1 John 5

If we believe in Jesus Christ and God (John 14:9-11), we would love with our entire beings. We would then desire to please Him in every way possible (Psalms 40:8). We would desire to do His commandments and His will (John 14:15).

We have the victory through Jesus Christ. If Jesus dwells in us, we have power over Satan and his hosts (Luke 9:1-2) Through every trial and tribulation, we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:36-37).

Truly the Word bears witness. For without the Word, we would not know God and the works of Jesus Christ. For the Word testifies of who Jesus is (John 5:39). The Spirit also bears witness of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit teaches us things that the world cannot show us (1 John 2:27). Even Jesus told His disciples that the Holy Spirit would bring everything back to their remembrance.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. John 14:26 (NKJV)

God has given us eternal life through His Son. Jesus is the way to the Father (John 14:6). Jesus came to give us life everlasting with Him in heaven so that we may have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).

And I give them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. John 10:28 (NKJV)

If we ask God for anything as we are God's children, He is faithful to give it to us once it is best for us (John 14:13-14). For God hears us even in our times of sorrow and distress. God searches our hearts and He knows our desires (Psalms 139:1). He even knows our words before we even say them. He knows us from the inside out.

For there is not a word on my tongue but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. Psalms 139:4 (NKJV)

I encourage you to continue to read the book of 1 John for yourselves that you may truly understand the love of God and His love for you.

1 John 4

In this day and age, there are many persons who want to lead but who are not called to lead. They tell people things they want to hear but they did not hear it from God, the Holy One. Even as John indicates how we will know the spirit of the antichrist, Jesus tells us that we will know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:15-20).

For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely to you in My name, I have not sent them, says the Lord. Jeremiah 29:8-9 (NKJV)

As God is not of this world, so are we not of this world. As Jesus says in John 18:36, 'My Kingdom is not of this world.' In the kingdom of God, there is love. God is love. Everything that God does for us, is because He loves us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). God thinks about us all the time (Psalms 139:17-18) and He is gracious towards us, His people (Micah 7:18-19). This is why He sent His only Son to save us in order for us to have everlasting life with Him. We should be more loving like Him. We should desire to follow His commandments and hide them within our hearts.

Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 22:37-40 (NKJV)

If God dwells in us and we in Him, the Holy Spirit therefore dwells in us and we live by the Spirit and not by the flesh. As we live by the Spirit, we leave behind the things of this world and most of all the flesh (Galatians 5:24-25).

As we love God, we begin to trust Him and His power to take care of every situation and trial that we go through. As we cast our cares on Him (Matthew 11:28-30), we no longer fear what this world will bring or do to us because perfect love casts out fear. God has not given us a spirit of fear.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

Even though we cannot see God, we know Him through His Word and His Holy Spirit who dwells in us (John 14:17). Let us come to know the God who is love and who loves us unconditionally. Let us hide His Word in our hearts and become hungry for Him.

1 John 3

In verse 1, it talks about the love of God, the love that is everlasting and that is not partial. Jesus is the very image of love. God is love. God sent His only Son to save us, the people of the world which is filled with sin and mischief to give us everlasting life with Him in the end. That is love. Jesus was created for this very purpose, to save us from sin (John 12:47).

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (NKJV)

Satan was here from the very beginning and we see that in the Garden of Eden. It is his plan to carry everyone to the flames of fire with him so that we would not have a chance to have eternal life with God. Satan is a thief and he is out to destroy us and to sift us as wheat (John 10:10, Luke 22:31). Whoever is born of God, does not commit sin seen in verse 9. Sin is of the devil (John 8:44).

The children of God are known through their fruits (Matthew 7:16-20), by the things that we do, say and think. We should have the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and be pure and holy as God is   ( 1 Peter 1:16). No greater love has been shown than when Jesus laid down His life for us, His friends ( John 15:15).

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. John 15:13 (NKJV)

Does this world really have significance to us at the end on judgement day? This world and its material stuff will fade away in comparison to the glory of God (Mark 8:36). We should focus on God and not fame and the praise of men (Matthew 6:19-21).

