this idea in First John chapter three and verse twenty-one where he wrote:

Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, [then] have we confidence toward God.

What are our hearts telling us? Do we have doubts about our relationship with God? Do we wonder if God really likes us, wants us, or even desires to have anything to do with us? Have we gone astray from Him in some manner, and now we feel like God has abandoned us? Notice that John addresses his readers as “beloved”. Remember, we are loved. First and foremost, we are loved, not only by John the apostle but by God Himself. It is God who is greater than our heart's message when our hearts condemn us. It is God who paid the price for us to have fellowship with Him. It is God who gave His only begotten Son to die for our sins, and remember, we only have to look to the cross and Jesus' sacrifice there for proof. In other words, the weight of our relationship with God is upon Him, not us. He keeps us together. He's the strong one, and when our hearts are wondering, maybe doubting, and even making wrongful judgments about whether God loves us, God is able to overcome that doubt.

John wants us to know today, to have confidence today, towards God. When we are in fellowship with God, and He is the stronger one in our relationship, we can rely upon the fact that God will keep us together. Our part is to respond to His loving favor, enjoy His loving kindness, and bask in His loving grace. This gives no cause for licentious or wild living, but rather should draw us closer and closer to Him.

Being sure of our relationship with God is very important to our advancement in usefulness for God in this world. If we are constantly worried about our status with God, we will never advance beyond that point in our fellowship with Him, but when we have confidence toward God, our lives are in His hands to use as He deems best for others to know the fellowship with God that we so enjoy.

Next time we shall take a further look into the advantages of having confidence in our relationship with God, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

Look for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore

What If Our Hearts Condemn Us? 1 John 3:20 - Equipped for Battle

One of the most difficult things to live with in this world is a heart that condemns. When we feel guilty, unworthy, culpable and indited because of actions or words from the past, no amount of advice seems to bring us out of this darkness. John the apostle knows there are those with whom he is sharing on the topic of love who have regrets from the past. Some of our actions have been regrettable, and some of our ways can never be corrected. However in First John chapter three and verse twenty, John gives us this great hope:

For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

Yesterday we shared together on having our hearts assured, and today we read where John mentions the condemned heart. Whenever we have a heart that condemns us, note this: “God is greater than our heart.” God is so looking out for us and our ability to have fellowship with Him that even if we sometimes feel guilty, ashamed or indited within, He is greater. We only have to look to other scriptures to Jesus' words for more assurance. He said in the book of the gospel of John in chapter three and verse seventeen:

“God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.”

God's intention is not condemnation, but rather salvation. People in the world who do not believe in Jesus are already in a condemned state. Look at Jesus' words in the gospel of John chapter three and verse eighteen:

He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

However, Paul the apostle writes these great words in the book of Romans in chapter eight and verse one:

[There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

God knows everything. He knows every wrong word, every wrong action, and every wrong thing that we have ever said or done. He hasn't been surprised by our actions in any way because He already knew these things before we ever said or did them, and this is His exchange, because of what Jesus did for us, He does not condemn us. We may condemn ourselves, and our hearts may sometimes torture us, but He is greater than our hearts.

Oh dear ones, let us today give praise to the one who is greater than our condemn hearts, and receive the hope that God is so in love with us that He supersedes any torture that we may have within.

Next time we will take a look at what happens when our hearts do not condemn us, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

Look for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore

Heart Assurance 1 John 3:19 - Equipped for Battle

John the apostle is known as the apostle of love. He writes about the love of God and loving one another over and over again in his books, and he shares endearingly as a spiritual father in his writings. For many days now we have been studying together about the love of God and His desire that we love others too. God indeed loves us, and our actions, not just our words, demonstrate whether we love others as God desires. Because many people doubt whether they are loved by God, John now gives us a way to be assured that we are following the truth. John wrote in First John chapter three and verse nineteen:

And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

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John has been sharing with us about how important it is to not only say we love others but to demonstrate it with our actions. In fact, what we do or do not do toward others either authenticates our speech or makes us a liar. If our actions do not match our words, then we are not living in the truth. However, if we genuinely take interest in others, help others, and actually do something for people, then we show that we really love them. It is then that we are walking in the truth. Our lives are consistent with our speech, and this consistency gives assurance within our hearts that we are in fellowship with God.

