Living in Light, Love, and Truth: Discerning False Prophets

Text: 1 John 4:1-6

Who are you listening to?

That question has never been more urgent. In a world filled with noise, countless voices claim to speak truth—and even to speak for God. But how do we know which ones to trust?

Can You Spot an AI Scam?

Not long ago, a national survey revealed that nearly half of Americans—48 percent—feel less “scam-savvy” than ever before because of artificial intelligence. As AI infiltrates our inboxes, phone calls, and social media feeds, the line between real and fake grows increasingly blurry. Only 18 percent of respondents said they felt confident they could recognize a scam before falling for it. Many admitted that if a scammer mimicked the voice of a loved one or sent a convincing message, they would probably be deceived.

It’s not surprising. Deepfake videos, AI-generated phone calls, and fabricated news posts have become so realistic that even sharp minds can be fooled. No wonder one in three Americans has fallen for some form of scam—and 40 percent within the past year.

One technology executive, commenting on the findings, warned people to remain vigilant as these tools grow more powerful. That word—vigilant—captures the heart of the Apostle John’s message in 1 John 4. Just as we need discernment to spot digital deception, we need spiritual discernment to distinguish between the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.

Testing the Spirits

John begins bluntly: “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.” (1 John 4:1).

Behind every teaching, every “prophetic” word, every cultural message lies a spiritual influence. Some are of God. Others are not. From the beginning, God’s people have been called to test those who claim to speak for Him (see Deuteronomy 13 and 18). The question has always been: Does this message lead me closer to God—or away from Him?

That remains our test today. Not every book labeled “Christian,” not every podcast quoting Scripture, and not every preacher online speaks from the Spirit of truth. As believers, we must be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11—examining everything by the Word of God. And we must do this together, humbly allowing others to correct us and helping them do the same. The stakes are too high to do otherwise.

The First Test: What Do They Say About Jesus?

John gives us a clear standard: “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.” (1 John 4:2).

The false teachers John confronted didn’t outright deny Christ—they distorted Him. They denied that Jesus was both fully God and fully human. They reduced Him to a spiritual messenger rather than the incarnate Word of God who died for our sins and rose again.

The same danger persists today. Whenever a message minimizes Jesus’s divinity, questions His humanity, or undermines His authority, it’s not from God. These are, as John says, the spirit of antichrist—forces already active in our world.

That’s why we must know the real Jesus, not a cultural caricature of Him. When we’re clear about who He is—the Son of God, our Savior, Lord, and King—we can more easily recognize counterfeit versions.

The Second Test: What Do They Value?

John continues, “They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world.” (1 John 4:5).

False prophets often sound appealing because their message aligns with worldly desires—success, wealth, influence, and fear. The Spirit of truth, however, leads us toward humility, mercy, forgiveness, courage, and love.

If a message promotes self over sacrifice, power over service, or fear over faith, it does not come from the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God always points us back to Jesus and His Kingdom.

And that’s the good news: “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.” (1 John 4:4). We do not face deception alone. The Holy Spirit within us gives victory, confidence, and clarity.

Living in Light, Love, and Truth

So what does this look like in daily life?

• Living in Light means exposing every claim and teaching to the truth of God’s Word.
• Living in Love means correcting others gently, aiming for restoration rather than condemnation.
• Living in Truth means remaining loyal to the real Jesus, even when false versions seem easier to follow.

To shine the light of Christ in a dark world, we must stay vigilant—anchored in Scripture, guided by the Spirit, and committed to one another in love.

A Challenge for the Week

This week, take time to write down what you believe about Jesus, the Gospel, and your faith. When you are clear about what is true, you’ll recognize what doesn’t fit.

We live in a world filled with spiritual noise. The question isn’t whether we’ll hear voices—it’s which voice we’ll follow. May our ears be trained by the Spirit to recognize the voice of our Shepherd, so that we can walk in light, live in love, and remain rooted in truth.

Paul’s Ponderings is a blog dedicated to reflecting on Scripture and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and purpose.

Living in Light, Love, and Truth: Love One Another

Text: 1 John 3:11-24

You may remember the friendly tune from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood: “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood…” Fred Rogers built his entire show on one simple idea—that being kind to the people around you makes life better. And interestingly, recent research has confirmed what Mister Rogers taught decades ago.

According to a Gallup poll on health and well-being, people who say hello to their neighbors report significantly higher levels of happiness and satisfaction. The study measured five dimensions—career, community, physical, financial, and social well-being—and found that greeting just a few neighbors each day increases a person’s sense of overall well-being. In fact, the benefit keeps rising until you’ve greeted about six neighbors a day! After that, there’s no measurable improvement—but still, six neighbors is a lot of joy.

