Author: admin

Christianity is not based on “blind faith.” Our belief is based on evidence. And there is plenty. There is the compelling truth found in Scripture. Though thousands of years old, it continues to clearly explain humanity, its need, and God’s solution. Church history provides powerful testimony to the reality that those who have followed Scripture’s teachings have experienced life. Then there is your own personal experience. Every day the Holy Spirit, by His presence in your life, seeks to demonstrate the truth of who He is. Our faith in God is not blind. It is based on reams of evidence gathered from numerous sources.

The aged apostle John did not need proof of the reality of Christ. He had walked with Jesus for several years. He had witnessed Him dying on a cross and had spoken with Him after He was resurrected. John was there when His Lord ascended to heaven. He was present during Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon those present like a mighty rushing wind. John needed no convincing that Jesus was who Scripture claimed Him to be.

But John understood that we would not have the amazing opportunities he had enjoyed. So he wrote the book of First John. In it he gave clear evidence of how we could know we had been born again. He did not want anyone to languish with doubt and uncertainty. Carefully read what John wrote. He wants you to live your Christian life with assurance as well.

We cannot forget for a moment that the world in which we live is adamantly and irrevocably hostile to our Christian faith. The world around us is filled with temptations, pressures, opposing views, and opposition that are determined to derail God’s purposes for our lives. Nevertheless, God has granted us the ability to overcome any adversity through one thing–our faith.

Faith recognizes that we, in our own power, are helpless. Yet faith also clings to the One Person who is victorious every time. It is not our faith that has any efficacy. Rather, the power lies solely in the One in whom we place our trust. The world may mock our beliefs. It may question our viewpoint. It might challenge our assumptions. But it cannot stop us from believing. Faith is our prerogative. It might not make sense to those around us, but it remains our lifeline. Regardless of what you are facing today, your faith can bring you victory.

Being loved by almighty God has a profound effect on people. God created the universe. He knows the future. He will bring the universe to its close and bring judgment on every single living person who ever walked on the planet. Even the most powerful kings and presidents rule solely at His good pleasure. God cared so much for us that He sacrificed His only Son that we might experience forgiveness and life. That is the God who loves us.

How can you be fearful when you know the One who created and sustains the universe loves you? Why would you worry when God knows the future and He is working out His divine purposes for your life? Why would you feel intimidated by people when you know that, the God who loves you, is your defender and shield? Knowing that God loves you ought to provide you with enormous confidence.

Some people do not live their lives as if they have any sense of God’s love for them. They are filled with worry. They are anxious about their future. They feel intimidated by their opponents. They act like unloved people.

Does the way you are living your life reflect someone who clearly understands and embraces the reality that almighty God loves them?

God does not just love. He is the Source of love. His manner of loving is not to merely say kind things. God’s love takes action! God so loved the world that he gave . . . God’s love prevents Him from sitting idly by while people are hurting or in need. He must act. His love compels Him to become involved in the lives of those who need Him.

It is impossible to have the epicenter of love residing within you and yet you remain unmotivated to love those around you. When you see someone in need, Christ will be yearning to help. When you encounter people in spiritual darkness, Christ within you will long to shine light upon them. When people are discouraged, the Holy Spirit within you will seek to offer hope. It is God’s nature to act lovingly toward others.

You will have to resist the promptings of the Holy Spirit to not act lovingly toward those around you! Because it is the nature of God to love, He will seek to make it your nature as well. The longer you abide in Christ, the more of His loving nature will dominate your life.

Would your friends and associates describe you as a loving person? Could your colleagues testify to how God expressed His love for them, through your life? How might the Holy Spirit be seeking to make you more loving in the coming days?

The world’s values are totally unlike those of Christ. To live in the world means your Christian standards and viewpoints will constantly be assailed. Nevertheless, you need not become the world’s victim. For the Holy Spirit who resides within all believers is greater than any sin, or temptation, or persecution you might face from the world.

Too many of God’s children surrender, too easily, to the pressures of the world. They live in constant defeat. They are filled with a sense of remorse and guilt. Others constantly feel intimidated by those around them who are opposed to their beliefs. Such people go to work fearing their faith will be attacked or ridiculed.

Yet Scripture is clear, that regardless of how threatening or profane is the world around you, Christ in you is greater still. Rather than worrying how the world might affect you, you should be looking for ways that Christ intends to impact the people around you. Christ is greater than anything you will face. Are you living like it?

False prophets are nothing new. They have plagued society for thousands of years.They always herald new, fresh insights into God’s word. Or, they have experienced a life-changing dream, or a powerful new word from on high. These people are often sincere and at times compelling, but they are false.

What is a greater mystery than that, false prophets still assail people, is that people continue to heed their voice. While we never want to develop a cynical attitude toward a word from God, neither do we want to be gullible every time someone proclaims they have a new divine word for us. The apostle John urged us to “test the spirits.” There are clear ways to examine whether what is being said comes from God.