The best way for us to know whether we truly love God is to examine our love toward others. Do we put others before ourselves? Do we desire their advancement or only our own? When the opportunity arises for another person's promotion, are we happy for them, or jealous? When someone has or gets something we want, are we envious or delighted? If the other person's team wins, instead of ours, what happens then? Of course, so many other questions can be asked to determine whether we really do love others or are pretty much just interested in ourselves.

The love of God is pervasive. It penetrates our entire being if we let it. In other words, God loves everyone, and so will we. God desires everyone to come to know Him, and so will we. God is ready to forgive all who come to Him and receive His Son Jesus, and so will we. As Paul the apostle wrote of God in First Timothy chapter one and verse four:

Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

God desires that every person be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth - others, and even us. Now if we walk in the truth of His love, we can be assured that He loves us. We must only be concerned about our love life – toward God and toward others. Our actions are convincing or convicting, and whichever they are, they reveal the true state of our hearts.

Next time we will share together about what happens when our hearts condemn us, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

Look for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore

Action Love Not Just Words 1 John 3:18 - Equipped for Battle

Most who read this blog will be very familiar with the phrase, “Your actions are speaking so loudly that I cannot hear a word you are saying.” Sometimes the truth is that the actions of person do not always match their speech. Some people make great boasts about different exploits, but they never seem to be seen doing those same exploits. Others say one thing and do another, and their reliability comes into question. John the apostle understood this. He has been sharing with us about loving others, and it is one thing to say that we love others, yet it is quite another when have actions that demonstrate that we do. He says in First John chapter three and verse eighteen:

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

Once again we are addressed by John as his little children. As a caring spiritual father, John desires that his kids walk in truth, so today he continues his theme of helping others with our worldly goods by insuring that we are not just talkers about it. He uses the words “let us not”. This has the idea of “not allowing”, “not being willing to entertain”, “not being fond of” what he is about to write. In other words, do not allow yourself to love just with words, neither with tongue. Do not be a person who says one thing about loving others and then doing just the opposite. No, rather, we are to be people who love with our actions. We are to love in deed and in truth.

Loving someone with words only is very near living a lie. Living this way is hypocritical and two faced, and we are not to be this way. There was a time when people could trust one another, and when they said something or vowed something, they would keep their word. The saying was, “My word is my bond.”, and they did everything within their power to keep their word. If there was an unexpected delay or interruption to fulfilling their vow, they let the other party know, and they continued to work on fulfilling their vow until they could do so. Today it seems a bit different, and it's too bad. Words often do not match the actions, and John encourages us to not be this way.

There is a lot to be admired about us when we love with our actions, and today John has challenged us once again to examine ourselves to find out if we are just talkers or doers when it comes to loving others. Let us all with humbled hearts bow before the Lord Jesus and ask Him to reveal whether we are lovers of others or just full of hot air.

Next time we shall discover how to assure our hearts before God, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

Look for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore

This World's Goods and Others

Yesterday we shared together the words of the apostle John where he let us know how we can know that God loves us. God desires fellowship with all of us, and His demonstration of love toward us can be clearly seen by sending Jesus to die on the cross. If we should ever doubt whether God loves us, all we must do is look to the cross. Today John turns his attention toward the demonstration of our love toward others. He writes in First John chapter three and verse seventeen:

But whoever has this world's good, and sees his brother has need, and shuts up his bowels [of compassion] from him, how dwells the love of God in him?

How do we know we love others? John gives us a clue in this verse. First, do we have this world's goods? Do we have plenty, and in reality could give some of our worldly goods away? Have we been so blessed that rather than possessing a shirt or two, dress or two, pants or shoes or two, we have an abundance? Could we give a few things away and really not make a dent in our supply?

Secondly, do we ever see “brothers” or sisters who are in need? Are there people who live in our world who genuinely are impoverished, neglected or abused who could use our help. There were in John's day as well as ours those who cannot help their state. They would willingly work if they could. They would earn if they were able. Their state is beyond their control, and they are truly in need. The question is, “do we see them?”

Thirdly, John talks about shutting up our “bowels of compassion from him”. The bowels were used in Bible times to describe the deepest of feelings. Today we would probably use “deep in our gut” or “deep within our hearts” as similar metaphors, but in the days of John it was “bowels”. The question is, do we have deep, meaningful, caring and loving compassion toward those who are in need, or do we hide from them? For example, do we hurry by those television commercials that show starving children in fly infested areas of the world? Do we strongly rebut suggestions that we go to another country to help those who are in need? Do we resist even traveling across our towns to help those in need in our own cities? If so, these are demonstrations of “shutting up” our deepest levels of compassion toward others.

