September 20th, 2017

1 John 3:18-22
18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. 20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

When you are weak, down, or tired what temptation does Satan often try to reawaken in your fleshly nature? (Please leave a comment)

If you only went on what your heart was telling you, what would you believe about your current circumstances? And what would your heart not tell you? (Please leave comment)

​Let us take a look at John's life for just a second and see how doubt can sometimes creep into our life in different ways. John was the youngest of the disciples and had a very intimate relationship with Jesus. In fact he is referred as the disciple whom Jesus loved. John was the disciple that Jesus entrusted to care for His mother. That pretty much seals  the deal for me. Jesus and John were very close and had a very trusting relationship. As the church progresses lets look at John's role. In Jerusalem Peter was obviously the leader of the pack. If you read the book of Acts, James, the brother of Christ was the next most prominent. John later went to Ephesus and built on the foundation laid by the apostle Paul, the former attacker of Christians. If John was not careful He could have allowed his position to detour his responsibility and walk. One of the things that I think can happen to us if we are not careful is to pull the tape and measure ourselves against others. It is a natural thing to do, in the flesh of course. It is the absolute wrong thing to do however. This path is not a good nor is the final destination. We can begin to compare ourselves to others and many times we may feel like we are doing pretty good. This is a very unstable comparison and one that is not made by our Savior and one that will be of zero profit when we stand before our Creator. Some will compare themselves to others and go in the opposite direction, instead of feeling positive they reach a place of defeat because their works are not as productive, so they think. Consequently, they begin to doubt am I doing what God has led  me to do? Am i headed in the right direction? My efforts do not seem to be enough? Is God not with me? Why am i not having the success of all these other people? Again it is a terrible comparison and not at all fair to you or the individual you are comparing yourself too. We can quickly be defeated by these comparisons and I believe them to be a tool of satan and one he uses on a regular basis. John lived longer than any of the disciples and ultimately was used to pen the Book of Revelation and 4 other books of the new testament. I would say he was righty where Jesus wanted him. We are quick to desire others to be in our boat. When Peter asked about John's future Jesus responded,“If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” Jesus put Peter's focus right back where it must stay, you follow ME. Following Jesus must be our continued focus, then we compare ourselves only to the obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ and not to others. Do not allow doubt to creep into your life because you compare yourself to others. Keep the focus on Jesus and He will let you know how you are doing. Rest not in what you say or think, but in what Jesus says and thinks. Luke 21:1-4 And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, 2 and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. 3 So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; 4 for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God,[a] but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”
Read Acts 14:22 and  Psalm 143:10 today and write out a prayer (use the comment tab) that reflect these scripture for you, not other people, you.

for example:
 Dear Jesus,
Your Word says that through many tribulations I must enter into the Kingdom. Lord, I pray that I am strong because of YOU! Lord, I pray I will lean on You for wisdom and understanding. Teach me to live like You, walk like You, talk like You. Love me Jesus and show me how to love You back. Teach me to do Your will oh Lord. You are my God, Your Spirit is good, please make me good. Lead me in the land of the upright. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen