1 John 4

1 John 4
Test the Spirits
1Dear 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. 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but 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.

4You, 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. 5They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6We 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[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
God's Love and Ours
7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son[b] into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for[c] our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

13We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

19We love because he first loved us. 20If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Footnotes:Never forget, the Lord is perfect in love and timing. Do what you know that He wants, not what we want. To love oneanother, takes a true love of HIM.

Love

Let not earthly things disturb you, rather, remember Roman 12:1-2. God asks us to make ourself living sacrifices.
What more? Our minds, hearts and bodies should be in submission to His will.
My mind, not my emotions, have consistantly been saying that "how can anyone one deny HIM who is all goodness?"
The truth is God is, was and will be the only basis for the truth or goodness in this world. Where else?
How you can know God is to meditate on the good things. It is amazing to think of a crucifixtion as good, isn't it?
Yet God took something as bad as that and made it the most wonderful thing we humans can think of!
What an awesome God. He gives us opportunity to see HIS LOVE in completeness. The sacrifice is the ultimate
completeness of love. Stay from darkness, but look to HIS LIGHT.

Raising up your child

We must remember that in Hebrews, we are told that following the Lord is so important especially being a
role model for your children.
Prayer is important. For your family to know that you communicate with the Lord imminent at all times.

timing

We know that the Lord's timing is perfect and yet we worry about so much and forget He is in control. What a blessing to remember that. He works all things for our good, but still we fret. As we continue down lifes road, we grow, and one day we will understand what He was doing. By then, we will be so in love with Him, the bumps in the past won't matter!
Reviewing His Word helps us to rest in Him and so I encourage you to do just that, and rest in His Word.
I will return to encourage.
Blessings,
N.