Finally, what is the question that John asks at the end of this verse? “How dwells the love of God in him?” In other words, the demonstration that we have the love of God dwelling within us is that it is very natural to look upon the needful state of others and desire to help. Not only will there be a desire, but there will be actions to fulfill that desire. The Bible is very clear about those who abuse the compassion of others, and God will deal sharply with them, but those who are truly in need will be seen by people who have the love of God dwelling within them. Those who have God's love dwelling within them will be as God is and are ready to help anyone in need with the worldly goods that have first been given by God to them.

Next time we will look at effective and ineffective love toward others, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

Look for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore

How to Know God Loves You 1 John 3:16 - Equipped for Battle

So many people wonder, “Does God really love me?” It's a normal question for anyone to wonder, especially if things are going badly in their lives. We all think about whether God loves us when times get rough or when difficult circumstances arrive in our lives, but there is one event that without dispute will always give us the assurance that God loves us. John the apostle shares that event with us today in First John chapter three and verse sixteen. He wrote:

Hereby perceive we the love [of God], because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down [our] lives for the brethren.

John says, here is how we know that God loves us, “because he laid down his life for us”. Think about this for a moment. God who created everything, even us, came to the Earth, lived a perfect life in Jesus, and then gives that perfect life as a sacrifice for us with His death on the cross. If we ponder this long enough, we are dumbfounded, but He did it. If we ever doubt whether God loves us, all we have to do is to remember the cross. John the apostle said it this way in the gospel of John chapter three and verse sixteen:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son. That whosoever believes in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

If we ever think that God doesn't love us, if we ever wonder if His love has departed from us, all we have to do is to remember that God so loved us that He sent His son Jesus to die for us. Look to the cross. Remember the cross. The cross is the only proof we need to know that God loves us. Jesus gave His life for ours, and because He did, we can have fellowship with God. The only barrier to that fellowship is our belief. If we believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and that He was raised again from the dead, we shall be saved, and that salvation leads to a loving relationship with God. God desires fellowship with us, and this is why the apostle John has been emphasizing this over and over with us throughout this book.

Notice with me also that John adds a tag on to this evidence that God loves us: “and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” The natural outflow from us when we know that God loves us is to love others. Remember, “loving God and loving people” has been part of the theme to John's words in this book. When we know that God loves us by His sacrifice on the cross, the next step should be to love others in the same manner. He gave His life for us, now we give our lives for others. This is the challenge, and Jesus set this high standard for us to follow.

God loves us, dear one, and please, never forget it. If perhaps we do, turn to the cross. Remember the sacrifice, and revisit the love of God new and afresh day after day after day.

Next time we shall look at what John has to say about seeing others in need, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

Look for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore

Hating Others is Murder? 1 John 3:15 - Equipped for Battle

In this wonderful little book of First John, the apostle John has been sharing about God's desire to have fellowship with people. John has shown us how God removed the barrier of sin that keeps man from having fellowship with Him, and he has been encouraging us with ways to know whether we really have a relationship with God or not. He has emphasized, especially in this third chapter of John, the importance of loving others, and he used Cain in the Bible as an example of how not to love. He's even told us that we should not marvel if the world hates us for this, and today he turns his attention even more pointed toward ways that demonstrate when a person does not have fellowship with God and has no eternal life living in him. He says in verse fifteen of the third chapter:

Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

John says whoever hates his brother is a “murderer?” That's what he said. If there is hatred toward another person or group of people within our hearts, it's as if we murdered them. Hatred toward others is the spirit of murder. Cain hated his brother Abel because Abel's offering was accepted and Cain's was not, and if we hate others for some particular trait or ability, fault or imperfection, we most likely have the spirit of murder dwelling within us too.

Now most who read this may wonder, what's the big deal if I hate someone? Doesn't everybody hate somebody? The answer is, it is a big deal if there is hatred within us. John the apostle says “no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” In other words, if we allow hatred to remain in our hearts, we have the spirit of murder toward that other person or group. The result is we do not have eternal life living within us. That's a great cost, and it isn't worth all the hatred in the world to be without eternal life.