The study even noted that greeting neighbors was linked to better physical energy, greater satisfaction in one’s work, and wiser financial habits. All of that—from simply taking time to acknowledge the people who live nearby.

It’s a reminder that we are made for connection. Even something as small as saying hello can lift our spirits and strengthen our communities. If that’s true for casual relationships with our neighbors, how much more true is it within the family of God? But love, like saying hello, only makes a difference when it’s expressed.

The Message from the Beginning

John takes us back to the very beginning with a sobering reminder. The command to love isn’t new—it’s been God’s message from the start. And to illustrate what happens when we ignore it, John points to Cain, who allowed jealousy and hatred to consume him. Despite God’s warning to tame the evil in his heart, Cain took his brother’s life.

Hatred, jealousy, and contempt don’t just hurt our hearts—they lead us to take life from others. Maybe not physically, but through our words, our coldness, our withholding of grace. We damage reputations, steal joy, and rob people of the life God intends for them.

This is why John says we shouldn’t be surprised when the world hates us. When we do what is right, when we walk in God’s blessing and love, it stirs up jealousy and resentment in those still walking in darkness.

The challenge for us: When we have negative feelings about another person, it’s an indication that we need to confess them and surrender them to God. If we don’t, there’s a very real chance they will overtake us and lead us to rob them of life. Don’t let negative feelings about people grow unchecked.

The Contrast: Death or Life

John provides us with a powerful contrast—Cain takes life, Jesus gives life. The way we know that we no longer belong to death is because we love. Love for God and love for people is an indication that we have eternal life. Pay attention to your capacity to love.

The opposite is also true. To harbor hatred in our hearts, to live with jealousy and resentment as a way of life, indicates that we aren’t really living—we are still dead in our sin. John is clear: a person who hates, especially their Christian brother or sister, is a murderer. They are willing to take the life of another person, even if only through their attitude and actions.

But a person who loves gives life—even at the expense of themselves. Jesus gave His life for us so we may have life. John gives us a very important detail about the love we are to have: it is a love that sacrifices, that gives up something valuable to us to benefit the life of someone else.

The application: Give to God those hard feelings you have about another person—the grudge you are holding on to, the hurt someone caused you. If we don’t confess it and let it go, it has the potential to keep us from experiencing eternal life.

Love Is More Than Words

John addresses his readers as “dear children,” showing his fatherly concern for them. He wants them to understand that Christian love is more than declaring love for people. I think this is something very important for us to think about. It’s easy for us to gather together and talk about loving people—but then do nothing about it.

Yes, it’s good that you love your family—but as Jesus said, even the pagans do that. So we are called to love by our actions, by giving people what brings life. That’s what verse 17 is about—if we have enough to nurture our physical life, then we should provide what nurtures life to others.

The Bible doesn’t say meeting a person’s spiritual needs is more important than meeting their physical needs. What John says here is that we are to sacrifice to provide for their physical life—and through our actions they experience life.

A practical starting point: Add a person you have a difficult time with—even an enemy—to your prayer list. Ask God not to change them, but to bless them. Hopefully, you will start seeing them in a different light.

A Confidence That Comes Through Love

How do we know if we are saved or not? John’s answer to that question is how we love people. Our love shows whether or not we have eternal life. Even if our hearts and feelings say we aren’t doing enough, we trust in God’s promise, in His love. Remember that God isn’t looking to condemn us but to save us. He will give us what we need when we ask—the Holy Spirit.

As His children, what does God expect from us? To believe in Jesus Christ, giving our allegiance to the King, and to love. These two things reveal that the Spirit is living in us and that we have fellowship with God.

The invitation: Surrender your life to the guiding and transforming work of the Spirit. This is the way we will be able to grow in our capacity to love people and to love God.

Bringing Life to a World That Is Perishing

John reminds us that the foundational message, the command God has for His people, is love. It’s what was there from the very beginning. Love offers a contrast between the world, those who follow the way of Cain, and the Church, those who follow the way of Jesus. And love is defined as sacrifice.

For us to love the world requires actions. We can’t just meet together and talk about loving people—we need to really love by what we do. This type of love proves that we have life, that God’s love is working in us. And how does that love work in us? By pledging our allegiance to King Jesus and living as His representative. That is when we experience the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.

Those who have fellowship with God bring life into the world by loving God and loving people. Love is defined as sacrifice—where we give up something valuable so another person may experience life: love, acceptance, help, provision. The Kingdom grows as people experience God’s love through the actions of His people. In other words, we demonstrate God’s character in this world.

Your Challenge This Week

As followers of Jesus, we are called to bring life into a world that is perishing. That happens when we love—not in word alone, but in deed and in truth.

So here’s the challenge: This week, find one tangible way to bring life to someone else.

