STEPHEN ROSS

In the Old Testament Idolatry was rife and there were severe consequences for those that practiced it. In those times many people worshiped these false images which angered God and as a result Judgments fell on the people and on the land. The idols of today are probably different ,but I live in a Nation where Sport and Entertainment have taken the place of worshiping Jesus. At one time in Australia no one would of dreamed of playing Sport on a Sunday ,but now it has sadly become a reality in this land, with no sign of that changing . Sometimes I spend too much time watching T.V. when I should be doing more beneficial things, but it helps me to relax. It is important to find the right balance in all we do.

Obedience is the Key to answered Prayer, God does not necessarily give us what we want but he answers faith and supplies us with what we need, according to His will for our lives . We can choose to make soul decisions or decisions based in the Spirit. We must pray according to the Word, and be guided by the Spirit rather than fall into the trap of following the dictates of the flesh. God reads each persons heart and he probes and tests the inner motives and intentions of the heart when he answers prayers. He knows the true state of our hearts.

We can all be part of a local church or home fellowship were we meet with one another as part of Christs body, but that is not the same as having an intimate relationship with the Lord. A living relationship is exactly that ,it is living and it is not something done out of duty of obligation , that in my way of thinking is religion, and lacks the intimacy that a living relationship brings. Throughout the ages many people have put their faith in many things that are perishable ,but faith in Jesus is everlasting.

When we live in a defeatist attitude, we are living without hope or victory in our life, and not living out the truth that Jesus won for us . If we walk in Victory we are walking as God would have us walk and we can have the Victory over every situation in our life for we have the victorious one living in us , and He has given us the power to overcome. when we believe and apply our faith and trust that he will lead us as we walk with him. Unbelief undermines our faith and denies the victory that Jesus won on the Cross for us and this attitude causes us to fall into a defeatist mentality.

The statement God is Love is so important because the very nature of the Character of God is one of Love. It is out of His love that He created us and every living thing. If we love our fellowman than we are beginning to have some understanding of God's Love. As God Loves us we are able by His Grace to love our fellowman. The road to Healing in our lives can have many ups and downs bur through the blood of Jesus and His Sacrifice on the Cross a Way has been made for each of us and we only have to acknowledge our Sin and ask for forgiveness and God is able to set us free and Heal us. It is because of this ultimate Sacrifice of Jesus that we must forgive.

Jesus and the Holy Spirit lives within us and as Jesus has overcome the World, then we can have victory over the god of this world. As the Scripture says '' Greater is he that is within us , than he that is in the world'' We have overcome them because our lives have been redeemed by Jesus. We will overcome them in the future by remaining anchored to our faith in Jesus Christ and abiding in the promises of God. This truth when believed upon and walked in will overcome any fears as we know that Jesus is the Great Overcomer and he holds our lives in the Palm of His Hands where we are safe and secure in the Rock of all ages.

It is important to believe that God was made flesh , walked amongst us in his humanity yet was divine . By coming in the flesh he was able to experience all the temptations that we experience in our human flesh.yet he was without sin. Jesus was able to identify with us in our humanity, because he came to earth in the flesh and lived out human experiences but without the sinful nature. The crucifixion is just as important as the resurrection. Jesus laid down his life for us taking on our sinful nature and the sins of the whole world. Because of this selflessness we now have an advocate with the Father. If there hadn't been a crucifixion there would have been no resurrection. Satan simply refuses to accept that Jesus has won the victory and he is a defeated foe. The significance for my own walk with God is that I know he understands suffering and therefore when I am experiencing the difficulties of life I know he can relate to them and I can talk to Him knowing he understands my pain, and also celebrate with me the Joys.

When we are obedient to what God asks of us, we are putting ourselves in the position for God to answer our prayers and requests. God tells us in His word that we are to come boldly to the throne of Grace and he will hear our requests . We should not come to God just to be blessed but out of obedience to Him. When we are obedient to what He asks of us, we will be blessed.

When we lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters we put aside our own agenda to spend time helping them. There are a number of ways we can do this ,by spending time praying for them, helping them out with food if needed and giving them your time and often a listening ear. I have found home fellowships to be a good way to get to know people,as you develop a level of trust and are then able to share the deeper things of your life , The Christian life was never meant to be lived in isolation but within a group of like minded believers.

Teachers are anointed by the Holy Spirit to impart the truth of Scripture, as we read God's Word the Holy Spirit teaches us the depths of the word. The anointing is the power of the Spirit, whereas teachers are set apart as a ministry gifting to the body of Christ.

Anger when allowed to go unchecked can grow in our hearts and can develop into hatred and allow a murderous Spirit to enter in, I believe this is what happened to Cain. We all have a choice to forgive and let go of the offense,or to hold on to it and allow it to fester. In Cains case he was not only angry with Abel but he was also angry with God., and he chose to act on it.