God loves us. God loves you, and He desires to have fellowship with us. God is the only one who can remove any hatred that we may have toward others. We know that we are loved by God because we love others, and the spirit of God dwells within us. This spirit of God is filled with love toward people, God's love toward us was shown by Jesus' death on the cross. Jesus could have “hated” us, but He didn't. Jesus could have said, “Oh forget it. They are not worth it,” but He didn't. No, rather than “hate” us, He loved us, and gave His life so that we might have eternal life. Jesus said,

“Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do whatever I command you.” (John 15:13,14)

As a bonus, Jesus has promised eternal life to all who accept His demonstration of love. Today, if we have hatred, the spirit of murder in our hearts, toward any person or group in the world, we must go to God with it. Ask Him to forgive us for our hatred, and ask Him to remove this barrier to our eternal life.

Next time we will discover how we know if we have eternal life living within us, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

Look for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore

How Do We Know We're Saved? 1 John 3:14 - Equipped for Battle

What will happen after we take our last breath in our bodies? Were will we go? Will we still be around in spirit form or will we just cease to exist? Is there really a heaven or hell? Is there really something known as salvation? Just what will be waiting for us after we die? John the apostle has been sharing a lot with us about loving God and loving others. He has given us explanation after explanation of how much God wants to fellowship with us and the sacrifice that God made to do so. Today in First John chapter three and verse fourteen, John shares with us the proof that we are born of God, and our future after our last breath will be left in God's loving hands. He wrote:

We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loves not [his] brother abides in death.

Herein lies the clue: Do we love our brothers? This doesn't mean just males, but rather do we love others. Do we love other people, even the undesirable or disagreeable ones? Do we have this underlying love for everyone as God does? Sure they do things differently. Maybe they act differently, dress differently, speak differently, and have different attitudes, but do we love them? Are we able to see them as God sees them for their potential in Him rather than just the manner in which they live? Are prejudices prevalent in our lives or do we make a group of people pay the price for the actions of a few? Do we love them even if their team is the opposing team? John says “we know we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren.”

When we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we are “born again” in our spirits, and we are able to do what was seemingly impossible to do before. We have passed from death – a spirit that was dead before God in fellowship– to life with God in fellowship. This is salvation, and the Bible is filled with the assurances that once we have this life from God living within us, we no longer have to wonder about death. We shall be with Him. This is the reason God sent His Son Jesus in the first place. He knew it was natural for us to be unloving toward others and toward Him, so He sent His Son Jesus to dies in our place that we might have a new life where it was natural to love God and love others too.

We who know God's love know the love we now have toward others, and this gift from God above gives us the assurance that we have indeed passed from death to life. For those who do not love others, this is what John says: they “abide in death.” In other words, they still have the natural nature that is born within people, and they do not have fellowship with God.

If the reader is having trouble loving others, the answer is simple: Ask God to forgive you, and ask Jesus to come into your life and give you a new nature. Ask the Lord Jesus to implant within you a new spirit that is loving toward others as He is, and watch your entire outlook on the human race be changed before your eyes and within your heart.

Next time we will share together about what John has to say about hating others, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

Look for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore

Hated By the World 1 John 3:13 - Equipped for Battle

Many of them were thrown into lion's dens. Others were crucified. Still others were used as entertainment as they fell to the swords of gladiators. Some were covered in pitch and used to light the gardens of Caesar Nero. Who were they? The early Christians. Many of these early believers in Jesus Christ were cast into prisons and made to pay incredible prices as they would not profess Caesar as Lord. In addition to these, today many Christians throughout the world are persecuted for believing the very words that John the apostle has been sharing with us. Today, he gives us more instruction on what to do when the world hates you. In First John chapter three and verse thirteen he wrote:

Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

Once again we read “my brethren” as a greeting of loving favor by the aged apostle John as he now seeks to encourage those who feel hated for their righteous acts. He used the example of Cain in the preceding verse as an example of the way the world comes against the believer in Jesus, and now he addresses the problem directly. There should be no wonder or marvel that the world hates those who do righteous acts and have righteous attitudes. Jesus Himself spoke about the reason that people do not come to Him which in written in the book of the gospel of John chapter three and verses nineteen through twenty-one:

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that does truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they have been done in God.

People who do not desire to change their evil ways do not want to come to Jesus. When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior He begins to change our lives. Our ways and attitudes are revealed to us when we are against Him, and He begins to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The world hates this because it enjoys the practices that are against what God desires. Jesus also said “in the world you shall have tribulation, but be not afraid. I have overcome the world.” John says do not be surprised if the world hates you. Do not marvel at it. This is just the way it is going to be. The world will hate our righteous acts just the way Cain hated Abel's righteous acts, and the sooner we accept John's words and trust the Lord with the aftermath, the sooner we will align ourselves with the Savior Jesus once again.





