Day 4: 1 John 4:1-3
4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for 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. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming; and now it is already in the world…
Day 4: 1 John 4:1-3 // I remember coming across the term "false prophet" for the first time and thinking, "I guess I can skip this one since that's not a problem anymore." Boy, was I wrong! From televangelists to well meaning, but slightly off focus Christians, false prophecy is still something that everyone needs to know how to recognize. Thankfully for us, there are a few key verses that make it pretty simple.
Here in 1 John, we're told that we have to learn to discern between the spirits of truth and of error. It goes on to say that we do that by examining how the prophetic narrative being presented relates back to Jesus. What does it say about who He is? Does it glorify Him? Does it remind us about what He says is true about us? Does it agree with the Bible? Or is it distracting from these things? Does it glorify a person other than Jesus? Does it downplay His role in our lives? Where does it place the focus?
Revelation 19:10 says that the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus. So when you come across an idea, a sermon, or a "word" from another believer, ask this question: what does this say about Jesus? Of course it's best to be kind even when someone else is off base - but there's no need to put stock in an idea that doesn't agree with Scripture, and His Spirit inside our hearts is faithful to help us know the difference.
Today’s Prayer //
“Jesus, thank You for giving us Your testimony and Your Word. I know that there are false ideas in the world that I'm going to need to know how to recognize so I don't get off track or offended when it turns out to be empty. Your Word never returns to You without doing what it was supposed to, and I ask that You would give me discernment to spot the difference between the real truth of Your perspective and the false, but appealing ideas that the world wants me to believe. Thank You that we don't have to figure it out alone or agonize over it, but instead You make it simple for us to understand. Please give me better discernment, and help me grow in truth. We love You and trust You. In Jesus' name, Amen.”
-written by @Meg Bell
