“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”
1 John 3:16

Saturday, June 27, 2009
1 John 4:1-3
Testing What We Hear
John’s focus here is on discerning which messages should be believed, internalized, and acted upon, and which messages should be rejected as false teaching. His warning can be applied to every message or idea we hear, whether it be the teaching of a religious leader (which this passage seems to be centered upon), a more direct communication from a spirit (usually in our thought life), or even ideas and “voices” from other sources (like our friends, our family, or the media). The assumption is that there is a spiritual impetus behind each and every idea we encounter, especially those that relate to truth, values, worldview, and spiritual things – they either come from above or from below. Therefore, we need to become proficient at discerning which is which every bit as much as the early church did. We do this by thoroughly acquainting ourselves with biblical truth and ruthlessly applying it to all the messages we receive and the thoughts we have. How are you doing in this process?

Prayer Starter:
Lord, please help me to be diligent in my intake of biblical truth. Help me as I seek to understand it, meditate upon it, and obey it in my life. Give me the wisdom and courage to reject those messages that come my way and reflect the spirit of the antichrist, no matter their source.