We should not only speak of love but we should put it into our daily lives and into our actions reflecting the character of Jesus Christ (James 2:26). We need to know who God is even as He knows us (Psalms 139:1). He knows us better than we know ourselves. God is omniscient, all knowing. He knows your needs and is more than able to provide them (Philippians 4:19). By following His commandments and His will, He will do it for you (John 15:7).

Father, I pray that we would know Your love, that You would show us how to love You and our neighbours as ourselves. That we would demonstrate Your love to others, we would not only speak of it because faith without works is dead. Let Your light be seen in and through us. In Jesus' name, Amen.

1 John 2

In verses 1-2, it talks about the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus was placed on this earth to save us from eternal death. God provided a way so that we may be able to dwell with Him at the end (John 3:16). Jesus is the way for us, the entire world (John 14:6). It says that He didn't come to save our sins only but the sins of the whole world. He is the passage to having a life of eternity with God ( 1 Timothy 2:5).

Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him since He always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25 (NKJV)

Jesus lives to make intercession for each and every one of us. When we are going through the difficult times and the good times, He is there praying for us. We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ.

We should follow God that is love Him with everything that we are and that we have and by doing this, we do His commandments. If we love Him, we would desire to please Him in anyway possible (John 14:15). Jesus said 'Love your neighbours as yourself" so we should love our brothers and sisters. Even if these are persons who bring you down at every chance possible and who are your enemies, we should still love them (Matthew 5:44). Even on the cross, Jesus was compassionate to the soldiers by telling God to forgive them even though they beat Him (Luke 23:34). We should be more like Jesus and have the mind of Christ.

³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
³⁷ Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 
³⁸ This is the first and great commandment.  
³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”Matthew 22:36-40 (NKJV)

Love not the world in verse 15 is exactly what we should do. God is not of the world therefore if we follow God neither are we. We should focus our gaze on Jesus and place Him as our number one priority (Colossians 3:2). Do not be consumed by the things of this world but be consumed by God, the all consuming fire (Romans 12:2).

There are people in this world who pretend to be of God but actually are not. We should be awake and vigilant so that we are not deceived (Matthew 7:15). These persons would speak lies into our ears but be ready (2 Peter 2:1-2). We must read the Word so we would know what is of God and what isn't.

But as it is written, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.1Corinthians 2:9-10 (NKJV)

The Holy Spirit is our guide to the deeper things of God and is our teacher and our comforter (John 14:26).

Encounter the One who lives to make intercession for you!

1 John 1

For the month of September, I will be doing a series on the book of 1 John. 1 John has so much revelation for us which is relevant to our lives today. This book was written by the apostle John who was one of the Jesus' disciples. He was the disciple that Jesus loved ( John 21:20-23).

Chapter 1

Even though we are human beings, the created and the ones who could never be compared to God, God through His Holy Spirit still speaks to us everyday and is revealing things to us, we thought we could never know. We see this in verse 2 where it says ' was manifested to us'. The Holy Spirit is many things to us. He is our comforter, our guide and our teacher. We need the Holy Spirit. Without Him, we would not be able to discern what is of God and what isn't.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. John 14:26 (NKJV)

God reveals Himself and His heart to us through the Spirit (1Corinthians 2:9-16). Jesus gave us an anointing which is the Holy Spirit to teach and prepare us for His return and His second coming (1 John 2:27).

God is light seen in verse 5-7. He shows us every aspect of His character, He does not hold back His emotions about us. He is the truth and the light of the world. If we follow God, we would never go astray. Even in the natural, you would not follow the dark to get out of a tunnel but you would follow the light. We would have the light of life, a life of eternity and happiness with God (Revelations 21:23-26).  

Then Jesus spoke to them again saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12 (NKJV)

None of us cannot say that we have not sinned any time in our lives. We have all sinned. All of us have sinned and thought to be unworthy of God's love ( Romans 3:23). But if we have sinned, it is not the end for us. All we have to do is confess and ask Jesus for forgiveness (Romans 10:9-11). God is faithful and just to forgive us of all our sins.

Let God's light shine through you.