2016-11-04
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week, I was led to introduce the two Greek words, dunamis-divine power and hupomone-to persevere. I must also mention the Greek word, makrothumia-patience. Makrothumia is pronounced “mack-roh-thoo-mee-ah,” with the stress after “thoo.” Now, let’s look at 1 JN 4: 1-6, as Paul moves into a discussion of taking the time to be sure what you choose to believe comes from the Holy Spirit and not some other, less trustworthy source. “Dear Friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One Who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore, speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us, but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.”
What we see in this passage is God, through the Holy Spirit, giving us absolutely necessary reconnaissance before going into “battle” with agents of the evil one (false prophets). Their business is lies, chaos, and poor interpersonal relationships. Their leader, Satan, is as Christ described him, in JN 8: 44. “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” It is crucial that we pray both PS 51: 6 and PS 119: 125, which ask God to give us wisdom and discernment. Looking at 1 JN 4: 4 above, we can see that in such a clash between God-centered and man-centered individuals and groups, that those aligned with God have far more strength. It’s far better for us to be a part of God’s army than the adversary’s. Through Christ in us and the Holy Spirit, we can be properly trained to believe the truth, so that we can be victorious in Christ’s holy name.
To learn God’s wisdom, which is done through studying His word (Bible) and frequent prayer, we must be patient and self-disciplined. The supernatural quality of this unique book is that the more one studies God’s word, the hungrier he becomes for more of it. Also, the more he wants to make what he learns an integral motivator in his life. I’ve learned that from first-hand experience over the last 52 years of doing this. God’s power gets transmitted to us via Christ and the Holy Spirit, so that we can do spiritual warfare successfully in Christ’s name [EPH 1: 18-20]. His name and His power are both holy and mighty. God’s teaching fits like a dovetail in a well-made drawer corner to give us what we need to go forth and build His Kingdom. We can appeal to Him any time for direction and understanding, and the Holy Spirit will deliver it to us forthwith.
When we look at the values Hollywood and many pro sports players hold in their lifestyles, we can see the results of allowing the devil’s leadership in their lives. There are broken marriages, children born out of wedlock, materialism, and refusal to take responsibility for one’s actions. People, like Bill Cosby who was once “America’s dad” and coaches, like Joe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky, are knocked off their pedestals, and their personal wrongdoing revealed. In addition, there is societal chaos arising from legislation with the intent of being all things to all people and not presenting effective support to the military and others, who while in harm’s way, protect our way of life. A victim mentality and destructive entitlements lead to an unhealthy economy, which results. And we know the devil loves chaos!
PRAYER: O Lord, Your righteous use of Your extraordinary power is not matched by any human. Is it any wonder that we need to acknowledge Your unconditional love for us [JN 14: 21] and salvation through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross? Salvation from spiritual death, eternal forgiveness of our sins, and being deemed acceptable to You (justification) can’t be had from any other source [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 23-25; RO 4: 3; 1 JN 1: 9]. You gave us Your Spirit to dwell in our souls, to counsel us regarding Your will for us and to teach us Your truths [JN 14: 26]. When we remain in You and You in us, we can produce fruit, i.e. do good deeds that help build Your Kingdom. At the time we were adopted into God’s family, the You became our Advocate with the Father [RO 8: 14-16, 26-27]. We praise and thank You for being here for us. Through all of this, we have learned to be patient, to endure with perseverance through all the trials of our lives. We can do this, because we yield leadership to You in our lives. That is our hope and desire. You are our Covenant Partner, and we love you for it. We say all these things in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: In preparation to get into the subject of false prophets, we need to look at some other verses and passages which will shed light on just who the saints actually were in Paul’s time. We will also see what set them apart from other people. I find myself living in a society that is deteriorating as prophesied in the Bible. The breakdown of the family unit is where this problem began, and it continues to the point of breaking my heart. Our society has gotten to the point that it makes us feel ashamed to identify ourselves as believers in Jesus Christ. Television and other media have reached into most of our lives and have pulled down the ethical values people have, each year pushing the envelope further and further away from God’s ethics. We see this in immodest dress for women and children, foul language, excessive violence on TV and in the movies, and extraordinary materialism. Acceptable sexual mores slide down the slippery slope, causing social chaos and polarization. The present presidential campaign is an embarrassment, leaving many people feeling disenfranchised. As you can see, I don’t think much that is good is coming out of all of this. The exception to this was expressed by Paul, in RO 7: 24b-25. He had been discussing the horrific effect sinning has on us when he exclaimed, “Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ, our Lord!” Praise and thanks be to Christ forever!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2016. All Rights Reserved.
<-- Back to Archives