Believe and Don't Be Deceived

‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭I John‬ ‭5:18‭-‬21 [18] We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. [19] We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. [20] And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, 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. [21] Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

John ends this chapter expressing a very important truth. As followers of Jesus, we need to know the difference between truth and falsehood. First of all, we need to recognize that in Christ we do not sin. What does that mean? Simply put, we may stumble on occasion, but we don't live a sinful lifestyle. The Holy Spirit works in us to make us more and more like Jesus in the way we live for the Lord. We are washed in the Blood of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit indwells us. Therefore, when the Father sees us, what He sees is the righteousness of Jesus and His perfect Spirit in us. So even though we find ourselves continually repenting and confessing our sins; before our Heavenly Father, because of what Jesus did for us, we are always declared, "Not guilty!" What a wonderful, undeserved gift! Secondly, we know that the ways of this world are under the influence of the devil and his angels. However, greater is He who is in us, than he who's in the world. The devil has already been defeated, and in Christ we have overcome. The world has nothing to offer that is greater than what we already have in Christ Jesus. Knowing all this, we must be careful not to make the things of this world, including ourselves, into the idols we live for. The bottom line is that we are in Christ, we belong to God, we have the truth, the world has nothing of eternal value to offer, and in Christ our salvation is eternally secure. So let us live for Jesus without being deceived by the lies that the devils and this world want us to believe. We have the truth.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Romans 10:13).