August 8, 2026

1 John 4

We Love Him Because He First Loved Us

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 1 John 4:4

Did you know that it is possible to love someone who hates you? I am here to testify to that truth. I know of several people who hate me, but their reasons for hating me are not justified. Their hatefulness is out of jealousy or resentment because I chose not to go along with their evil deeds or side with them. Did you know that if you hate your brother, like a sibling or fellow Christ-follower, whether they are literally your sibling or figuratively your sibling, that the love of God is not in you? However, because God lives in you, it is impossible to hate someone. Here is how I see it: I don’t hate them; they are the ones who are hateful. However, just because I can still love them doesn’t mean I have to put up with their shenanigans or include them in my life; far from that. I refuse to harbor hate for anyone. As a Christ-follower, you need a change of heart if you can’t find love for others, even those who despise you. I may not ever forget how they treated me, but I will be cautious if ever I am around them. They will never know the secrets of my life, but they will also not control my emotions because of their hate; that’s on them. 

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. 1 John 4:20

August 7, 2026

1 John 3

Who are the Children of God?

This third chapter of 1 John should be broken down and gone through verse by verse. It is such a tasty morsel to the palate of my mind that it should be eaten slowly to taste each ingredient individually because it is that good. However, I will concentrate on the verses that stood out the most and made an impact. Here they are:

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 1 John 3:8-9

Those people who refrain from sinful behavior have the seed of God in them, but have you ever thought that if you were a habitual sinner, the seed of the devil was still in you? If God’s seed is not in you, then whose? We hear about NPC’s on social media, non-player characters. I believe these people may still have the seed of the devil in them because they take every narrative seen on television and repeated on social media as truth rather than use their minds and the Holy Spirit promptings to discern the truth. These are mindless individuals who believe everything they hear. The complete opposite can also be true of an NPC: they believe everything is a lie. That can get you in trouble if you start believing the Bible is a lie and that God isn’t real. 

How do we fix this? Get our hearts right and bent towards God. Help to pull these individuals from the fire that they’ve set with their sins. Tell them about Jesus and the love he has for us. Those of us who love Jesus are the few; too many people do not love him, and we need to change that. Do your part when prompted by the Holy Spirit, and God will bless you; I guarantee it!

August 6, 2026

1 John 2

Whoever Denies Jesus Denies the Father

Just like most people, I scroll through videos for entertainment. Lately, I've been following this woman whose content I like. However, recently, I heard her say that she doesn't follow Jesus, that she prays directly to God. I too pray directly to God, but only because of Jesus. It doesn't take discernment to see that she is a type of anti-Christ; she denied him out loud. I overlooked some things she said before her denial, because I enjoyed watching her. We do that sometimes, don't we? We can discern when people aren't good for us, yet we still watch them like watching a train wreck. She had said it one time before, but I thought I heard her wrong. When people tell you who they are, believe them the first time. Anyone who denies Jesus is a product of the devil, and they shouldn't be listened to, even if it's just for entertainment, because you don't know what kind of subliminal messaging the enemy might infuse in the message that you are receiving during your passive participation. I think that at some point she may have followed him, but because she is a weak person, she began listening to someone who led her away from him. She was never a part of the kingdom, because if she had been, she wouldn't be able to deny him. You may not know all the details of the Bible, but according to Scripture, the Holy Spirit gives you everything you need to know. 

The enemy's seduction is real, but the Holy Spirit will lead you to the truth. Like me, he may allow you to linger for a minute to help teach you a lesson, but he won't leave you there for very long before he gives you obvious clues. Keep your head on a swivel; the world is evil, but Jesus is good. 

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. 1 John 2:19-23

August 5, 2026

1 John 1

Walking in the Light

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5

You cannot and will not continue living a life full of sinfulness if you have Jesus. However, you will sin unintentionally on occasion, but God is forgiving, and if you confess, He is faithful to forgive you.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and justto forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9

Did you know that God didn’t create the sun and moon until the fourth day, but created light on the first day? Where is our light coming from if it’s not coming from the sun? This light is not the light emitted by God because He created it, and He is not a created being, even though He is light. I want to know where that light is coming from. That’s a glimpse into how my mind works. However, in 1 John 1, I believe that John is referring to God’s sinlessness as light because there is no darkness in Him at all. We are to strive to be like Jesus, full of light, knowing that it is impossible, but we should try anyway because Jesus cleanses us and forgives us of our sins if we trust in him. 

