Daily Inspirations

  Good morning. Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming (possibly claiming to have a revelation through a dream), defile the flesh, and reject authority (they hold to what their dreams says, rather than listening to those in authority in the church), and revile angelic majesties (there are even some today who “take authority over“ angels and other powers in the heavens). But Michael the Archangel, when he disputed with the Devil and argued about the body of Moses (this is not mentioned in the Old Testament; but could be from one of the books of the apocrypha), did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “the Lord rebuke you!“. The implication is that, if Michael did not personally rebuke the devil, neither should they. Father it is You and You alone who has authority over the enemy. You said that we should pray that You would keep us from the power of the evil one, and so we do for the reader and his/her family.

  Good morning. Possibly as a warning: now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. Just because God brought them out of Egypt, it did not mean that they would be able to enter the promised land. Also it says that they did not believe. Of course some will say that that example shows that you can lose your salvation. Not all who came out of Egypt were believers, at least not in Moses. And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day. There are varying views on what that means, some of which sound like science fiction. Jude then talks about Sodom and Gomorrah. These indulged in gross immorality and are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire. Father help us to not fall away from believing in You and what You have ...

  Good morning. Today we begin the book of Jude. He does not claim to be Jesus’  brother; but he says he is the brother of James - accepted as the brother of Jesus. While I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. It sounds like people were arguing against what Christians believed and were trying to portray salvation as something different. We are not to lie down and let people trample all over our beliefs. Certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. This sounds like what is known as “greasy grace“. You can do whatever you want because God will forgive you through His grace. Father thank You that while Your grace is all encompassing; it does...

  Good morning. Today we begin third John - A letter of encouragement to Gaius. I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. Here John is not just talking about financial prosperity. That by itself is useless, as Jesus taught about several times. John commends him on his behavior towards other believers. John mentions an individual in the church who loves to be first among the members and does not accept what John says. If I come, I will call attention to his deeds, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who desire to do so; and puts them out of the church. Do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God (just like he said in first John). This is the end of third John. Father, just like John, I pray that in all respects the reader may prosper and be in good health, just as his/her s...

  Good morning. Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ (my Bible says that most likely it is not the teachings that Christ gave, but rather the teachings about the Christ that refute Gnosticism), does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive them into your house (my Bible says this means do not let them stay with you if they are teaching the wrong things about the Christ i.e. Gnosticism), and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds That is the end of second John. Father thank You that we can have confidence in Your Word’s teaching about Jesus; who He is and what He did for us.

  Good morning. Today we begin second John. He writes to “the chosen lady and her children“. My Bible says that it could be to an actual woman or to a church and its members. He talks about the commandment that we love one another, just like he did in first John. And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it. Once again a statement against Gnosticism: for many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. Father continue to go with the reader and his/her family, blessing them richly every day.

  Good morning. Remember that one of the key tenets of Gnosticism is knowing. We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. That is obvious if you look at the situation around you objectively. The people of the world are getting worse and worse. We know that the Son of God has come (again against Gnosticism), 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 (my Bible says that it could either be talking about the Father or the Son) and eternal life. As a Christian, we are not dealing with good platitudes, but with the person of Jesus Christ. The result is eternal life. Little children, guard yourselves from idols. We are not concerned about idols that are statues. We are concerned about things or ideas that take first place in our hearts, instead of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the end of First John. Father thank You that we can know Jesus in a ...

  Good morning. John then says that if you see a brother committing a sin not leading to death, you should ask and God will give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death. It is not clear exactly what sin he was talking about. It could be that the sin leading to death was the denying that Jesus is the Son of God. We know that no one who is born of God sins (doesn’t mean never sins); but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. That is definitely awesome! We will finish the epistle next time. Father thank You that Jesus keeps us, and the evil one does not touch us.

  Good morning. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God (he is writing to believers, not unbelievers), so that you may know that you have eternal life. Some Christians go through their entire lives flip-flopping back-and-forth between believing they are saved and believing they are not saved. This says that you can have confidence that you are saved. What is one of the really great results of this? This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will (that is key – you don’t get just any old thing that you ask for), He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. That is awesome! It also reminds us of Mark 11. Father thank You that we can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we have eternal life, and that whatever we ask You, we shall receive!

  Good morning. The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. And what is that testimony? The testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. Too many times Christians get hung up on something that a nonbeliever does or says. They go after them vigorously, trying to convince them that what they do or say is wrong. This says that we should be concentrating not on what the person says or does, but on the question – do they have the Son, Jesus Christ. That is what is most important. It is our job to catch the fish – it is the Holy Spirit‘s job to clean them. Father thank You that we have the Son, and hence, have eternal life!

  Good morning. Speaking of Jesus: this is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. There is disagreement about what this means. Many say that the blood refers to the cross and the water refers to the water baptism of Jesus. When that happened, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus, and thus testified that He was the Messiah, the Son of God. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son (“this is My Beloved Son. Hear ye Him”. John was there when this happened). There are other beliefs about what the water, the Spirit, and the blood mean. Whatever they mean, Father we thank You for testifying that Jesus is Your Son.

  Good morning. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. Here is something exciting: for whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. We are over-comers. It is difficult to overcome many things; but to overcome the world is astonishing! The world is implanted upon us from birth. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. Again, this goes against Gnosticism. But you say, “that is something from ages ago; it has no affect on me today“. There are many different religions that say that they are the way to God; but Christianity is the only one that says that Jesus is the Son of God. Father thank You that we are born of You and have overcome the world!

  Good morning. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,“ and hates his brother, he is a liar (liar, liar, pants on fire); for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom He has not seen. As we said before, people generally do not love someone that they have not seen. And this commandment (not a suggestion) we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also. Here is another litmus test: whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God (this reiterates a verse from a few days ago, and from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians), and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. You can’t help yourself. If you truly love God, you will also love your fellow believers. That does not mean that you won’t have disagreements with them. All families have disagreements; but when the chips are down, they stay together. Father we believe that Jesus is the Messiah and ask that You manifest Your love with...

  Good morning. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world (not just when we go to heaven, but while we are still here on earth). One of the greatest tools of the devil is the fear of having to face judgment after death. If you are uncertain about your standing with God, he can manipulate you into doing things that he wants instead of what God wants. Instead – there is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. Are you confident in what will happen to you on the day of judgment? If not, you are not perfected in love. Father help the reader to be perfected in love so that he/she will have confidence in the day of judgment.

  Good morning. We may not have seen but John: What we have seen (John actually did see Jesus) and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. (This is going back to the verse that we just read the other day.) We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. “all you need is love, Love – love is all you need“. Father help the reader to experience Your love completely every day in his/her life.

  Good morning. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. God made the first move. It could have been like a boy giving a box of candy to a girl for Valentine’s Day, and she rejects him. Sadly, a lot of people in the world do that very thing to God. If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. Like Father, like child. No one has seen God at any time (we humans generally do not love someone if we have not seen them); if we love one another (this is the evidence), God abides in us and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit (and it is this Spirit that generates the love for one another). Father help us to act on this love that You have given us for one another.

  Good morning. The one who practices sin is of the devil (uh-oh SpaghettiOs); for the devil has sinned from the beginning. No one who is born of God practices (in Greek this is indicated by the tense of the verb) sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. Remember that we are not talking about a one time sin. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor (can be translated even) the one who does not love his brother. The first is obvious; the second is not. John is going to tie these two together next time. Father thank You that when we allow You to control our lives, we practice righteousness and not sin.

  Good morning. Everyone who practices (doing) sin also practices (does) lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. It’s not the idea of a one time thing; it’s a repetitive doing sin. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Again this is not a one time sin. John is not talking about the concept of sinless perfection. Make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. Just like with sin, this is not a one time doing of righteousness. We are talking about a lifestyle of either doing sin or doing righteousness. Father thank You that we can live a life of righteousness just like Jesus did.

  Good morning. Now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. Isn’t that something amazing to be looking forward to – to be like Jesus? And what should the result be: everyone who has this hope (confident expectation) fixed on Him purifies himself just as He is pure. If we want to be like Jesus when He comes, should we not act like Him before He comes? Father thank You that we will be like Jesus when He returns. Help us to purify ourselves before He comes.

  Good morning. Abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. This happens in the natural. People will say bad things about some leader when he/she is not there; but when he/she shows up, they feel shame at having disparaged his/her name. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him. If we are born of God, we should be exhibiting His characteristics; namely, righteousness. See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us because they did not know Him. The world cannot truly know us, if they do not know the Father. Father thank You that we are like You. When the world sees us, they see You.

  Good morning. This is the promise which He Himself made to us; eternal life. These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. He mentioned earlier those who went out from them, but were not really of them – who were trying to deceive them. As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him. [My Bible says that John is not ruling out human teachers. At the time when he wrote, however, gnostic teachers were insisting that the teaching of the apostles was to be supplemented with the “higher knowledge“ that they the Gnostics claimed to possess.] When someone is not grounded in the Bible, he or she can easily be deceived by a bunch of “righteous” sounding words to believe things that are not true. The anointing of the Holy Spirit will either confirm or refute wh...

