1 John 4:1-6

 Rachel Workman: Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

⁴ You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. ⁵ They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit^[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

The spirit of the antichrist is all around us. Be careful what you listen to and what you embrace. And we should not worry if it appears as though the world embraces worldly views. We are not worldly. We are from a different spirit. That spirit is greater than those who are in the world.

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John Burnett:  Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for 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 from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this, we know the Spirit of truth and the Spirit of error.  In this day and age, these are some of the most important verses in the Bible.  There are so many false teachers out there teaching false doctrines.  If you have the Holy Spirit of truth living in you, he will help you discern what is truth and what is false.  If your teacher spends the majority of their time telling stories and not expositing what the Word says, then they are probably a false teacher.  If they are promising blessings of health and wealth, they are a false teacher.  The Bible promises persecution to those who love Christ, not health and wealth.  Satan, and those following him, are imitators and will tell just enough truth to make it sound right but if you believe what they are selling, you will be condemned.  Jesus pointed this out when he condemned those who said "Lord, Lord..." by telling them He never knew them.

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Tomorrow’s reading for 1 John 4:7-16

⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

¹³ This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵ If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. ¹⁶ And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.