DAY 8 – Great is He who is in me

Today’s Scripture

1 John 4:4-6 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Twice John tells us we are of God in this little passage. Remember who you are! Remember from where you come!

Little children – God’s children – the overcomers!

Today this blog feels harder to write – I went to bed and felt a swirling in my head and I woke up to my alarm, as I went to shut it off it felt as if I was hurling forward and struggling to stop. There was a dizziness. I began to pray. Did I think that we would do a 21 day challenge without opposition? I’ve felt the ramp up with people around me. I felt myself being a little more sensitive to things I may have before simply overlooked. I sat down yesterday and wrote out names and prayers – I haven’t prayed that way in a long while. And now this off feeling I have when I move to fast. Pray for me if you would. But I will not quit. I will not give up. I know who my confidence is in. It is in the Lord Jesus Christ. I will persevere through, and I will grow through what I go through – suffering or not!

because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

John gives us an interesting tool of discernment – he tells us that By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

And what was the tool: Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us.

HEARING – What do we hear?

We can know the spirit that is at work by what we hear coming from the mouths of the people around us. If they speak like the world – the influence of the world is evident in their speech.

 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? 
For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Matthew 12:34

Oh but they mean well, they have a good heart. It’s just not scriptural. Jesus Himself said, “Out of the abundance (what you have feasted on in your) heart the mouth speak. We leak what we have made our meals of, whether it is the world, self, or the Word of God.

But those who are of God hear us. When we who are also of God speak as He leads, “your heart sounds bitter, angry, hurt, sour?” They hear us and they begin the journey to return to the Lord to restore their heart. (Ps, we don’t get to choose how long that takes – but we know when someone heard us) Those who are not of God do not hear us. It’s a simple test. And some may be riding the line.

Lord, help us to hear! Let us heed our brothers and sisters when they hear the world coming out of our mouths. Let us run to the Father and to the Word of God for cleansing and restoration of our hearts and tongues.

Thanks for listening,

Starla