  Good morning. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. (here comes another litmus test) Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; The one who confesses the Son has the Father also. There are numerous religious groups who say they believe in God, but they deny that Jesus was the Son of God. They say that there is more than one way to God. As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. Father help us to abide in what we have heard in Your Word.

  Good morning. If you invest your life in the things of the world – the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. Investing your life in the temporary things of the world results in temporary satisfaction. It is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist (The one and only) is coming, even though many antichrists (ones who oppose Christ) have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. It is one of the signs of the end times. They went out from us (they were a part of the church), but they were not really of us (seems to imply that they were not true believers); for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. Too many people say that they belong to a particular church, but they’re not really believers. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. With the anointing of the Holy Spirit within us, we should k...

  Good morning. A very important admonition – do not love (agape, not phileo) the world nor the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Of course John is not talking about the people of the world, but rather the world system and all of the things that the people of the world go crazy over having. And why not? For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The things of the world generate sinful desires. If you go back to where the devil tempted Jesus after His 40 days in the wilderness, you will find that the three temptations fit these three things that John just listed - lust of the flesh (turn these stones to bread), lust of the eyes (I will give You all these kingdoms of the world), and the boastful pride of life (God will not allow His Son to suffer harm). Jesus also faced the same three temptations on the cross. Father help...

  Good morning. The one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness… the darkness has blinded his eyes. I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one (just like in the “Lord’s prayer“, it literally says in Greek the evil). I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. … have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. Father thank You that Your Word abides in us, and we have overcome the evil one!

  Good morning. The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old one which you have had from the beginning. On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you (in the gospel of John, he records that Jesus said, “a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you; by this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another), which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The way we act reveals how we truly believe. So, how do we know we are in the Light? The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. Father help us to walk in the Light, loving our fellow believers.

  Good morning. By this we know that we have come to know Him (want to know how you can tell if you have come to know Jesus – John is about to tell you), if we keep His commandments. I bet you weren’t expecting that. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,“ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. That is the litmus test. But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him. If you know Jesus and have the Holy Spirit living inside of you, you should be keeping God’s word. If we truly love someone, we want to do things that please them - why not God? Father help us to keep Your word and show that Your love has truly been perfected in us.

  Good morning. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. The following lengthy comment is from my Bible. [Propitiation refers to turning away God‘s wrath. God‘s holiness demands punishment for man’s sin. God therefore out of love sent His Son to make substitutionary atonement for the believer’s sin. In this way the Father’s wrath is propitiated (satisfied or appeased).] The mercy seat on the ark of the covenant was also known as the propitiatory. Once a year the high priest on the day of atonement applied the blood of an animal sacrificed to the mercy seat to make atonement for the sins of the people. The Father did it for us once for all time (made propitiation) through the blood of Jesus. Father thank You that You did that for us, and we don’t have to sacrifice animals continually to make atonement for our sins.

  Good morning. If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves (not those around us) and the truth is not in us. Liar, liar – pants on fire! If we confess our sins (agree with God that we did wrong), He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins (not just forgive) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin (sometimes we need guidance from another person). And if anyone sins (in Greek conditional statements have different levels of probability of happening, and I don’t know which one this is. It could be to the level of: if anyone sins, and I know for certain you will,…), we have an Advocate (it refers to someone who speaks in court in behalf of a defendant) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Father we confess all our sins and ask that You send Jesus Christ the righteous to be our Advocate.

  Good morning. This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light (in his gospel, John talked about Jesus being the Light), and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. And now a very important statement: if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another (you cannot have this kind of fellowship with someone, if one of you is in the dark), and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. That’s an incredible statement. If we walk in the Light, not only do we have fellowship (which is more than just having a good old party time) with one another, Jesus’ blood cleanses us from all (not just a few) sin. Father help us to walk in the Light as You are in the Light,

  Good morning. Happy New Year!  Word of Life - And the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life (Jesus), which was with the Father, and was manifested to us – what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also (we didn’t hear about it from someone), so that you too may have fellowship (koinonia) with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. You don’t just get one – Father or Son - you get both. And then John tells them why he wrote the letter – so that our joy may be made complete (joy is made complete when you share it with someone). Father thank You that we don’t get just One but both You and Jesus.