Next time we will look at another proof that we are walking with Jesus, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.





Until tomorrow...there is more...

Look for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore

Love Unlike Cain's 1 John 3:12 - Equipped for Battle

Very few people name their little boys “Cain”, and the reason is because many people know the story of the first child named Cain in the Bible. John the apostle has been sharing with us about one of the most important commandments – to love one another. Today he provides Cain as an example of how not to love. He wrote in First John chapter three and verse twelve:

Not as Cain, [who] was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

Notice with me first to whom John associates Cain “of that wicked one.” Now that is an association that none of us should desire, and it gives us a clue of how Cain became the way he was. Back in the first book of the Bible – Genesis – in chapter four verses one through eight we read:

And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If you do well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou do not well, sin lies at the door. And unto thee [shall be] his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

There is more to this story if you'd like to go on reading in Genesis, but suffice it for now to say that more than likely Abel's offering made Cain feel guilty and jealous. The rage that built inside of Cain was strong enough that he killed his brother, and if we read enough of the Bible, we will find that this is the same spirit that is in the devil. Cain hated his brother Abel because Abel's works were righteous, and God blessed Abel for his offering. Cain's offering was rejected, but he was offered an opportunity to make things right, and he refused. Rather he decided to kill his brother in order to remove what made him feel guilty and jealous.

When we love as John has encouraged us, guilt and jealousy should not have any part within it. Although jealousy is really “love threatened from without” and infers “that someone is going to take something I love and I am going to kill them for it”, this is misdirected love. It's a selfish love, and not a love for others. This was Cain's problem. He loved himself, and the embarrassment and jealousy he experienced when threatened by his brother made him kill him.

If we are going to love the way John encourages us to love, jealousy and guilt must leave. We must not have the traits of the wicked one and “kill” others when their deeds are more righteous than ours. If this is our mantra and motive, we must repent before God and ask Him to forgive us and help us to be more like Him.

Next time John shares with us about what to do when the world hates us, so read ahead and we shall share together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

Look for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore

Love One Another 1 John 3:11 - Equipped for Battle

The now aged cartoon by Charles Shultz pictured Charlie Brown's dog Snoopy lying on top of his famous dog house. As he was pondering the caption in a cloud over his head read, “I love the world. It's just people I hate.” Some of us feel like that sometimes. The world, it seems, would be such a wonderful place if there wasn't all these people around. However, people are around, and these people are prone to make mistakes, be wrong, have errors and sometimes are downright mean. This leads us to one of the most challenging verses that the apostle John has presented to us yet. In First John chapter three and verse eleven he wrote:

For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

Isn't it oh so true that as long as people do as we think and wish they would do they are easy to love, but the moment they do something different, challenging or opposing to our point of view they become less lovable? Therein lies the challenge. Can we love people who are not like us, have different values than us, see things and do things differently than us? The message John gives us is “we should”. The truth is that the things that we have in common with others make us appreciated and loved, and the things that we do not have in common with others, don't make us so appreciated and loved. John knew this, and yet he gives us the second of the two commandments that Jesus said “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” The first one is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, but the second one is the one John emphasizes in this scripture.

Loving God and loving people sums up the whole law. If we love God we will desire to keep His commandments and do works of righteousness toward Him. If we love people, we will desire to nothing that will harm them intentionally and will place their welfare above our own. This is the challenge, and without the Holy Spirit of God helping and leading us, we will never be able to keep this command.

This message from John should have us all convicted today, and if there is any area of need in our love life, we should go before the Lord God Almighty and ask His help to keep His word.

Next time we will study an example of a person who did not keep the commandment to love his brother, so read ahead and we shall share together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

Look for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore

Children of God or Children of the Devil? 1 John 3:10 - Equipped for Battle

How is a person supposed to determine whether someone is a child of God or a child of the devil? With as much deception as there is in the world today, can a person really know who is of the truth and who is of a lie? Sometimes the lines are so blurred that it is difficult to determine whether a person is deceiving others or if he or she is right on target. How is one to know? One of the greatest benefits to having and knowing the scriptures within the Bible is that it helps us to make determinations such as these. In today's scripture John the apostle shares the difference between those who are children of God and children of the devil. He wrote in First John chapter three and verse ten:

In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever does not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loves not his brother.