It might mean offering forgiveness instead of holding a grudge. It might mean encouraging someone who feels unseen. It might mean giving to meet a need you could easily ignore.

Ask God to show you one person you can love in a sacrificial way—one act of love that costs you something but brings life to someone else. Because every time we choose love over indifference, we reflect the heart of Jesus and reveal that we truly belong to Him.

The Evidence of Who We Are

John reminds us that love is not optional for God’s children—it is the evidence of who we are. When we love one another, we show the world what our Father is like.

The world will know we belong to Jesus not by our words, not by our knowledge, not by our activity—but by our love. Let’s walk in that love this week, and bring life wherever God places us.

Thank God for the sacrifice of Jesus that gives us eternal life. Ask for strength to love others well. Pray for confidence that we have eternal life.

Paul’s Ponderings is a blog dedicated to reflecting on Scripture and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and purpose.

Living in Light, Love, and Truth: Living as God’s Children

Text: 1 John 2:28–3:10

Have you noticed how much harder it’s become to feel truly connected?

In her book Adam and Eve After the Pill, Revisited, Mary Eberstadt describes how the breakdown of family life has changed our world. Children today are far less likely to grow up surrounded by siblings, cousins, aunts, or uncles. Nearly 30 percent of all households now consist of just one person, and around 40 percent of children grow up without their biological father in the home. The result, she says, is heartbreaking.

When family ties weaken, people grow isolated. They lose the sense of belonging that once came from being part of a web of relationships. There are fewer role models, fewer people to share life’s joys or griefs with, fewer opportunities to learn love, forgiveness, and commitment. And the consequences ripple outward—loneliness, anger, anxiety, and brokenness.

Eberstadt observes, “A world of fewer and weaker family ties is one in which deprived people are furious about things they do not have or no longer know.” In other words, when we lose connection to family, we lose part of what makes us whole.

That insight echoes what John teaches in 1 John 2:28–3:10. When we abide in Jesus—stay connected to Him—our lives begin to reflect His likeness. But when we drift away, our lives begin to resemble the world instead of the family of God.

The Wonder of God’s Love

John begins with amazement:

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are.” (1 John 3:1)

That’s not something we earned—it’s something we’ve been given. The world doesn’t understand this identity because it doesn’t know Him. But we do, and that changes everything. We are no longer defined by our past, our failures, or the labels the world puts on us. We are defined by the love of our Father.

And that love gives us hope. John says that when Christ appears, “we shall be like Him.” That future hope shapes our present life: those who belong to Jesus seek to live like Jesus.

Don’t let the world define who you are. When doubt or temptation whisper, remind yourself: I am a child of God. Then arrange your life to live like it—with hope and holiness.

Rejecting Sin and Reflecting the Father

John moves from identity to behavior:

“No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning.” (1 John 3:6)

He’s not saying we’ll never sin; he’s saying that those who remain in Christ don’t make peace with it. They don’t justify it or ignore it. They confess it, and through Jesus, they find forgiveness and freedom.

The difference isn’t perfection—it’s direction. True children of God are moving toward holiness, not away from it.

John makes this point clear: “The one who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous.” (3:7) The family resemblance is seen in our conduct. If God’s seed—His Spirit—lives in us, then His righteousness will take root and grow.

The Holy Spirit doesn’t just change our beliefs—He changes our behavior.

The Family Trait of Love

Finally, John gives the clearest mark of identity:

“Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother or sister.” (3:10)

Love is the defining trait of God’s family. It’s how the world knows who we belong to (John 13:35). We can’t claim to be children of the God who is love and live in hatred, apathy, or division.

To live as God’s child is to reflect His love in tangible ways—especially toward His other children. Love isn’t optional; it’s essential.

Living Like Who You Are

So how do we live this out?

1. Remember who you are. When you’re tempted or discouraged, remind yourself: I am a child of God. Your confidence doesn’t come from performance but from your position in Christ.
2. Purify your life through hope. Those who hope in Jesus don’t drift—they draw closer. Let the reality of His return shape your choices today.
3. Let righteousness rule your actions. Right living isn’t legalism—it’s loyalty. Every act of obedience shows your allegiance to your Father.
4. Love your brothers and sisters well. Don’t just attend church—belong to the family. Forgive quickly, serve freely, and love deeply.

Becoming Like the Father

John moves from discernment to identity, from standing against deception to living faithfully as God’s children. We have confidence at Christ’s coming when we abide in Him, reflect His righteousness, reject sin’s power, and reveal His love.

When we remain with Jesus, we don’t just stand firm—we grow strong. We begin to look like our Father, love like our Savior, and live by the Spirit’s power. And one day, when Christ appears, we’ll stand before Him confident, radiant, and finally home in the family of God.

