1 John 3:22–4:6
Beloved: We receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And his commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us. Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit whom he gave us.
Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can know the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh belongs to God, and every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus does not belong to God. This is the spirit of the antichrist who, as you heard, is to come, but in fact is already in the world. You belong to God, children, and you have conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They belong to the world; accordingly, their teaching belongs to the world, and the world listens to them. We belong to God, and anyone who knows God listens to us, while anyone who does not belong to God refuses to hear us. This is how we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit.
Dawg's thought:
Today's prayer intention is for a family I know who recently had a miscarriage.
We hear these spirits everyday. Many of them appear in the form of the seven deadly sins (pride, lust, anger, envy, gluttony, sloth, greed). None of these can acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord because each of these separate us from God. If we are to believe that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, we should also believe that Jesus Christ was obedient. All spirits that call us to be disobedient to God's commands draw us away from God through sin.
In this light, we must constantly strive to be with Our Lord by getting to know Our Lord through prayer, the scriptures, the sacraments and community. All God asks of us is to knock and the door will be opened. All God asks of us is to offer our few loaves and fishes so that He can be glorified and that we may be humbled. We must decrease so that Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ can increase. This is true humility, and the humble will be exalted. Take care and God Bless.
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