God's Word for You

A. What is this passage about? This devotional centers on discerning between the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. It explains that Christians must not believe every spiritual claim but must test the spirits to determine whether they are from God. A key marker is whether the spirit confesses that Jesus came in the flesh. False teachers and the spirit of the Antichrist deny this truth. The devotional emphasizes relying on Scripture, listening to apostolic teaching, and being confident in God's power within believers. B. What is the best verse to summarize this passage? "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world." – 1 John 4:1 C. What are we called to do? Test all teachings by comparing them with biblical truth. Confess and believe that Jesus truly came in the flesh. Stand firm in faith, knowing that God's Spirit in us is greater than the enemy. Reject false doctrines, especially those that deny Christ's incarnation. Be like the Bereans, examining the Scriptures to confirm truth.

A - About: This devotional emphasizes that true Christian love is rooted in God's love for us. It challenges believers to express genuine, sacrificial love for others—not out of fear or obligation, but because we have first been loved by God. B - Best Verse: 1 John 4:10–11 "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." C - Called to: We are called to love one another as God has loved us—practically, sacrificially, and sincerely—even when it is hard. This love is not permissive of sin but committed to others' eternal good.

Our culture loves happiness, but we also love to celebrate darkness, death, and violence. That is the way the natural human heart works. Ever since the Fall, our whole being has become corrupted. Sin twists our thinking so that our darkened minds choose to "follow our hearts" and love sin, rather than the glory of God and the light of Christ. What do you desire, delight, and rejoice in? What do you find to be beautiful? Choose who you will be, and pray for the Lord to shine the light of Jesus into your darkened soul!

What does your soul actually do? It thinks, chooses, and desires. The three faculties of the soul are your intellect, your will, and your affections. Does God care what you think about or delight in with your mind? Are your choices for God's glory or your own pleasures? What do you enjoy, treasure, and seek after with your affections? Since you were made in God's image, you were made to think His thoughts, choose His ways, and desire what He delights in. What are you doing with your soul? Please don't neglect it!

Man was created by God with an immortal soul, and that is the reason why he has inherent worth, value, and dignity – because God Himself breathed the breath of life into him. We are to love the Lord with our whole person – both body and soul. Death is a temporary and unnatural separation of body and soul. When our body dies, our spirit returns to God Who gave it, while our body rests in the grave and awaits the final resurrection. Your soul matters eternally to God!

We have both a body and a soul that were created by God, and we have an innate dignity and worth because we were created in His image. The Lord gave us tasks to accomplish on this earth that require a physical body, so the body is not inherently evil. Our whole lives should be built around our soul and body worshiping God and bringing Him glory. As Christians, we are uniquely enabled to glorify God in our bodies. Through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, we can resist the power of sin that tries to enslave us. Thanks be to Christ for redeeming both our souls and our bodies, which will one day experience the fullness of redemption on the day of resurrection!

Who is God? Who are we? Why do we exist? The world tries to tell us what is true, good, and beautiful, and it tries to explain to us the purpose and meaning of life in different philosophies and worldviews that are in competition with one another. But what does God say in the Scriptures? Man is created in God's image, with a body and a soul, as a relational being, capable of thinking and creating and cultivating. And even while we were still sinners, Christ died for us so that we might live with Him in heaven forever!

You need to stand firm in the grace of God before you will be able to enjoy the peace of Christ Jesus. The sufferings of this life are nothing compared to what awaits us in heaven. And through these hardships, God is working in our lives. What is the anchor of our souls as we are buffeted by hard circumstances? When we think on Christ, we will find peace that we can't find anywhere else. Stand in the grace of God. Rest in Christ and the peace that comes from Him, as we wait for Him to return!

In this part of 1 Peter, we are reminded that our suffering in this life is temporary, purposeful, and governed by the God of all grace. These trials are not intended to harm us; through them, He is perfecting what is broken, establishing us on a firm foundation, strengthening our faith, and settling our hearts for eternity – which we will spend forever with our heavenly Father, basking in His glory. This has been the hope of believers, from generation to generation.

Those persons who are in Christ recognize their spiritual poverty, mourn over their sin, and walk in meekness. We must examine our own hearts, deal seriously with sin, extend grace to others, and glorify God in every circumstance. True meekness is not weakness, but strength under control that marks those who belong to the kingdom of heaven, and imitates the way Jesus lived and acted – even when He was mistreated.

Satan is alive and active, and he is out to deceive us. We need to be sober and aware of our weaknesses, because that is where Satan will trip us up most. We need to be watchful for the traps he has laid for our souls. He tries to accuse us, make us doubt, and twist the truth. We must resist him by keeping our eyes fixed on Christ, putting on the whole armor of God, and helping and encouraging one another in the Church. Satan is an adversary, but if we are in Christ, we cannot be stolen away from Jesus' hands.