September 21
________________________________________GREATER IS HE WHO IS IN YOU
Beloved, 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. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. 4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. – 1 John 4:1-6
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John reassures all believers that God is above all things in this world. He warns us all Christians to test the spirits that come upon us and ensure that they are from God and not from the world. The manifestation of the Spirit’s presence is the acknowledgement that Jesus Christ came and became flesh to follow His Father’s work of salvation. Anyone who doesn’t believe that Jesus came from God and is God Himself is the antichrist.
In this account, John stresses the importance of setting us apart from the world. If you are a Christian, you do not follow the ways of the world. You are governed by the Holy Spirit and understand spiritual things. You know God and understand that He is greater than any spirit living in this world. You recognize God’s voice and follow His commands. As children of God, we hear His voice and knows His ways. We do not follow the world, instead, we obey God in all things. The unbelievers or worldly people, on the other hand do not comprehend God’s ways and do not heed His words. They live in darkness and they do not know the spiritual realm. The believer knows the spirit of truth because He is given the word of God and anything that is not from God’s words, he doesn’t pay attention to.
It is such a blessing to know that we can count on God’s power and sovereignty. He is greater than any force or power that is in the world. No need to worry about people hating or punishing you. God is your defender. He will never let any of His believers to be defeated. You may still be persecuted but God’s promise is that He will never forsake those who love Him. He is bigger than any spirit in this world.
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REFLECTION
• How do you know if you are being deceived or controlled by evil spirits?