Johns teaching on Sin and righteousness clearly outlines that one who habitually sins does not belong to God, where as the attitude of the false teachers of the day were that light and darkness were compatable and acceptable. I like what Magnus said about false teachers always misinterpreting Sin. False teachers and those who are opposed to the Bible and what it teaches always want to water down the truth of the Scriptures to suit themselves . This sort of attitude is very much prevalent in society today where if it feels good do it regardless of the cosequences.

The presence of God's seed in us keeps us from habitual lawlessness, as when we are about to do something not pleasing to God the Holy Spirit speaks to us in warnings or promptings from within. The work of the Holy Spirit is to Glorify the Father and Jesus and to turn us towards God and his ways and away from the pull of our fleshly nature. Sanctification is an ongoing work by the Holy Spirit and will continue throughout our life.

Lawlessness shows up in our lives when our attitudes are contrary to Gods word and they become a habitual practice in our lives affecting our walk with Christ . Much of society today is governed by a Spirit of Lawlessness in the World, with the disintegration of the family unit and an attitude that we need to tolerate everything and accept every practice whether it be good or evil. An attitude of Lawlessness can creep into our lives when we start to compromise, and accept worldly values as the norm.

As we develop a closer walk with Jesus we desire to get rid of those things that would entangle our lives and taint our relationship with our God., and as we do not know at what time the Lord shall return so this should motivate us to live according to God's word. Gods grace is always available and as we yield our lives to Him,he will show us what we need to deal with in our lives.

As we develop a closer walk with Jesus we desire to get rid of those things that would entangle our lives and taint our relationship with our God., and as we do not know at what time the Lord shall return so this should motivate us to live according to God's word. Gods grace is always available and as we yield our lives to Him,he will show us what we need to deal within our lives.

When we are born again by the Spirit of God we become Gods Children. Our Spiritual birth identifies us as God's Children. It is through the work of the Holy Spirit that we are born again, and adopted into God'sFamily. The Holy Spirit dwells within us and we are Changed from Glory to Glory.

To Abide in Jesus means to continue in fellowship with Him and remain connected to Him , we are reminded of this where we are given the illustration of the vine and its branches. Jesus being the vine and we being the branches. A person who is abiding in Jesus is remaining in fellowship with him and other believers, is praying and reading the Bible and maintaining a healthy walk with the Lord. A person who is not abiding in Jesus and His ways can easily fall back into the clutches of the world and become weak and vulnerable to attack from the enemy, and desensitized to the ways of the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is an internal guide for us as he acts like a barometer in our lives, or you could say an inner consciousness, he warns us in dangerous situations or if we are about to do something that we ought not,he is the encourager and comforts us when we are in need of comfort ,and he convicts us of our sins. Hi is our guide and leads us into all truth if we yield our lives to God. The Holy Spirit is ever ready to guide us and always seeks to Glorify Jesus and the Father, and leads us into the truth of God's Word.

The Anointing that John refers to is the presence of the Holy Spirit that comes upon a persons life when they give their life to the Lord,and sets them apart from non believers. The Anointing comes from the Holy Spirit, who guides us into all truth , if we choose to walk under his guidance. I believe that all true believers have received this anointing but but as I stated previously to what degree we walk in that anointing depends on our co-operation and obedience to God.

When John speaks of the Antichrist he is referring to the man of perdition that is to come and eventually declare that he himself is God.John in the times the Epistle was written is referring to those that deny that Jesus is Lord ,and is the TRUTH. We see very clearly today lawlessness at work through the various kinds of breakdowns in society ,and the proliferation of people claiming to have the truth,but believing in a lie of the enemy, and the propagation of that lie in society.

The types of sins that are listed by John cover sexual sin, that is ******* over or fantasizing over things we cannot have, or not ours to have. Greedy longings of the mind ,wanting things for the sake of appearance rather that a genuine need, and placing our trust and looking for security in the things of this world rather than in God. It is difficult for us to often see these things in our own lives, sometimes we just don't want to see them, and sometimes we are caught up in them and we are blind to our poor state. It is only by Gods strength and grace that we are able to stand against the pull of the flesh. If we allow ourselves to get tangled up by the worlds ways, we can be influenced and before we know it we are back in the grip of the world, and her ways.

The ways of the world in John are all about self , what is in it for me , it is about seeking after things that are not lasting in order to satisfy my feelings or desires. We are warned in this passage not to love the ways of the world as they are in direct opposition to the things of Gods Kingdom, and will lead us away from God.

John encourages the different groups because he knows that whether we are children, young men , or Fathers that we all need to know of his love and forgiveness and that we are all equally important to the Father. In our journey of faith we all at times need to be encouraged whatever our level in Him.

When we carry unforgiveness and wrong attitudes in our lives our perception of ourselves and others are altered . Even though at times it is very difficult we must let go of the offense and release the other person into God's care. Continuing to hold on to that hurt will only cause us pain and blind us from the truth. We have the assurance that despite our failings we have an advocate that we can turn to that understands what it is to be hurt and rejected. We come into the light when we ask Jesus to forgive us and turn away from darkness and back to the light.