August 4, 2026

Jude

Grace Without Holiness

The Book of Jude is a warning against false teachers. Now, more than ever, we need to be cautious, because ravenous wolves are seething to devour us. What’s bad is they can creep in unexpectedly and deceive us by only slightly perverting the scriptures. 

For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. Jude 1:4

These same false teachers will lead you to believe that because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we can go on sinning without the consequences, but that is a lie. It is very tempting to follow a teacher who promotes grace without holiness because that teaching allows you to behave as you please and fulfill your lustful desires. However, God expects us to avoid sin, but sometimes we miss the cues of the Holy Spirit or completely ignore his promptings and venture into sin. I’m not saying you will not be forgiven, but how can you continue in a lifestyle of debauchery without shame and still believe you are saved? Salvation is a complete change of direction, turning away from sinful behavior toward holiness. The world is a scary place, but Jesus is our salvation from it; listen carefully to the Holy Spirit as he guides you to all truth. 

But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Jude 1:17-21

August 3, 2026

The Weapon of Prayer

Modern Examples of Prayer Continued

Out of the example in this last chapter of The Weapon of Prayer, I found the following quote to be the most eye-opening:

“When God has specially promised the thing,” said Charles G. Finney, “we are bound to believe we shall receive it when we pray for it. You have no right to put in an ‘if,’ and say, ‘Lord, if it be Thy will, give me Thy Holy Spirit.’ This is to insult God. To put an ‘if’ in God’s promise when God has put none there, is tantamount to charging God with being insincere. It is like saying, ‘O God, if Thou art in earnest in making these promises, grant us the blessing we pray for.’”

I am guilty of using the word “if” on occasion when praying for mundane things. Instead, we should know that if God brings it to our mind, He intends to bring it to fruition.

Another person of prayer that I admire is a woman named Lady Maxwell. She prayed to be able to pray more. Who would have thought of that, but it’s a good idea. A woman asked her if she knew of anyone looking for a job as a maid because she needed one, and Lady Maxwell told her she would pray for one. We think we should only go to God with special requests, but He’s looking to hear from us about everything. 

A good reminder from Paul:

Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

August 2, 2026

The Weapon of Prayer 

Modern Examples of Prayer

Though we wouldn’t consider any of the men mentioned in this book modern, I guess, considering they were not from the time of Jesus, they are still modern examples, and we can glean much from them.

There were many examples of praying men in this chapter, but the one who stood out to me the most was William Carvosso, who lived until 1834. His prayers were full of spirit and life, leading to his being filled with the Holy Spirit to the point of becoming undone. This man was a Methodist preacher, not a holy roller, and God showed up when he was praying. Such an encounter is something we all long for, and I hope someday we will be describing our own out-of-body experience in a similar meeting with God. Here is the thing, though, which is a lesson for all of us: we have to be away from people, alone in our prayers to God, because such an encounter is unlikely if you don’t spend time alone with Him. What he describes is something that happened to him when he was baptized in the Holy Spirit. Most of us won’t have such an encounter, but God was calling him out as one of His own; this wasn’t the only time he encountered an overflowing and infilling of the Holy Spirit. Here he describes his conversion:

“Man years before I was sealed by the Spirit in a somewhat similar manner. While walking out one day, I was drawn to turn aside on the public road, and under the canopy of the skies, I was moved to kneel down to pray. I had not long been praying with God before I was so visited from Him that I was overpowered by the divine glory, and I shouted till I could be heard at a distance. It was a weight of glory that I seemed incapable of bearing in the body, and therefore I cried out, perhaps unwisely, Lord, stay Thy hand. In this glorious baptism these words came to my heart with indescribable power: ‘I have sealed thee unto the day of redemption.’