John says whether a person is a child of God or a child of the devil is determined by what they practice. Most of us have heard the saying “actions speak louder than words”, and the answer to the a fore mentioned question is determined by what we do. Are we busy about righteous acts or unrighteous acts? Do we involve ourselves in activities that are good, moral and pleasing to God or are we continually practicing immoral actions that would embarrass us if Jesus were to suddenly appear in our lives? What is our speech like? Do we say words that are righteous words, or is our sentence filled with expletives that would shame us should we be judged? What we say and what we do habitually helps us to know those who are children of God or children of the devil, but there is more.

John also gives us another way to know the difference: “neither he that loves not his brother”. Do we love our brothers? John is not referring to siblings but rather people around us. Do we really love other people? Is there anyone in our lives that we can say, “I don't love him or her?” In other words, whether a person is a child of God or a child of the devil has a lot to do with their love life. If there is unforgiveness and rage toward anyone, anywhere this trait could determine to which camp a person belongs. The devil hates everyone. God loves everyone. Do we regard hatred in our hearts toward someone? Do we desire revenge, pay back or penalty for actions taken against us by someone else? These are tough questions for us today, but John wrote “ neither he that loves not his brother” as a direct attribute of those who are God's children or the devils.

Challenging isn't it? This is one of those verses that we must all search our hearts and determine if there is anyone we do not love, then if there has ever been a time for prayer, we must submit ourselves before God and ask His help to be as He is, and lay all repercussions at His feet.

Next time we shall discuss more about loving one another as John continues this theme, so read ahead, and we shall share together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

Look for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore

Sinless Born of God 1 John 3:9 - Equipped for Battle

What is the difference between someone who has been “born again” and someone who has not? What is being “born again” anyway, and why do people use that title? Some who are reading this may wonder about such questions, and as we have been studying the book of First John together we are discover what the apostle John says about this as well as sin and righteousness. Today John helps us answer those questions, and after looking into his words in verse nine of the same chapter, maybe we will gain some greater understanding. He wrote:

Whoever is born of God does not commit sin; for his seed remains in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

If you will recall, we have been talking about the idea of “practicing” or “maintaining as a habit” certain traits. There are those who “practice' sin, and there are those who “practice” righteousness. John has shared with us that those who are practicing sin do not know Jesus, and those who practice righteousness are those who recognize Jesus' perfect ability to be righteous. Today's verse shares the idea of being “born of God” or “born again”. When Jesus was speaking to a great leader of the Jews named Nicodemus in the book of John chapter three and verse three he said, “you must be born again”. Nicodemus did not understand that Jesus was speaking about a “spiritual rebirth” that occurs when we receive Jesus into our hearts as Savior. Nicodemus asked, “How can a man be born again? Can he enter in the second time into his mother's womb?” This was a reference to physical birth, and Jesus clarified that there must be a spiritual birth, and this spiritual birth gives rise to a completely different nature.

The only way for us to have a nature that is prone to be righteous rather than unrighteous is for there to be a different nature about us. For example, a pig is by nature a pig. He loves to waller in the mud. He enjoys the mud, and even if we were to take him out of the mud, give him a bath, paint his toenails, spray him with perfume and place a bow on his head, as soon as he sees a pile of mud, he will be right back in it again. It's his nature. He's a pig. What else would we expect? This is somewhat like our sin nature. As long as we keep the sin nature, we will be prone to go back into sin over and over again, and try as we may, we cannot shake our sinful nature. We must be “born again” and receive a new nature. This is what occurs when we receive Jesus Christ into our lives. We receive a new nature, a nature that is prone to righteousness rather than sin. The “seed” of God remains in us, and where we once had a propensity toward sinful practices, we now have a new nature that desires righteous ways. In John's words, “he cannot sin” or practice sin “because he is born of God.”

This explains why reformation and self-will are incomplete in changing us. We must have an entirely new nature within us or we will make attempt after attempt to be different and constantly find ourselves coming up short. John knows the way to be sinless and to have fellowship with God, and if we are to have true fellowship with Him we must be “born of God” or “born again”. When we are born again, our old sinful nature is replaced with a righteous nature, and righteousness becomes the reigning theme that drives us.

Next time we shall discuss how we can tell if someone has been born again or not, and John adds an additional trait that reveals whether we are in fellowship with God, so read ahead and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

Look for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore