“You are of God, little children, and have overcome
them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the
world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of
the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God
hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the
spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” (1 John 4:4-6 NKJV)
How do we know of the spirit of truth and the spirit
of error? Those who are of God have overcome the spirits of dark age coming out
of the flesh, the seat of the devil. The dark power cannot prevail over the
children of light no matter how it might be cunning, vicious, malevolent, and
ferocious. It is because, as John says, Christ who is in us is greater and
stronger than the prince of the world, the master of lie and murder. Jesus says
so in an occasion when some accused Him of driving out demons by Beelzebub, the
ruler of the demons. “But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely
the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed,
guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he
comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he
trusted, and divides his spoils. He who is not with Me is against Me, and
he who does not gather with Me scatters.” (Luke 11:20-23 NKJV)
Therefore, those who hear of the spirits of age are
of the world. But those who are of God hear and take heed to the word of truth,
the gospel of Christ Jesus and Him crucified. Those who do not hear of the
gospel of Christ Jesus and Him crucified and rose again from the dead are of the
spirit of error. “For I determined not to know anything among you except
Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2 NKJV)
Jesus says His disciples to enter by the narrow gate
not to fall either to the right or to the left. “Enter by the narrow gate; for
wide is the gate and broad is the way that
leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is
the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and
there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV) Jesus Christ is the narrow
gate. Those who are of God enter through Him, because He is the way, the truth,
and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him crucified (John
14:6).
No one can follow the truth unless he denies himself
and takes up his cross daily (Mark 8:34). We cannot follow Jesus until we love
to take up the humiliation, shame, guilt, brokenness, sorrow, pains, and sufferings
just as our Lord did on the cross in Calvary. By this we know that we are of
the truth not of error.
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