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.

Allegiance to King Jesus

What does it mean to pledge allegiance—not to a nation, not to a flag, not to an ideology—but to King Jesus?

That’s not just a rhetorical question. It’s the central question every disciple must answer.

In the United States, allegiance often brings to mind patriotism and national pride. From childhood, we’re taught that loyalty to our country is a moral virtue. Many Christians assume that faith and patriotism naturally go together.

But the call to faith in the New Testament was never just about private belief. It was a public declaration of loyalty to a person—Jesus, the crucified and risen King.

When we see faith as allegiance, we gain a clearer sense of what it means to follow Him.

Allegiance Reordered

To pledge allegiance to Jesus means our ultimate loyalty belongs to Him alone.

It’s not about the words we say but about how we live. Allegiance to King Jesus reorders our priorities and reshapes our identity.

• It means trusting Jesus over political leaders, parties, or ideologies. 
• It means obeying His teachings, even when they clash with the values of the world around us. 
• It means living as citizens of heaven before citizens of any earthly nation. 
• It means choosing love, service, and sacrifice over power, control, and fear. 

True allegiance is both deeply personal and profoundly public. It’s declaring with our lives: Jesus is Lord—and there are no rivals.

A Different Kind of Power

Allegiance to King Jesus looks radically different from allegiance to worldly powers. Governments and empires rule through coercion, force, and law. But King Jesus reigns through love, sacrifice, and the Spirit’s transforming power.

In Salvation by Allegiance Alone, Matthew Bates argues that the Greek word for faith (pistis) is best understood as allegiance—loyalty to Jesus as King.

If that’s true, then we must ask: what kind of King is He?

Jesus is not a tyrant but a servant. In Mark 10:42–45, He told His disciples that earthly rulers “lord it over” their people, but He said, “Not so with you.” Greatness in His Kingdom is found in service. Even the King Himself came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.

Christian Anarchism embraces this Kingdom alternative. It rejects coercion and domination and instead chooses the power of the cross—where love and sacrifice define what true strength looks like.

A Kingdom of Unity

Paul wrote in Galatians 3:28:

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

In King Jesus, the dividing walls that society builds—ethnic, social, political, or gender-based—are torn down. Allegiance to Jesus unites us in ways no nation or ideology ever could.

The world thrives on division: us vs. them, powerful vs. powerless, winners vs. losers. But in God’s Kingdom, there are no second-class citizens—only brothers and sisters, equal at the foot of the cross.

That’s why Christian Anarchism insists that no state, class, or political label defines who we are. Only Jesus does.

Our identity isn’t “American Christian,” “conservative Christian,” or “progressive Christian.” It’s simply Christian—citizens of heaven and members of God’s holy people.

Allegiance Lived Out

Allegiance to Jesus isn’t abstract—it’s lived.

Jesus said that all obedience rests on love: love for God and love for neighbor (Matthew 22:37–40). Allegiance to Him means living out that sacrificial love in tangible ways.

• Choosing service over status. 
• Building communities of belonging. 
• Rejecting violence and coercion as tools for change. 
• Living out justice, mercy, and humility—even when it costs us. 

To live this way is not to withdraw from the world but to bear witness to another kind of Kingdom—the one already breaking into our world through Jesus.

The True Allegiance

When Paul wrote Galatians 3:28, he wasn’t crafting a slogan. He was announcing a new reality. In King Jesus, the old hierarchies and divisions are finished.

That’s the heart of Christian Anarchism: not rebellion or chaos, but radical allegiance to the one true King.

It’s living so that our families, churches, and communities reflect the justice, peace, and love of God’s eternal Kingdom.

So the question remains: whose kingdom are you pledging allegiance to?

The nation’s? The world’s? Or King Jesus’?

Because only one allegiance leads to life, justice, and true freedom.

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

Live as Free People: The Connection of Virtue and Freedom

You and I have certain rights simply because we are human.

From a Christian perspective, we believe these rights are not granted by governments but given by God. They are woven into our very existence, declaring that all people share equal worth before their Creator.

Of course, we’re not equal in every way. We differ in talent, intelligence, beauty, strength, wealth, and opportunity. But we are equal in dignity—and in our shared right to life, responsibility, and moral agency. This equality should be reflected in how people are treated under the law. No matter who you are, equal protection should be extended to all.

We are free people. Yet freedom doesn’t mean doing whatever we want. To protect and preserve the liberty God has given us, we must live in a certain way.

Samuel Adams once said:

“He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of his country who tries most to promote its virtue… The sum of all is, if we would most truly enjoy this gift of Heaven, let us become a virtuous people.”

Adams understood something we often forget: freedom and virtue are inseparable.

N.T. Wright, in the book After You Believe, describes virtue as the steady formation of character through the Spirit’s work—developing habits of goodness so that doing what is right becomes second nature. Freedom can only endure when it is shaped by this kind of moral character. Laws and systems may preserve order, but only virtue keeps liberty alive.

Too often, conversations about freedom focus only on what we are allowed to do.

We ask, “Is this legal?” or declare, “It’s my life—I can do what I want!”

But freedom is not simply the ability to make choices; it’s the responsibility to make the right ones. The enjoyment of freedom is not the same as its preservation.

In fact, the number one reason people lose their liberty—personally and collectively—is because of poor choices. Yes, freedom gives us the right to choose, but not all choices lead to life.

Take addiction, for example.

A person is free to use drugs or abuse alcohol. God has given them free will. But addiction quickly becomes a self-made prison, robbing people of the very freedom they wanted to exercise.

The apostle Peter wrote:

“Submit as free people, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but as God’s slaves.”

—1 Peter 2:16 (CSB)

That sounds strange, doesn’t it? How can freedom be found in being a slave to God?

Yet this is the paradox of the gospel: True freedom is not found in self-rule but in surrender to God’s good and loving authority. When we live as servants of God, we live according to His design—and that is where genuine freedom flourishes.

Even if a government strips away our civil liberties, no one can take away the freedom we have in Christ. Our freedom doesn’t come from the Constitution or the Bill of Rights—it comes from God.

This is why followers of Jesus can remain free even under oppression. True freedom, the freedom described in Scripture, is not the absence of external constraint; it’s the presence of internal obedience.

As Paul wrote,

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.”

—Ephesians 2:10 (CSB)

God, in His wisdom and mercy, has placed the direction of our lives in our hands. The choices we make determine whether we live enslaved to sin or free in King Jesus.

So choose well.
Choose virtue.
Choose obedience.
Choose Jesus.

Because when we live as God intended, we discover what freedom truly means.





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.

What Has King Jesus Called Us to Do?

What does it mean to live as a follower of King Jesus? 

This is a question that Christians have wrestled with for two thousand years. 

In a world that measures value by productivity and achievement, it’s easy to believe that following Jesus is about how much we do for Him—how many prayers we pray, how many chapters in the Bible we read, how authentic our worship is, or how often we share the gospel.

But if we’re honest, that mindset leaves many of us weighed down with guilt. We hear a voice whispering to us, “You’re not doing enough.”  — Not praying enough. Not reading the Bible enough. Not evangelizing enough. Not loving well enough.

That voice is not the voice of King Jesus. It’s the voice of the enemy—the accuser—who delights in distorting our relationship with God into one of shame and fear.

Faithfulness, Not Frenzy

So what has King Jesus actually called us to do?

He has called us to be faithful. To represent Him in all that we say and do. What this means is that how we live each moment and how we treat others matters. 

Faithfulness looks less like a frantic checklist of spiritual tasks and more like a surrendered life. It’s not about hitting some invisible quota of good works, rather it is about giving our heart, mind, and will to the guiding and transforming work of the Holy Spirit.

When we surrender, the Spirit begins to form in us the very character of Jesus—love, goodness, kindness, self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). These qualities are not manufactured by trying harder; they grow as fruit from a life rooted in Jesus and flowing with the Spirit.

Living in Step with the Spirit

In other words, we don’t have to live with a constant sense of “not enough.” Instead, we walk with the Spirit day by day. We keep in step with Him. We let His presence shape how we respond to the people and situations around us.

How do we do this? How is it possible to be guided by the Spirit?

Part of my daily pray is “I surrender my heart, mind, and will to the guiding and transforming work of the Holy Spirit.” For me I need to do this every day, out loud, other wise I will continue to seek transformation by my own strength and understanding.

It also requires reading and studying the Bible, with people and on our own, which allows the Holy Spirit to use the words on the page change our hearts and minds.

We also need to understand that service is a discipline and that when we serve in ministry the Holy Spirit equips us to do the work that is in front of us.

Here is the beautiful truth: when opportunities arise, the Spirit will empower us to accomplish them. We don’t have to create our own significance. We don’t have to compare our efforts to someone else’s. We simply make the most of the moments God places before us—whether that’s encouraging a friend, showing patience with our kids, serving our neighbors, or speaking the name of Jesus when the opportunity comes our way.

Representing King Jesus

The New Testament reminds us again and again that we are ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). An ambassador doesn’t act on their own authority. Their role is to faithfully represent the one who sent them.

That’s our calling. Represent King Jesus in everything we say and do.

And here’s the encouragement: you don’t represent Him by doing more and more. You represent Him by surrendering to His authority and will—so that His love, His patience, His mercy, His truth are reflected through your life.

When the world sees that, they see glimpses of the King we serve.

A Gentle Challenge

So let me leave you with this challenge: Stop trying to prove yourself by doing enough. Instead, surrender your life to the Spirit’s transforming work. Let Him lead you in faithfulness today.

Ask yourself:

• Am I giving my heart to King Jesus? 
• Am I renewing my mind in His truth? 
• Am I surrendering my will to His Spirit?

When you do that, you will find yourself representing King Jesus in ways big and small. Not out of guilt. Not out of fear. But out of love.

 Following King Jesus isn’t about doing enough—it’s about surrendering enough. When we give Him our heart, mind, and will, the Spirit shapes us to represent Him in everything we say and do.

That’s what He has called us to do.

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