I know, but...

1 John 5:20  "And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.  Little children, guard yourselves from idols."

1 Thessalonians 1:9  "... you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God..."

Proverbs 4:23  "Guard your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life."

John uses the phrase, "we know..." quite often in his Epistle.  In this verse he uses three different words that give different shades of meaning to the concept of "knowing".  The first ("we know that the Son of God has come") carries the sense of acquiring information; it has the idea of certainty, of conviction.  The second word ("understanding") literally means "thinking through", and speaks of how the pieces of information (knowledge) relate or fit together.  The third word ("that we may know Him") has to do with relationship, the idea of getting to know someone.  It has a sense of progression; of a deepening intimacy through personal experience.

All three words together describe a Believer's life of faith.  We have come to a settled conviction regarding the Gospel Message.  The Message rings true, makes sense, as the Holy Spirit helps us think through the various aspects of Gospel Truth.  This conviction and understanding lead us into a relationship with Jesus and, as we walk in faith and obedience, we get to know him better every day.

John describes our relationship with our Lord eloquently, but then he concludes his letter with a caution that troubles me.  He warns us to guard ourselves from idols.  How could I, knowing, understanding, and experiencing the Grace of God, turn away to an idol?

The Holy Spirit knows me all too well.  He knows my inclinations, my weaknesses, my vulnerabilities.  And He is not the only one with that knowledge.  Satan sees them too, and he is constantly seeking opportunities to distract my attention, to turn me towards other things.  Anything that turns me from God, that shifts my focus and pulls my allegiance away  becomes an idol.

An idol can be a person, a passion, a position, a problem, or a possession.  It can vary from person to person and from one stage of life to another.  The point John makes is that idols are all around us, vying for our attention.  Resisting them requires vigilance.  It takes me back to Moses' charge to his successor, Joshua: "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success." (Joshua 1:8)

Dear Father, thank You for living in me through the Holy Spirit.  Thank You for His promptings, warnings, and encouragement.  Please help me to keep alert today, that I might recognize the enemy's ploys.  I want my focus to be fixed on You and Your will for me.  I want to know You more!  Amen.

Speak up!

Acts 4:8. Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers and elders of the people..."    13... Now as they observed the boldness of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.

Acts 4:29 "And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all boldness"... 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness....

Acts 28: 31  Paul was preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness, unhindered.

Ephesians 3: 12 in whom (Jesus) we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.

Ephesians 6:19-20.  And pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Philippians 1:20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

Hebrews 4: 16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence (boldness) to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 10: 35 Therefore, do not throw away your boldness, which has a great reward.

1 John 2:28 Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have boldness and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.

1 John 3:21 -22 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.

1 John 4:17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.

1 John 5:14  This is the boldness which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

Let me introduce you to Chris.  Chris was a 2nd grader who, like many boys his age, had difficulty with self-control.  For awhile he was a frequent visitor to my office, usually after a playground scuffle.  He would shuffle in, head down, his eyes averted from mine, and he would respond to my questions with a timid, barely audible mumble.  I always had to tell him to speak up.  One Friday  (Chris having been sent to my office five times that week) I left for lunch, telling Him that I didn't want to see him in the office again unless it was good news.  Upon my return, there was Chris.  He was seated on the office bench with another little boy.  I walked past them and, when I reached my office door, I turned and asked, "Tell me Chris, is it good news or bad news?"  He looked up, his face brightened, his smile beamed, he pointed to the other boy and boldly, cheerfully proclaimed, "It's good news, Mr. Brown!  It's him!"  Chris was there as a witness instead of the perpetrator and it made all the difference in his demeanor.  No need to remind him to speak up.

Boldness, confidence, the ability to speak freely.  The New Testament writers use that word 33 times.  It describes Jesus as He interacted with His enemies.  We're told that it should describe how we share the Good News with others and how we approach our Heavenly Father, both in prayer and when we stand before Him face-to-face "on the other side."

Unfortunately that word doesn't consistently describe me in either situation.  So, what makes the difference?  Why do I sometimes mumble like Chris-in-trouble and other times speak boldly?  According to Scripture, it has to do with my being controlled by the Holy Spirit.  When I purposefully begin my day in prayer, conversing with my Father, asking for His guidance, yielding my will to His, the Holy Spirit responds by transforming timidness into confidence, fear into boldness.  That is when others notice, as with Peter and John, that I have been with Jesus.

Dear Lord, I want to speak up for You today.  I know that's Your plan, so I confidently ask You for boldness as I interact with those whom You lead  across my path.  Holy Spirit, please guide my conversations so others can see Jesus in me. Thank You! Amen.

Overcoming... Simple, but not Easy

1 John 5:4 - 5. "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.  Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"

"Easy to assemble". "No tools required". "Assemble in minutes!"  I tremble with frustration whenever I read those words.  I remember the hours it took to assemble a Christmas toy for my children.  The step-by-step instructions were simple, but following them wasn't easy!

I sometimes find myself feeling that way regarding my walk with Jesus.  The message is simple.  All I need to do is believe Who He is and What He has done on my behalf.  That makes me an "Overcomer".  It opens the door to all of those glorious promises John referred to in the Book of Revelation.  It assures my place in Heaven with my Savior (1 John 5:13).  Simple.

Believe in Jesus and receive eternal life.  How hard can that be?!!  It's all wrapped up in the word "believe". That simple concept involves every aspect of my life.  It's not merely intellectually assenting to the truth of a statement.  The word implies complete, total trust in the Person of Jesus.  It means turning over the control of my life - my hopes, ambitions, desires, decisions, lifestyle... everything - to Him.  That's not so easy!

There is a constant power struggle raging in my soul.  Although I long ago relinquished control of my life to the Holy Spirit, my self-will still tries to wrest it from Him.  It is usually not a conscious decision on my part.
I simply move forward with my daily plans, forgetting to "check in" with Him.  Sometimes He tries to get my attention and I ignore Him.

So, how can I be an Overcomer today?  How can I consistently live out my faith over the next 18 hours?  It's simple.  Really!  I just do what I'm doing right now.  Start the day with Him.  Read, think about, meditate on the Word of God. Open my calendar and consciously turn it over to Him, asking the Holy Spirit to make me sensitive to unwritten appointments He may have scheduled.  Beginning my day on my knees helps me to walk the path Jesus has already marked for me.  Simple, but not so easy.

Thank You, Jesus, not only for what You have done for me, but for what You promise to do today.  Thank You, Holy Spirit for Your promptings, Your guidance.  Please help me to listen well and check in with You often.  I can't wait to get started!  Amen.