Author: evangelist_breland

Apostle John wrote these Gentile believers to reassure them in their faith and to squash false teachings that Jesus did not come in the flesh. The Apostle addressed these believers affectionately as “beloved,” a term of endearment. He warned them “not to believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; many false prophets have gone out into the world” (v.1). Apostle John was a sound voice of wisdom to that new generation of believers.

  Do we believe this warning is relevant still? We must not deceive ourselves, but always be mindful that there are many today who desire to turn us away from the truth – belief in the incarnation of Jesus. Some believers then and now are spiritually immature in their thinking; therefore, they are easily persuaded and misled by those who use false teaching to deceive them. So that same warning that Apostle John gave thousands of years ago is still relevant.

Recall how Satan used half-truths to deceive Eve into disobeying God. That’s exactly what false prophets and teachers do. However, Apostle John said every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ came in the flesh is of God (v.2), and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not of God (v.3). Jesus had to come to earth and live in the flesh in order to die for us. Only those who are born of the Holy Spirit can confess with their mouth that Jesus came as a real person, and declare “Jesus is Lord” (1 Corinthians 12:3). This is how we know they have the Spirit of God (v.2). On the other hand, false prophets and teachers are already in the world. They have the spirit of the Antichrist – “every spirit that does not confess that Jesus came in the flesh” (v.3). It is imperative that believers grow spiritually to know the truth and not believe every spirit. Remember, every spirit that’s of the Holy Spirit can confess Jesus Christ came in the flesh.

Psalm 34:8

Recall that David was a fugitive on the run for his life, fearing that King Saul would kill him out of jealousy. He even pretended to be crazy so that Abimelech would not harm him but send him away. Glory be to God for deliverance! In Psalm 34:8a (KJV) David says, “O taste and see that the Lord is good…” He had prayed for deliverance from the hands of his enemies, and the Lord heard his prayer. The experience was so powerful that he praised God and testified of his deliverance in response for what the Lord had done for him. When we are in a relationship with God, praising Him and testifying of His goodness are what we do. Yes, David’s experience with God and His goodness was personal, and he wanted others to experience the graciousness of this prayer-answering God. According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words, “taste” is used metaphorically here, to mean “try” or “experience” just as in 1 Peter 2:3, and “see” means to “understand. ” In other words, experience God for yourself and find out how good, kind, and merciful He is.

The psalmist continued in the second part of verse 8 – “blessed is the man that trusts in him (the Lord).” What did he mean? He meant that when we taste and see that the Lord is good, we will abide in Him. Abiding in the Lord makes us fruitful and “blessed.” Without him we are nothing. When the sun is shining, we need Him. When the clouds are dark, we need Him; if we trust in Him, we have the blessed assurance that we will always see the sun peeping through the clouds. No matter what the circumstances, because we trust in the Lord, or take refuge in Him, we are blessed. It means that we are fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God. Anyone who has not had a personal experience with our heavenly Father, I dare you to try Him. You will never be disappointed or ashamed. There’s nothing shameful in the Lord; there’s only goodness. Don’t take my word; taste and see for yourself the graciousness of our Lord. 

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• Jesus Reinstated and Commissioned Peter to His Calling
• The Great Catch Revealed It Was the Lord

Psalm 34:1-6 (KJV)

David declared, “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (v.1). What an awesome declaration! The truth is, he was saying that God had been good to him and was worthy only to be blessed and praised.

As believers, we should bless the Lord at all times just because of who He is. He is our Creator, our Savior, our provider, our healer, our promise keeper, and our way maker to name a few. In this passage of scripture, David feared for his life. Whatever dangers or trials and tribulations we face, being in a relationship with the Lord matters. David had a relationship with the Lord, and that gave him the right to seek the Lord’s deliverance in the time of trouble. He knew from where his help came and who bestowed blessings on him. “I sought the LORD, he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears” (v.4).  God answered David’s prayers; and He’ll answer ours if we trust Him. David trusted God to deliver him from the hands of King Saul, who, out of envy, tried to kill him. Also, he trusted God to deliver him when he pretended he was insane to escape from King Achish. The psalmist not only praised God for deliverance but testified to his deliverance. Like David, we should always give God the Father thanks for all He’s done for us and have His praise in our mouth. He has delivered us from the grip of Satan and given us eternal hope through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. 

Consider how pleased God is when we bless His holy and righteous name. Today, let us openly declare that we will bless the Lord at all times, and his praise will continually be in our mouth.

1 Peter 4:1-2

Believers are God’s representatives on earth. Christ suffered in the flesh for us. Because we are in a spiritual battle, we must arm ourselves like warriors of Christ’s with the mind of Christ. That’s what Peter commanded us to do in verse one: “…arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.” How can we arm ourselves? We should long for the pure milk of the word like newborn babies so that it will strengthen us, and we may grow up in our salvation (1Peter 2:2). If we never grow up in God’s word, we will never be able to endure suffering. No one ever wants to experience the pain of suffering – abuse, sickness, fear, hunger, desertion, infidelity, and etc. The world won’t understand how you endure because they see through the flesh. Once we humble ourselves to the will of God, being like-minded with Christ, our sole purpose is to please God. Yet we sometimes fall short of giving God praise and honor He’s due. Remember, suffering isn’t unique to believers; everyone will experience it in their lifetime. Believers, however, have God’s blessed assurance that if we wholeheartedly trust Him, He will see us through.

When we submitted ourselves to the will of God, we were united with Christ and stopped pleasing the world. “Believers can no longer spend the rest of his natural life living for human appetites and desires, but [lives] for the will and purpose of God” (Peter 4:2, AMP). We have spent far too much time satisfying our fleshly desires. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:1). This is another way to be armed and ready to suffer like Christ. It’s one thing to say: “I’m armed and ready.” It’s another to stand when the tests come. Glory!  

Romans 3:21-26, NKJV

Consider that any one of us was on trial for our crimes in man’s court of law. The prosecuting attorney puts forth witnesses and indisputable evidence to prove us guilty. On the other hand, the defending attorney makes the same effort to find us not guilty. In Romans 1:18-3:20 Apostle Paul declared that no one was innocent in God’s court. He revealed that we all were found guilty of sin before God – both the Jews and the Gentiles. We were all ungodly and deserving of the wrath of God. Scripture declares that God is no respecter of person. He is the Creator, and we belong to Him. He loves us but not sin. Therefore, He has the right to bring His holy wrath upon any one who refuses to repent and turn from our wicked ways. The Jews, being God’s chosen people, believed that they were saved by the law.  The law cannot save us; it makes us aware of sin, but no flesh will be justified, declared not guilty, in His sight by the deeds of the law.

So it is now clear that the righteousness of God is apart from the law (21). This righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe and acknowledge him as God’s Son. “For there is no difference (22); for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (23), being justified without any cost by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (24). “God set Jesus forth to shed His blood as a life-giving sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation for us to be received by faith. This was to satisfy His righteous wrath. For without it we were all bound for eternal damnation. He did this to demonstrate His righteousness for the forgiveness of sins that were committed before Jesus’ crucifixion, (25) and that He might be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus” (26). Thank God for mercy. Give Him glory!