First, test the messengers. Are they credible? Have they made false claims previously? Is the righteousness of their lives indicative of people who regularly hear from God? Too many people want their words to be taken seriously while their actions are overlooked. The truth is, if peoples’ conduct is questionable, so are their words.

Second, what is their prophetic track record? Some zealous seers issue dire warnings or explicit prophet utterances and then nothing of the sort ever happens. Scripture clearly indicates that the best way to discern a true prophet is simple: did what they foretell come to pass? If not, don’t heed what they tell you.

Third, is what they are foretelling building up Christ and His church, or dividing it and tearing it down? Some self-proclaimed prophets cause nothing but trouble wherever they go. That is not the heart of God. Prophetic words that exalt the prophet, rather than God, do not originate from heaven.

While we cannot control what prophets come our way. We can be discerning.

Throughout the book of First John, the beloved apostle provides evidence of whether we belong to Christ or not. Perhaps the most compelling proof, however, is that the Holy Spirit resides within us. The Holy Spirit is not merely a power, a conscience, or a second rate deity. The Holy Spirit is fully God. To have the Spirit residing within you is to have all of God, abiding in your life.

Think for a moment about who God is. Consider the magnitude of His being. He rules the universe. He sustains life. He is the center of reality. Yet by His Spirit, He resides within you. Truly that is astounding. Such a God cannot be hidden. He cannot be overlooked. If He resides within you, there will be clear evidence of His presence! He will not remain mutely silent while you brazenly live your life as you please. He will not look the other way while you rush headlong to disaster. He certainly will not allow you to dishonor His name and leave you unpunished. Wherever God is present; He is active.

What evidence is there that the Holy Spirit abides in your life? Does He speak to you? Convict you of sin? Comfort you when you are in distress? Put words in your mouth as you testify for Him? Enable you to serve God in ways beyond your natural abilities? There are numerous ways to detect the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life. As you examine your life, what evidence do you find?

The world talks incessantly about love even though it knows little about it. The love that the world proclaims is selfish, shallow, and fleeting. It is based on feelings that come and go. Celebrities publicly proclaim their undying love for one another and the next month are launching divorce proceedings. Such love is anemic and cannot withstand even modest trials or difficulties.

The caliber of Christ’s love is infinitely greater. He loved us not merely in words, but in actions. Christ laid down His precious life for us even while we were rebelling against Him. He has proven there is no price too great for Him to expend to bring us life. An eternity in heaven will not provide sufficient time to comprehend such love.

Those who have embraced and experienced Christ’s love in such manner cannot help but be deeply impacted by it. To receive such love compels us to also express love in the same manner. Knowing the Son of God laid His life down for you will compel you to lay your life down for others. How can you truly know Christ’s sacrificial love and yet refuse to forgive someone who offended you? How could you be reluctant to make sacrifices for others when God’s only Son made the ultimate sacrifice for you? Do you love others in the same manner Christ loves you?

This truth is one of the most difficult ones for Christians to accept. We don’t desire confrontation. We want people to like us. We may pride ourselves in getting along with others. It may grieve us that there are those who are hostile toward us. Our conscience may even be alarmed that the source of our conflict may stem from some offense we have committed against others.

The truth is that if you are like Christ, the world will treat you as it related to Him. The sinful world hated Jesus because it was in darkness and He was the light. Darkness is fundamentally and irrevocably opposed to light! The two cannot co-habitate. Darkness must inevitably yield to light. Darkness understands this innately and so it resists light with all of its might.

When unbelievers encounter your life, the light within you will shine on the darkness contained in them. It is inevitable. They may not even know why they are offended at you, but they will be. Your life stands in condemnation of them. Your two worldviews cannot both be correct. One must be in error. You ought not to look for confrontation. But neither should you be surprised when it comes. The more like Christ you become, the more the darkness around you will hate you.

At first glance, this verse can appear troubling, or confusing at best. The key is to understand that it is describing two distinct types of people. The first are the ones who abide in Christ. Their life is immersed in Him. They regularly commune with Him and heed His voice. They live a life of continual surrender to His will. To live so closely to Christ means it is impossible to rebel against Him and sin.

Conversely, the second group consists of those who abide in sin. Just as the first group makes it their lifestyle to walk with Christ, the second group adopts sin as its lifestyle. This does not refer to those who occasionally sin, for we all do that (1 John 1:9). These people abide in sin. It is their lifestyle. It is possible to sin occasionally and to feel remorse for doing so. It is a different story for those who make it their daily routine to rebel against God. You cannot do that and be in a saving relationship with Christ.

Do you know someone who lives a life of habitual sin? Scripture declares that despite what they might claim, they do not know Christ. It is impossible to abide in the One who is infinitely holy and yet to be continually indulging in sin. Christ would not allow it. Our conscience could not bear it.