Day 3 - 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2026
Day 3 - Test the spirits
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. (1 John 4:1-3)
Yesterday we looked at the fact that God speaks to us. But God’s voice is not the only voice competing for our attention. There will always be voices that are diametrically opposed to Jesus that try to get a foothold in our hearts and minds.
In this chapter the apostle John is speaking directly to a specific heresy that was prevalent in that time. The heresy was called Docetism (from Greek dokein, "to seem"): This specific heresy taught that Jesus only appeared to have a human body, not a real one. This was an outflow of another heresy called Gnosticism which viewed physical matter as evil, making a truly physical Jesus impossible for God. These ideas attacked the doctrine of the incarnation, the doctrine that Jesus was both fully God and fully human. Perhaps this is why John so specifically refers to Jesus having “became flesh” in the first chapter of the Gospel of John.
John was not the only New Testament author to address heresy. Paul and Peter both addressed false teaching in their writings. The importance of correct theology cannot be overstated! This is why it is important to know your Bible, understand theology, and to be able to trust the voices that are speaking into your life.
What voices are you allowing into your life? What podcasters, influencers, politicians, pastors, or other voices are you allowing to speak into your worldview? Who is influencing your thoughtlife? Your theology? Your life choices and opinions?
I personally listen to multiple voices from different sides of the spectrum. I think it is important to hear what is out there. HOWEVER, you should never consume false ideas without first being well versed in the correct theology and worldview! Know your Bible! The wrong voice can distort dramatically the truth of God’s word!
My prayer for each of you is that you are grounded in truth. That you can clearly differentiate which voices are from God and which ones are not of God. That you experience the freedom and fullness that comes from God’s truth! May God direct your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus today. Amen!
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. (1 John 4:1-3)
Yesterday we looked at the fact that God speaks to us. But God’s voice is not the only voice competing for our attention. There will always be voices that are diametrically opposed to Jesus that try to get a foothold in our hearts and minds.
In this chapter the apostle John is speaking directly to a specific heresy that was prevalent in that time. The heresy was called Docetism (from Greek dokein, "to seem"): This specific heresy taught that Jesus only appeared to have a human body, not a real one. This was an outflow of another heresy called Gnosticism which viewed physical matter as evil, making a truly physical Jesus impossible for God. These ideas attacked the doctrine of the incarnation, the doctrine that Jesus was both fully God and fully human. Perhaps this is why John so specifically refers to Jesus having “became flesh” in the first chapter of the Gospel of John.
John was not the only New Testament author to address heresy. Paul and Peter both addressed false teaching in their writings. The importance of correct theology cannot be overstated! This is why it is important to know your Bible, understand theology, and to be able to trust the voices that are speaking into your life.
What voices are you allowing into your life? What podcasters, influencers, politicians, pastors, or other voices are you allowing to speak into your worldview? Who is influencing your thoughtlife? Your theology? Your life choices and opinions?
I personally listen to multiple voices from different sides of the spectrum. I think it is important to hear what is out there. HOWEVER, you should never consume false ideas without first being well versed in the correct theology and worldview! Know your Bible! The wrong voice can distort dramatically the truth of God’s word!
My prayer for each of you is that you are grounded in truth. That you can clearly differentiate which voices are from God and which ones are not of God. That you experience the freedom and fullness that comes from God’s truth! May God direct your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus today. Amen!
Posted in 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting 2026
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2 Comments
Hey Melvin, this is Daniel Osborne! This is spot on!!
I believe when we get distracted in our thinking that it's much easier to hear the wrong voice, and that's where keeping in step with the spirit and not gratifying the desires of the sinful nature as the Bible says is so important.