Trusting God in Uncertainty: A Daily Devotion

WEDNESDAY, 19 JUNE 2024

TEXT: 1 John 4:1-6

1. Beloved, do not believe every spirit [speaking through self-proclaimed prophet]; instead test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets and teachers have gone out into the world.

2. By this you know and recognize the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges and confesses [the fact] that Jesus Christ has [actually] come in the flesh [as a man] is from God [God is its source];

3. and every spirit that does not confess Jesus [acknowledging that He has come in the flesh, but would deny any of the Son’s true nature] is not of God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and is now already in the world.

4. Little children (believers, dear ones), you are of God and you belong to Him and have [already] overcome them [the agents of the antichrist]; because He who is in you is greater than he (Satan) who is in the world [of sinful mankind].

5. They [who teach twisted doctrine] are to the world and belong to it; therefore they speak from the [viewpoint of the] world [with its immoral freedom and baseless theories-demanding compliance with their opinions and ridiculing the values of the upright], and the [gullible one of the] world listens closely and pays attention to them.

6. We [who teach twisted doctrine] are from God [energized by the Holy Spirit], and whoever knows God [through personal experience] listens to us [and has a deeper understanding of Him]. Whoever is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know [without any doubt] the spirit of truth [motivated by God] and the spirit of error [motivated by Satan].

(Amplified Version Holy Bible)

TOPIC: TRUE PASTORS VERSUS FALSE PROPHETS

There are thousands of groups, movements and organizations that claim to be part of the body of Christ – the Church Universal.

Each is led by a leader or group of leaders who lay claim to have been called by God to represent Him as the carriers of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

But these so-called ‘men of God’ deny the same Jesus they preach either through their self-made gospels or self-indulging lives of impurity, compromise and ungodliness.

So, John gave the secret of how to discover these false pastors, evangelist and miracle workers use the wisdom and style of the world to operate and many of the people in the church today prefer to listen to them and flock to their ‘churches’ in droves.

But we are counselled to follow the teachings of the true Word of God, most especially because we have the Spirit of God living in us.

QUESTION: What is the difference between a false prophet and a true pastor?

PRAYER: Thank You, dear Lord, for giving us the signs with which so distinguish a false prophet from the true one. Give us the courage to resist and expose them and help other vulnerable members to flee from them, in Jesus name. Amen.