Paul’s Ponderings is a blog dedicated to reflecting on Scripture and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and purpose.

Living in Light, Love, and Truth: Standing Firm Against Deception

1 John 2:18–29 

A couple of weeks ago at supper, I asked Jenny, “Have you heard about that chihuahua that was integrated into a wolf pack around Ely?”

I went on to tell her what I had read: supposedly, wildlife experts were called in, and when one of them was asked how a chihuahua could survive among wolves, he replied, “I’ve met many wolves and a few chihuahuas—and I was always more scared of the chihuahuas.” The article ended with, “He didn’t just survive. He belonged.”

I thought, That will preach!

Except Jenny looked at me and said, “I don’t think that’s true.”

At first, I wanted to defend myself. I was sure I had read it in an article. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized she was probably right. So I checked. Sure enough, I had been duped. The “expert” wasn’t real, and the “quote” came from an old meme floating around online since about 2010.

The truth is—I wanted it to be true. And because I wanted it to be true, I stopped asking hard questions. My skepticism went down, my desire went up, and deception slipped in unnoticed.

Isn’t that exactly how false teaching spreads? Our desires, fears, and hopes can cloud our discernment. We accept what we want to hear without stopping to test it against the truth. It’s no wonder the New Testament spends so much time warning us about deception.

Why Truth Matters for Christian Community

In his first letter, the Apostle John writes to Christians who were facing spiritual confusion. Some former church members were spreading a different message about Jesus—one that sounded spiritual but denied that Jesus was both fully God and fully man. They claimed deeper knowledge, higher truth, and better revelation.

But John cuts through the noise. He reminds believers that a healthy Christian community is grounded in truth and love. When false teaching seeps in, both truth and love are corrupted. That’s why discernment isn’t optional for followers of Jesus—it’s essential.

John gives five reminders to help us stand firm in a world filled with deception.

1. We Are Living in the Last Hour

John writes, “Dear children, the last hour is here” (1 John 2:18).

By “last hour,” he means we are living in the time between Jesus’s first and second comings—the time when opposition to Jesus will rise. The presence of “many antichrists” isn’t proof that God’s plan is failing; it’s evidence that we are in the middle of the story God told us would unfold. So don’t be surprised when truth is challenged—be anchored instead.

2. The Test Is What People Say About Jesus

John tells us that false teachers are known by their message. They don’t deny God—they distort Jesus.

Some in John’s day claimed that Jesus was just a man who temporarily received the “Spirit of Christ,” but that this Spirit left before the crucifixion. In other words, they wanted Jesus’s teachings without His sacrifice.

John says that’s the heart of deception. The question is always the same: What do they say about Jesus? Correct belief about Him leads to correct living.

3. We Are Anointed by the Holy Spirit

John uses a wordplay: Christ means “Anointed One.” The antichrists are those opposed to the Anointed One—but believers, John says, are also anointed (v. 20).

When we hear the Gospel and pledge our allegiance to King Jesus, the Holy Spirit marks us as belonging to Him. The Spirit convicts, empowers, and guides us in truth. This anointing sets us apart to live for God’s Kingdom in the middle of a deceptive world.

4. We Must Remain Faithful

John urges, “Remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning” (v. 24).

Faithfulness is not just believing the right things—it’s staying loyal to Jesus and the Gospel we first received. We don’t need new revelations or “secret” truths; the Gospel we’ve already heard is enough. The Holy Spirit continues to confirm that truth in us and keeps us rooted in Jesus so that when He returns, we can stand with confidence rather than shame.

5. We Are God’s Children

Finally, John reminds us that righteousness isn’t just what God sees in us—it’s what we live out.

When we do what is right, love others, forgive, and serve—we reveal the family resemblance. As God’s children, our lives reflect our Father’s character to the world.

Two Ways to Stand Firm

So how do we live this out in a world swirling with deception?

1. Keep the Gospel Central.

Use it as your litmus test. When you encounter a new teaching, idea, or post, ask: Does this align with the good news that Jesus is Lord and that His Kingdom is breaking into the world?

2. Do the Next Right Thing.

Righteous living isn’t perfection—it’s persistence. Confess sin quickly. Offer forgiveness freely. Help your neighbor. Sit with someone who is grieving. Every small act of obedience is a way of standing firm in the truth.

Nothing to Fear

When we remain with Jesus—when our allegiance is to Him alone—we don’t have to fear the lies that swirl around us. The wolves may circle, false teachers may shout, but those who belong to the Anointed One—those anointed by His Spirit—stand secure.

As John wrote, “Now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame” (1 John 2:28).

Paul’s Ponderings is a blog dedicated to reflecting on Scripture and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and purpose.