Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

August 6
Tuesday


THE STANDOFF

READ:
1 John 4:1-6
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He who is in you is
greater than he who
is in the world.
__1 John 4:4
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When a local bookstore rearranged its shelves, I noticed an increase in the number of titles relating to sorcery and witchcraft. In fact, the religion section had become a virtual "standoff" between light and darkness. Christian titles flanked one side of the aisle, while roughly the same number of occult books lined the other side.

Sometimes we may think of God and Satan in the same way I thought of the books in that bookstore. We see them as opposing but equal forces with the same unlimited power. However, God is God and Satan is not. God is stronger than any force of darkness. He does what He pleases (Ps. 135:6), while Satan's power is limited to what God allows. When Satan supposed that misfortune would make Job curse God, God told Satan, "Behold, all that [Job] has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person" (Job 1:12). Satan had to play by God's rules.

Because God is in charge over everything, as Christ's followers we don't need to be paralyzed by fear of Satan's power over our lives or the lives of the believers around us. He tempts us and tries to influence us, but the Bible assures us, "He who is in [us] is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). __Jennifer benson Schuldt

`````````````````````All hail the pw'r of Jesus' name!``````````````````````
````````````````````````Let angels prostrate fall;`````````````````````````
``````````````````````Bring forth the royal diadem,```````````````````````
``````````````````And crown Him Lord of all! __Perronet```````````````````
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The powers of evil around you are no match
for the power of Jesus within you.

************************Today's Bible Reading __ 1 John 4:1-6**************************

1 Beloved, do not believe
every spirit, but test the
spirits, whether they are of
God; because many false
prophets have gone out into
the world. 2 By this you
know the Spirit of God:
Every spirit that confesses
that Jesus Christ has come
in the flesh is of God, 3 and
every spirit that does not
confess that Jesus Christ
has come in the flesh is not
of God. And this is the
spirit of the Antichrist,
which you have heard was
coming, and is now already
in the world.

4 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.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

John, "the disciple Jesus loved," also loved others. he speaks with
warmth and affection as he addresses the followers of Christ to
whom he is writing. In the first verse of chapter 4, John calls them
"Beloved." This term of endearment is a form of the word agape,
the highest form of love. He views his friends as not just "beloved,"
but highly and dearly loved. In verse 4, he speaks to them as "little
children." This is the term that refers to infants, who are to be
tenderly loved, passionately protected and fully cared for.